Fast paced but implausible mystery thriller.

This was definitely one of those where you need to be able to suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride. The unlikely scenario presented made me shake my head several times as Joshua seems to be the biggest patsy sop I’ve read lately. Come on, dude. You know the saying where people tell and show you who they are? Well, Morgan told you buddy. Joshua chases all over following her because he’s so bored with his life and so smitten with her. Even when the police get involved, he’s still uncertain and keeps trying to reconnect with her. Most of the characters were forgettable, the only decent and sensible person in the book seemed to be Joshua’s dad. Him, I liked.

The only thing saving this from a lower rating was the ending. If it had concluded any other way I would have worried for the safety of my kindle. So, yeah, it was a quick read and kept my interest but I’m thinking 2.5 stars in a mercy rating. The plot was very thin and motivations banal.

Another reason for the higher rating is that I listened to the audiobook while reading along in the e-book provided by the publishers. The narrator was great and did a good job of voicing all the characters including the southern accents. I’ve found that having a good reader will put a mediocre book a step up as it creates a bit more atmosphere and drama.

Need a good psychological thriller read? Go read this one! David Bell's work is always consistently pleasing to my thriller loving self.

I'm a big David Bell fan. He knows how to write a good cliff hanger ending to keep you wanting to read. However, this book didn't do it for me. I felt like the main character just made too many dumb decisions that I really couldn't get behind. I found myself being disappointed in majority of the decisions I made. The end of the book didn't really hold my attention. It's a shame because I was looking forward to this but it didn't do it. I still will continue to support David Bell and read his books.

This book was a quick read for me and held me interest enough to finish. I liked the setup although I did find a lot of actions of Joshua's pretty far-fetched. I think there needed to be more of a connection with Morgan than what was presented in the book. Josh was kind of a mess, but it made his character interesting. Overall, would definitely read more from the author, but not my favorite suspense novel.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Not quite the story I was expecting based on the summary. I don’t understand how the MC was so shocked that someone he just met would lie to him. But then again the MC does a lot of stupid stuff in this book and is still shocked others have figured out what he’s doing/where he’s at. Through all of this it was still an okay murder mystery.

David Bell did it again with Layover! I loved the way the book was organized. It's almost as if Bell knew exactly where readers will want to pause but then he threw in a "oh, no ya don't" plot twist that keeps you reading on and forgetting about the laundry that needs folding or the dinner that needs cooking. Bell is masterful at creating an unbelievable story with characters you love to hate or hate to love. I mean some readers may get caught up in the idea that the plot is "far fetched' or "unlikely" but really!!! Isn't that what psychological thrillers are all about! Bell hooks me every time! I am a fan of his writing style and appreciate his ability to hook readers with crazy storylines, unbelievable characters, and twists, twists, twists!

David Bell can do no wrong with his books. This was a crazy, intense ride that starts when Joshua meets a woman at the airport layover. There were a few parts that kind of dragged, but for the most part it was an interesting read that made me question the people I see in an airport and just how they could affect my life if I were to meet and interact with them.

This is a very quick read full of twists and turns not knowing which way its going to go. I couldnt figure out why he would do all these things and go all these places for this women but it was a fun twisted adventure none the less and I truly liked the way his story ended and where he ended up. I'm a big fan of David bell and always enjoy his stories

A chance meeting at an airport leads to a mystery. Joshua meets Morgan who he feels instantly connected to. When they depart for each of their flights Joshua looks up at a TV screen and sees Morgan’s face. She is a missing person. The book takes off on a journey full of lies and deceit. Joshua doesn’t know who he can trust. This is a fast paced thriller that I really enjoyed. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Layover

Author: David Bell

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 1/5

Publication Date: July 2, 2019

Genre: Mystery

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNF-ed

Publisher: Berkley Books

Pages: 407

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Joshua Fields takes the same flights every week for work. His life is a series of departures and arrivals, hotels and airports. During yet another layover, Joshua meets Morgan, a beautiful stranger with whom he feels an immediate connection. When it's time for their flights, Morgan gets up to leave, leans over and passionately kisses Joshua, lamenting that they'll never see each other again.

As Morgan slips away, Joshua is left feeling confused by what just happened between them. That's when he looks up and is shocked to see Morgan's face flashing on a nearby TV screen. He's even more shocked when he learns the reason why--Morgan is a missing person.

What follows is a whirlwind, fast-paced journey filled with lies, deceit, and secrets to discover the truth about why Morgan is on the run. But when he finally thinks every mystery is solved, another rears its head, and Joshua's worst enemy may be his own assumptions about those around him...

Review: I had to DNF this one at 30%. I had issues connecting to it and I hated the slow start. The book isn’t intriguing enough for me to continue.

Verdict: Not for me.

This was such an interesting story. Imagine meeting a stranger in an airport bar and being so bewitched by them that you decide to change your plans and follow them onto their plane to the next destination. Then imagine when you get on that plane that person acts like they have no idea who you are? I love this book and trying to figure out what in the world was going on. What secrets were these characters hiding and why.

Typical boy meets girl, there's a murder mystery, he hates his life, etc. Woven through all this is actually a story about parents and children and the complicated relationships between them. Th ending was not what I was expecting and much more satisfying because of it.

(See all of my Book Reviews) - “Layover” eBook was published in 2019 and was written by David Bell (https://davidbellnovels.com). This is Mr. Bell’s ninth novel.

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the US. The primary character is Joshua Fields.

Fields is flying all the time for his job. While waiting for his connection he meets the lovely Morgan. They have a drink together and seem to connect, but then she leaves him to make her flight. Fields is infatuated with the girl and disrupts his plans to follow her. But when he approaches her on the flight, she acts if he is a stranger.

She at one moment is pushing him away or running from him, while in the next is jumping into bed with him. Her erratic behavior continues as he discovers that Morgan is sought by the police.

Fields is strongly drawn to her, but her actions leave him wondering about her. The more he learns about her the more he questions how much truth there is in what she has told him.

I thought the nearly 7 hours I spent reading this 414-page mystery were interesting. I liked the overall plot. The ‘mystery’ felt very weak to me. Almost more about relationships and finding the way in your life. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 3 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

This was definitely a mesmerizing heart pounding read. Just a simple encounter with a stranger in an airport changes his life. May be it's curiosity. May be it's more. No matter what it set him on a never stopping parh of suspenseful events.
I really enjoyed this read.
Many thanks to publisher and Netgalley for providing my copy in exchange of my honest and unbiased review

I do LOVE David Bell & I will gladly read anything he writes. Normally, his short & suspenseful chapters do the trick for me, but I just could not get into this one. I'm thankful to be an early reader & I'll definitely look forward to his next.

A favorite author of mine. Places you In the story and through turns and twists does not let you go. Great book!

I enjoyed this, but it wasn’t as thrilling as I hoped. Some of it was just a bit too far fetched and some of it left me wanting more. Overall, an okay read, but I was left wanting more.

Super disappointed by this one, Bell is one of my favorite authors but I found this one to be pretty ridiculous unfortunately

3.5 Stars
Layover was an interesting thriller. I love the idea of a story beginning in an airport where a person could travel virtually anywhere. However, I could not understand the motives of the main character, making it a bit difficult to connect. The story was interesting enough to keep me flipping pages though.

Thank you for allowing me to review this ARC!