Someone in New York City is targeting elevators in high rise building and people are being killed when the elevator gets out of control. Also terrorists are setting off bombs in public places. Detectives Bourque and Delgado have been assigned to help with these incidents and to see if they are connected.
Mayor Headley is desperately trying to sort out this mess and Journalist Barbara Matheson is determined to make things difficult for him.
A fast paced thriller that I enjoyed with some really good characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this but did not love it as I have previous books by this author. If this is your first Linwood Barclay please choose another.
The concept is someone is tampering with elevators in New York leading to deaths of innocent people. Two New York detectives are investigating a murder, the Mayor is trying to improve his profile and a journalist is trying to find the truth.
I didn’t find it gripping and I got to the end but wasn’t enamoured.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for honest review.
#NetGalley #ElevatorPitch

Absolute confession, I have never read anything by this author before, but this will not be my last read.

A body is found on the High Line, with fingertips cut off and a mangled face. The case is being handled by Detective Bourque, who after suffering a trauma, has trouble coping with lots of issues and is constantly on an inhaler to stop him wheezing, something he tried to hide from his partner Delgado, who to be honest we don't interact with as much, and certainly not on the same level as Bourque.

We then carry on to elevator incidents, which are seemingly unconnected, but to have three in three days, something is obviously wrong, compounded when they find out the body they previously found was an elevator mechanic.

We also have a domestic terrorist group, The Flyovers, a mayor, Richard Headley, 'Dick Head' to his enemies of which there are many, Barbara who is a journalist and a fierce critic of the Mayor, is there more to that relationship, and also Arla who is Barbara's daughter, but they have a difficult relationship.

This was a seriously good book, I was holding my breath on a number of occasions while reading it and it will certainly make me think twice about going in an elevator unless absolutely necessary. Something you take for granted and use every day, can be turned into an instrument of death.

The end was full of surprises and I didn't see it coming at all.

Highly recommended

You might think twice about using the elevator next time you visit a high rise after reading this story. Wonderfully crafted scenes of mayhem appear throughout the book and a delicious sense of tension accompanies you throughout.

A huge cast of characters appears throughout the book and wonderfully even those characters who have only a passing part have sufficient back story to make you feel for them when the worse happens.

A satisfying ending with a well thought out cyclic finish.

Recommended

Fantastic novel from Linwood as always. Did not see the final twist coming and was fooled as to the main protagonist throughout.

This was an pok thriller for a holiday read, but not as gripping as Linwood Barclays other titles. It seemed a little stilted, and I found it very easy to put down, A little disappointing!

In this day and age this is a believable story line but for some reason I just couldn't get into it . Not for me, I'm afraid

My thanks to NetGalley and Publisher HQ for the ARC.
Oh, this is scary!
In the early hours of Monday morning the bloody mess of a male's body is found on the High Line. Detectives Bourque and Delgado are called to the scene. Any means of identifying him have been removed, but the detectives pick up on clues and start their investigation.

You're in New York on Monday morning, taking the elevator skywards to the umpteenth floor for work; you and 3 fellow passengers duly select your floor buttons, but - the elevator ignores your wishes and continues past your floors where it halts. Then you're in freefall as it plunges to the basement. Then you are no more - well, almost: one of you is still alive, just for a short while. Your name's Paula and one of your friends is Barbara Matheson, a columnist for a Manhattan daily.

Barbara reports local politics and is always on the Mayor of New York's back about his bullish ineptitude. Mayor Richard Headley (Dickhead to his critics) is at pains to rectify his poor image but Barbara is a thorn in his side.
Tuesday morning, a different tower, a different elevator which malfunctions between floors.
Wednesday morning, a different tower, a different elevator where doors open to nothing but a long drop. The same day a Prius cab explodes at the front of a hotel.
The death toll is starting to mount and the mayor cannot guarantee all elevators are safe.
Meanwhile, following Paula's death, Barbara starts asking questions around the bereaved relatives of these incidents being approached by obvious Federal agents, instructing them not to talk about it.

Bourque and Degado's investigation leads to identifying their murder victim as an elevator engineer. The two investigating teams come together to find the connection.

There are hints at domestic terrorism. A city-wide inspection of elevators and the realities of people faced with hundreds of stairs to climb or descend. individual tragedies ensue.
Who is messing with the City's elevators and why? There must be a connection between them and Barbara is determined to find it.

A suspenseful, scary read.

3. 5 stars


Avery good idea,to take a huge city like new York and murder a few (let's be honest,not actually that many) people,and turn the whole city into meltdown as elevators are no longer considered safe.
The impact this would have is staggering.
There was an age old good journalist,bad politician storyline that went exactly where I thought it would.
I've always picked up Barclay books based on the name alone,not plot details,and this one hasn't changed that.
A very enjoyable read,that didnt have me guessing to the end,as I'd figured out who was behind it all..... well,until I was proved wrong. 😁

Oh, but, this was such a disappointment! I'm a great fan of Linwood Barclay and have read all his previous books. To be honest, this doesn't even seem to have been written by this great author. I kept thinking it must be some sort of James Patterson type book, where the author has outsourced the content, but, no.

It's a good premise and I was so looking forward to it, but, found it to be rambling and felt no connection to any of the characters, be they good or bad.

I so wanted to enjoy it and am gutted that I didn't. Thanks though to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Thank you everyone, favourite author about an elevator which has made me think about getting in one. I would highly recommend to other readers.

An intriguing and very scary plot, fast paced action and great characters the latest from Linwood Barclay is an absolute must read. Elevators in New York City seem to have gone rogue and as a result people are being killed. In addition, the leader of a far right group is in town with ambiguous intentions.

There is certainly plenty going on in this novel and there is a whole lot to keep up with, the journalist determined to expose a possibly corrupt Mayor, the difficult relationships between the Mayor and his son and the journalist and her daughter, the partnership between two New York cops, one of whom is struggling with flashbacks to a previous violent event.

The storyline is well thought out and the action is tense. The atmosphere of panic which envelops the city as the elevators crash is palpable. There are plenty of side stories which added to my enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Unexpectedly, I found this book slow to start, but then it gripped me and didn't let go until the last page. The main characters, journalist Barbara, her daughter, 2 detectives, the mayor and his team, are all solid, realistic characters. The book is well paced through out and a few twists took me by surprise at the end. What more do you want? An excellent book.

This is a scary story which is all too believable in the city of New York. An attack is launched on the thousands of elevators in this city of skyscrapers. It seems to be a good idea predicted on a personal grudge from the past but I found it a struggle.
There are several stories running though the main theme which do add some extra interest.
It seemed to me to move slowly and I wasn't very keen to pick up the book again. The finish was certainly pacy but then neatly squared off any unfinished ends.
I didn't dislike it - it just wasn't for me.

Well this is a real thrill of a ride (providing you don’t use the elevator!!) that builds up the tension straight from page one and it’s one hell of an amazing read. The plot is intriguing and intricate and moved at a fast pace as little by little the varying stories begin to piece together and the suspense racks up concluding with a twist I didn't see coming I had thought I had it figured out but nope i hadn't so I was hooked till the last page. This is my second Linwood Barclay and I am really impressed by the quality of the writing and look forward to reading more from this author. So a well recommended read if you love a well crafted thriller that keeps you guessing till the end, I loved it.
My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read this in one day whilst sunbathing couldn’t put it down. Brilliant edge of your seat story. Can't wait to read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️ 2 disappointing stars

I read this after I’d seen a comment from Stephen King about what a great book it was.

I can only assumeMr King is either related to Mr Barclay, or they share an agent/publisher. Because this was not a great book.

The story plods along, the characters are not engaging, the domestic terrorism thread lacks an interesting hook and overall I struggled to finish it.

Oh I knew Linwood Barclay would not let me down! An excellent exciting story with great characters and thrills and spills a plenty. I want more from Bourque and Delgado the two main detectives in the book they worked so well and I loved them both.

If you’re lucky enough to not have a phobia about elevators, well you more than likely will have one by the time you finish this book. There’s something about a small confined space and relying totally on technology that gives you a sense of trepidation. The fact that in the space of a couple of days there are fatalities that involve elevators, it literally sent me running for the stairs.

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 sure 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! Woah I really need people to read this book as boy do I have to talk about it. Even thinking about them now, I can feel the build up of excitement it brought me.

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!

My thanks to HQ Stories for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway

Such a stunning a creepy read, I hate elevators at the best of times! I raced through it, it was so good.