Don't read this if you have cleithrophobia but if you are after a good thriller to read on the beach, this is for you.

This novel was a little like the mercury in a thermometer on a Spring day hovering over the 14 degree mark, feeling slightly warm on a cloudy day but then the sun came out and the mercury rose to 30 degrees giving a stonking, heart stopping climax.

Having read a couple of Linwood Barclay books previous to this one, I thought that I had a a pretty good idea of what to expect. However I was wrong - the story meandered with twists and turns until the end.

In New York, a city filled with elevators serving all manner of high rises, apartment blocks and city towers, there are 3 incidents involving lifts spread over the opening 3 days of the week. These incidents are coupled up with a mysterious death as well as preceding an exploding taxi cab, setting up the story ahead.

As ever, Barclay keeps his reader guessing until the end.

This is a story full of suspense with 2 stories running in parallel. The premise of the story is a very clever but simple way to bring to a standstill the whole of Manhattan. A small cast of characters is split into 3 areas, the police, the mayor's office and the journalist. A gripping story that provides a totally unexpected twist at the end. My first book by this author but certainly not my last.

An absolutely stunning diabolical thriller, full of everything that satisfies a reader. It starts at breakneck speed and doesn't stop: multiple story-lines blurring, converging and providing red herrings joined with a terribly plausible, memorable and fiendishly simple pot mechanism. Brilliant!

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, non-stop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets. Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different Manhattan skyscraper. And when Wednesday brings yet another high-rise catastrophe, one of the most vertical cities in the world--and the nation's capital of media, finance, and entertainment--is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it's working. Fearing for their lives, thousands of men in women working in offices across the city refuse leave their homes. Commerce has slowed to a trickle. Emergency calls to the top floors of apartment buildings go unanswered.

Who is behind this? Why are they doing it? What do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line? Two seasoned New York detectives and a straight-shooting journalist must race against time to find the answers before the city's newest, and tallest, residential tower has its Friday night ribbon-cutting.

The story centres around the Mayor of the city and Barbara who works for a newspaper, of which there is no love lost between these two characters. We get to see the busy lifestyle of someone in power and the behind the scenes of when things go wrong and a city desperate to lay the blame at someones feet. It does make for some compelling reading.

The sense of fear in people really stands out in the story. The suspense and tension was just electrifying and I couldn’t turn those pages quick enough to see who was responsible. There was more than a few jaw dropping moments where I had to go back and re read to fully comprehend what I had just read. Those moments are the best part of the book

Elevator Pitch is brilliant. Pure and simple. I absolutely loved it. This is a hands down must read and what a fantastic film it would make too. An exhilarating and intense read with plenty of thrills along the way. Be prepared to hold on tight!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ General Fiction for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review.

Four unrelated people are in an elevator in a skyscraper in New York when it becomes unresponsive to the travellers requests and stops and starts at random floors. Suddenly it plunges to the ground and all occupants are killed. A seemingly tragic accident until an incident occurs in another elevator the following day. Is it terrorism or just an awful coincidence? As the Mayor tries in vain to call for calm, panic starts to build and for police officers Bourque and Delgado it is a race against time before further deaths occur and the city grinds to a halt. Chilling with heart stopping moments and tension in every chapter, this thrilling book delivers in spades. Linwood Barclay is an absolute genius in imagining complex plots that are believable and thought provoking. The breathtaking finale was unpredictable and brilliantly written.

Another fast paced thriller of a ride from Linwood Barclay. This one differs a little as it is more political and has more persepctives than some of his other books.

The different perspectives are easy to follow and keep the reader hooked and guessing what is going to happen. There are a few unexpected twists and it explores interesting (and worrying) attitudes that are becoming more mainstream in America now...

Engaging, easy to read but with food for thought.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to review this advanced copy.

Interesting and tense thriller – accidents start to happen in the elevators of New York, leading to terrible injuries and death. The authorities are anxious to avoid total panic and chaos among the population when this vital everyday lifeline is compromised. When is the right time to call an official emergency? Are more deaths caused by people climbing hundreds of stairs than they would have been in a theoretical attack? Is it even an 'attack'?

Interesting theory about the ‘Flyovers’ – (those that live in the body of America and their opinions of those that live on the coastal areas). Fits in well with our paranoia about terrorism and also the divisions there must be among the American people having their current President (no criticism here; it’ll be exactly the same in UK if Boris gets in!)

You have your theories about who is responsible, but are left guessing until the last moment - an entertaining and tense read.

This stand alone novel by one of my favourite authors Linwood Barclay was good but not great. It started well and the end was dramatic and very good but a lot of what came between did not do it for me.
The book start with four people getting into an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. They all press the buttons to indicate their destination but the elevator proceeds to the top of the building before pausing and then plummeting to the bottom. This appears to be an horrific accident until the following day when the very same happens again in another high rise building. Further incidents occur and the city is reduced to fear and resulting chaos. The question is who is behind it and why.
There were plenty of high spots in this book so I don't want to be too negative about it, I did enjoy it and love the writing of Linwood Barclay so I fully understand why other reviewers will give more favourable ratings.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and HQ for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read lots of Linwood Barclay books over the years and although I enjoyed this one the writing style seemed different somehow. It really did spook me as I'm not a fan of lifts, fortunately, I don't use them that often. There is lots of suspense in the book and the last chapter is amazing and very cleverly written.

I enjoyed the book but not as good as his other ones I felt it could have been better with the characters coming to life more and being able to connect with them more. The end was very good and didn’t guess the ending at all.

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ & Linwood Barclay for my arc of Elevator Pitch in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: a series of disasters paralyse New York with fear, the first elevator accident leaves 4 people dead. It seems like a random accident, until a day later it happens again, and then again. Who could be behind this and what do they want?


I must admit that I didn't enjoy this one as much as Barclay's previous novels. It felt like there were far too many character perspectives, it didn't give me the level of fear I expected or even any paranoia about getting in an elevator. A lot of topics get touched on without ever going into depth. It felt really unstructured and didn't hold my interest. I did read it to the end but felt disappointed with the ending too.

In Elevator Pitch, Linwood Barclay writes brilliantly about the fear and mayhem experienced by New Yorkers when elevators appear to take on a life of their own, killing all those on board.

It begins when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each of them have pressed a button for their particular floor, but the elevator ascends right to the top, stops for a few seconds and then plummets right to the bottom of the shaft. On Tuesday it happens again in another building . Wednesday yet another high rise tragedy occurs, plunging the city into complete chaos. Elevators are closed throughout the city - people are unable to work - medical emergencies on top floor apartments go unanswered, but just who is responsible? Is it a terrorist organisation, or the Russians, or an individual with some ulterior motive. One thing’s for sure, the perpetrators need to be caught, and fast, or the whole of New York and its economy will be brought to it’s knees.

I think what makes this a compelling read is, that given the high tech world in which we now live, I can imagine that this scenario could be entirely plausible, and one can only imagine the adverse effects on the financial markets and of society as a whole.

This was a gripping read, and it’s literally no smooth ride, as the story picks up ever more speed, bowls along, broadens out and takes the reader on a journey to hell. With expert use of smoke and mirrors, I never did guess who was behind these horrific events, and as expected, Barclay carries the plot forward to a thrilling climax.

A set of elevator incidents in New York high-rises, a bombing. Are they the work of terrorists? Is there a link to the mayor? A pair of cops and a sassy journalist investigate.

A gripping thriller with engaging characters.

Brilliant gripping read. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. The plot was so well thought out and the writing style added to the suspense.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is an intriguing plot which succeeds very well in misleading readers. It seems pretty obvious early on that a random organisation is setting up these elevator disasters to embarrass the mayor who has further political aspirations. He is more concerned to start with about a journalist who seems to be out to bring him down. He tries to buy her off unsuccessfully but it is she who cracks the conspiracy which has its origins closer to the mayor than he ever considered to be possible. Then the reader is treated gradually to further bits of information which bring the whole business of elevator sabotage closer to the circle of the mayor. There are many surprises in there. It is a roller coaster which would make a good film.

Elevator Pitch is a fast-paced thriller with a credible and somewhat disturbing premise. Every single day, millions of people in New York City use elevators in order to go about their lives. In a city of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, what would happen if terrorists could take control of the elevators and crash them at will?

The usual elements of this sort of novel are present (the damaged cop, the sassy reporter, the corrupt politician, etc), but Barclay crafts the story into more than just a sum of its parts. The plot device will cause a few sleepless nights among readers who already worry about the possible dangers of travelling to and from great heights in a metal box that they have little control over. I sincerely hope that it’s an invention of the author’s fevered imagination, but somehow, I doubt it. There are a couple of clunky parts, but on the whole it’s a great read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In true Linwood Barclay style, Elevator Pitch kept me captivated and riveted with its false sense of character security and blood-curdling situations and scenarios throughout. And just when you’re sure you’ve solved the case, as usual, a spanner out of nowhere is thrown into the mix! A fab read!

I have read most of Linwood Barclay's books and this one was a little different in writing style. The story set in New York has plummeting elevators, an astute newspaper reporter who is on the Mayor's back, a terrorist group and great characters. After a slow start the story gets really scary and I did not predict the ending. A great read.