Not the most exciting Linwood Barclay book I have read but it certainly increased in speed, much like the elevators! It was rather a slow burner to start with various threads drawing the tale together. I have never been a fan of elevators and this has confirmed my aversion. The characters are well drawn with all of them showing a likeable side as well as an unpleasant side.
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Linwood Barclay/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first Linwood Barclay book and it will not be my last 

I couldn’t stop turning the pages it’s such a clever plot 

Highly recommended

Elevators all over Manhattan are malfunctioning and it's becoming a serious and deadly crisis.  The Mayor, a reporter and two detectives are trying to find out what is happening and why, but their own stories are also intertwined.  Decent thriller from reliable author.

This book gripped me early on and didn't let go. The tension starts early in this book and continues until the last page. 

Elevator Pitch is a creepy and disturbingly plausible thriller that keeps the reader hooked until the very end. There are several interwoven storylines throughout the book and twists to keep you guessing as you try to figure out what's really going on. 

I've read several page turners by Linwood Barclay and this doesn't disappoint.

I have read several books by this author but I’m sorry to say I hated this, I got to 30% and I just couldn’t get to grips with any of it, the plot, the characters. So I DNF.

It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each presses a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, nonstop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

What a beginning to a book.  Was expecting great things and was not disappointed.  Would be great as part of series as loved the main characters.  Something a bit quirky with a hint of mystery and suspense.  I love thrillers in general and this did not disappoint.  Great characterisation, In found myself fully invested in the outcome.  Love to hate characters and there was plenty of that here.  Wasn't expecting the ending and love to be kept guessing.  highly recommend.

I have enjoyed many of this author’s books in the past – he has a knack of finding an interesting plot and weaving it into a good story line.

Elevator Pitch certainly introduces another unique idea – the evil manipulation of New York’s lifts, bringing that city of skyscrapers to a standstill and its citizens to a state of fear. However, the development of the plot falls far short of Barclay’s usual standard.

The characters are underdeveloped and lacking in appeal, and the story line is just weird. Perhaps the theme was a bit too “out there” and so its development became increasingly bizarre. Whatever the reason, I read the book with an increasing sense of disappointment.

Elevator Pitch starts with an accident in New York. An elevator falls and people are killed. But when there is another accident in an elevator, it seems like maybe it wasn’t an accident after all. Mayor Richard Headley is suddenly under a lot of pressure to find out what’s happening. After all, New York is a vertical city and it cannot run without elevators (or as we call them in the UK, a good old lift). Barbara is a journalist with a serious bone to pick with the mayor. The elevator disaster is a perfect opportunity for her to stick it to him in her column, as she does on a daily basis. 

Meanwhile, Detective Jerry Bourque and his partner begin investigating a body found with no fingertips and a face beaten so much it is unrecognisable. Is the body connected to what’s happening to the elevators? Quite possibly! But Jerry has his own problems to deal with, like stress induced panic attacks he is trying to hide from his partner.

This is a straight thriller, but there are a lot of character driven side stories within the main story. Barbara and her problems with her daughter, the mayor and his son, and Bourque with his anxiety issues. And although there are all these different things going on, they entwine very well together into the story. It’s very well written and all the main characters stand up to each other, for me there was no main person or story that dominated.

I did enjoy this book and I liked the characters. I could see some of them coming back together in another book in the future. Particularly Barbara and her daughter, and the detectives. This was an edge of the seat thriller, and I was most definitely guessing right up to the end who the bad guy would be and whether things would turn out okay in the end or not. And that’s all I want from a thriller really. I’ve never read a Linwood Barclay book before, but I can see why he’s popular. I would definitely choose one of his books again.

This is an enjoyable thriller with a steady plot which really picks up towards the end. I thought I had guessed who was the culprit, but I got caught out by the red herrings. I really enjoyed the characterisation of this novel - they were just ordinary people going about their everyday lives when they are plunged into an extraordinary situation. I enjoyed the ending which had kept me guessing. This book makes me think twice about getting into a lift.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This is my first Linwood Barclay and it won't be my last.  I very much enjoyed this story.  I liked the premise of using elevators to invoke fear in a big 'tall' city.

Not being a New Yorker (or American)I had no concept of how heavily elevators are relied on in the US. I avoid them at all costs and after reading this I'm never getting in one again! The concept is brilliant, what would happen if someone could control the elevator at will? Will it plummet to the bottom or will there be one there at all when the doors open? Fast paced and thrilling this is a great read but it is quite easy to work out who the bad guy is.

The title and strap line are bang on the money - what a premise, and what a story. The very notion of paralysing a city like that is simple and superb in the same moment. A diverse cast of characters, some great red herrings and side-plots, make for a superb story.

I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and kept me hooked throughout. Another great Barclay book!

A real page turner. Fast moving and well developed characters. Stayed up late to finish it which is always a sign of a brilliant book!

What a fitting title, Elevator Pitch. Quite an unusual proposition, a whole city held to ransom by a succession of elevator incidents resulting in death and decapitation. I imagine if you could actually gain access to the software which controls a number of elevators, you could bring a high rise city to its knees. The characters in the story were evenly matched without the usual ‘lead’ figures. Quite an innovative climax at the end too. I have read other novels which centre on high rise buildings, the Shard in London springs to mind. Must be the elevation which adds to the tension.

This was so much fun! Taut and fast paced, Elevator Pitch depicts a New York under threat, as elevators plunge at random, taking the occupants to their doom.

But is it really random?

With plenty of false leads to keep you guessing as it powers towards a suitably over the top finale, Elevator Pitch is an exciting romp of a thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation to review.

An electrifying ride in this heart-stopping tale.  Manhattan, one of the world's most vertical cities comes to a stop after a killer takes control of the elevators leading to a series of gruesome deaths. A race against time ensues in this high stakes thriller, 98 stories to be exact.

Really gripping.....well written novel set in New York and a very plausible plot line. A real page turner

I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy this more? It was well written as all Barclay's books are but I found it more difficult to read? I wasn't particuarly connected with any of the characters which never helps and I think it was quite complicated in places. The storyline was really clever though and that's what pushed me to finish it and I'm glad I did.

Linwood Barclay has done it again! Elevator Pitch is one that will have you skipping straight to the stairs from this point forward no matter how high your floor is and how out of shape you feel. This is one that will dig deep into that fear you never knew you even had. Slow to build with great suspense and intrigue, this is for sure a wild, thrill ride. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy a good thriller.