Great thriller which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to others!

a serial killer that murders by elevator. I'm sure everyone has experienced the fear that elevators can bring, when the doors take an extra second to open, when there is a sudden jolt making you think you might plummet to the ground.... in this novel those fears become reality. I found it a tad slow at times but still enjoyable. full of suspense.

I am a long time lover of Linwood Barclay’s books but if this was my first read, I would be very disappointed. The concept is chilling and creepy- who has not at least once in their life got into an elevator and feared what would happen if it went into free fall? The book was long and slow in places, and rushed in others- so whilst this might allow the reader to feel the pace of the busy city setting, it makes it hard to build a liking to any of the characters.

I would probably say I liked this book, but I wouldn’t say I loved it.

I loved the premise. The idea that someone is causing elevators across New York City to crash was original and will not assist me with my issues with travelling in them (caused by my mild claustrophobia). I hated, however, the lack of elevator crashes in the book. Yes, I had some sort of blood lust for more lift gore. I mean, the book is pitched (see what I did there) as a tense elevator thriller and I think there’s just too many B plots going on. Yes, they all link in some way but sorry, some of them could have been scrapped.

Which leads me to the size of the book. At 464 pages, it’s way too long. I think it would have been much better if at least 100 pages were culled. For example, I didn’t need to know about the lead detective’s asthma-like panic attacks. They seriously had zero impact to the plot or its outcome. Nor did they add to his characterisation effectively.

Yes, I think this was my biggest beef with the book, my lack of real love for any of the characters. None of them showed much depth, even though Barclay attempted to include additional personal details (like the detective's panic attacks). Dare I say, when reading scenes told from the point of view of the female characters, I could tell the writer was male? Probably not very PC of me...

Or maybe it was the book's style, going from scene to scene with multiple character point of views which made the characters feel flat. I mean, Barclay ended up with so many characters that the reader never became intimate enough with any of them. It sort of reminded me of a typical 70s or 80s blockbuster, a'la Jackie Collins or Sidney Sheldon. (If this was the 80s, some Hollywood producer would make this into a mini series, probably starring Lindsay Wagner and Barry Bostwick.)

Actually, overall, the style of the book was less literary than I expected. Not that I expect flowery descriptive passages to pepper action thrillers but I wouldn’t mind it if there were some. And the plot isn’t overly complex to make up for the lack of descriptive passages or less than memorable characters. (Damn you, Michael Robotham for spoiling me!)

I did think Barclay revved up the action around the 80% mark to a nice tempo. And I will concede things were interesting enough for me to never think about throwing the book into the DNF category. There were also a couple of surprising twists around the climactic mark, despite how obvious most things had been up to that point.

I did like the setting. New York City was probably the best character with Barclay using its plethora of tall buildings along with its inhabitants' famous resilient attitude to great effect. (Although, I will say, I would have expected more characters to at least mention 9-11 a bit more when discussing the elevator terrorism.)

So, maybe 3 ½ out of 5, heading towards a 4 if I was feeling generous.

I loved this book it was so full of suspense and had me hooked from page one! As a reader it is very rare for me to not guess the plot but the twists in this book took me by complete supprise.

Book blurb…

‘This novel moves as fast as a falling elevator and hits with just as much force. Linwood Barclay is a stone cold pro and ELEVATOR PITCH is a shameless good time’ JOE HILL
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 and 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? 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 . . .

Pulsating with tension, Elevator Pitch is a riveting tale of psychological suspense that is all too plausible . . . and will chill readers to the bone.

My thoughts…

Firstly, I must thank the author for further cementing my fear of elevators!

PLOT: Clever, complex, well-devised to not really give anything away too early. I love a good 'what if’ premise. What if this happened tomorrow? What would I do?

PACE: A typical rollercoaster ride, which was good because I needed to time catch my breath before the next 'OMG, what next’ moment.

LANDSCAPE: It’s all about the buildings and stairs and the city chaos I’m glad I’m not part of anymore. What was most intriguing was the way the author showed how people in New York (and other places) rely on elevators.

LIKEABLE CHARACTERS: I am not sure I liked, nor disliked, any character in particular. While they all played their part and kept me turning pages, I was not emotionally connected and had no feelings one way or the other.

UNLIKABLE CHARACTERS: see above!

OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY: Overall, a very good read with a suspenseful plot line I’m glad is only fiction … for now!

Recipe for an Intriguing Crime Thriller
1 New York City
1 (or 2 or 3) elevator accident(s), fatalities included
1 image-conscious NYC Mayor, focussed on re-election
1 hard-boiled female journalist, intent on keeping said mayor accountable
1 Russian-born elevator serviceman, murdered, face mutilated, fingers removed
1 PTSD-affected NYPD detective
1 Russian scientist considering defection
1 domestic extremist organisation, right-wing flavoured
4 or 5 red herrings, as needed
1 or 2 clever twists
1 nail-biting climax

Mix lightly the first eight ingredients, then allow to stand and ferment for 48-72 hours. Gradually add the remaining ingredients. If liked, stir in vigorously: 1 mayor’s son, craving paternal approval; 1 right-wing leader’s acolyte, desperate to please; 1 mayoral aide, apparently discovering an actual conscience; 1 journalist’s daughter with a grudge; the Department of Homeland Security; the FBI; a few indignant mayoral election campaign contributors; and a nervous public. Note that, if sufficiently agitated, this mix may boil over or explode.

Preparation time: 5 days. Serves: any number of crime thriller fans.

Elevator Pitch is the eleventh stand-alone novel by best-selling Canadian author, Linwood Barclay. The author gives his readers a clever plot with, plenty of page-turning action. His characters may start out looking a little stereotypical, but they soon develop into multi-faceted, believable individuals with very human flaws and quirks and strengths. Brilliant crime fiction with one drawback: you might be reluctant to get into an elevator after reading it.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

*thank you to Netgalley, Linwood Barclay and Harlequin Australia for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars.

I am sad to say that I did not enjoy this. There were definitely scenes that I liked but they were rather small and far between. I was expecting more horror, more scare, more of a thriller. There was a lot in here about New York and, what seemed like, little focus on the actual fear scenes. The elevator scenes. 

I found a lot of it didn't really need to be in the story and while I can appreciate it and that some people would actually really like all this background information, I personally found it a bit dull and not necessary.

Having seen that a quote from Stephen King had been at the top of the description for this book (on Netgalley) and also his son, Joe Hill had been quoted aswell, I suppose I had an expectation of this. Unfortunately it just wasn't for me and I'm rather upset by that as I really did want to enjoy it.

EXCERPT: The elevator car maintained its slow descent.

It did not stop at the lobby level. It continued, slowly, on its inexorable downward path.

The injured man, no longer visible, could be heard shouting, 'Make it stop! Stop the f***ing thing!'

Frantically, the security guard, unable to think of anything else to do, kept jabbing at the button. 'Come on! Stop, you son of a bitch!'

The top of the elevator car now dropped below the level of the lobby florr.

The screams from the man in the pit grew more intense, and were joined by the woman. A bone-chilling, two-person chorus of death.

The elevator car, like some cunning animal moving in on its prey, maintained its slow descent until it finally came to a stop.

The screaming ceased.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: 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.

MY THOUGHTS: Not the most chilling novel I have read about elevators - I will still ride them, but pretty damned good!

The chapters are short, tension-filled, and to the point. Linwood Barclay doesn't muck around...no detours, no side roads, no sight-seeing. Its wham, bam, thank you ma'am, get your teeth into this, do up your seat beat, and hold on tight!

Barclay keeps us guessing as to who is behind the elevator attacks; there are plenty of possibilities. ISIS? The Flyovers?.... or is it someone closer to home? Is the car bombing related? And where will they strike next? Will it be your building? Questions buzzed around my brain the whole time I was reading, but Mr Barclay kindly answered them all by the end.

As I have said occasionally in the past, the scariest thing is....this could happen. Probably will happen at some point. Maybe I won't ride elevators after all.

****

THE AUTHOR: Linwood Barclay is the #1 internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels for adults, including No Time for Goodbye, Trust Your Eyes and, most recently, A Noise Downstairs. He has also written two novels for children and screenplays.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia & MIRA via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please visit my profile page on Goodreads.com, or the about page on Sandysbookaday.wordpress.com.

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Do you ever have elevator dreams? I tend to get them when things in my life spiral out of control. I press the button, the light flashes. A whirr, a buzz, the doors slide open. There is that particular metallic elevator smell that seems to be universal across elevators everywhere and which takes me back to my childhood when I used to visit my Dad in his office, excited to be allowed to press the buttons. I am not excited now. I press the button. The door closes. A shudder passes through the floor and into my body. And then the plunge, the freefall, the feeling of doom. This is when I usually wake. Trust an author to use one of mankind’s worst fears to ratchet up the adrenaline in his latest thriller!

ELEVATOR PITCH was one of those books I absolutely had to read, because I love to challenge my demons. And Linwood does a great job with his elevator scenes. They are terrifying! I loved how we got a little bit of backstory about all the characters who are part of this nightmare, even though they feature only briefly before plunging to their deaths. It all made it very much relatable somehow, to a point where I am glad that there is no elevator ride in sight in my immediate future. I wish that there had been more of these kinds of scenes, because they truly terrified me and delivered exactly the thrills I had been hoping for when I picked up this book.

However, the elevator accidents are but a small part of a story that features various subplots and multiple different characters, which didn’t all gel with me. Whilst the various plotlines kept me guessing, they also felt a bit discordant and scattered, keeping me at arm’s length without one solid character to root for. Was it a police procedural? A political thriller? I’m not a great fan of too much political detail or motivation, and at times this novel almost crossed the line at which I would lose interest. There were many hot topics touched on here, like terrorism, politics, relationships, PTSD, the media etc etc, but only in a glancing, superficial fashion that never managed to get under my skin or made me overly uncomfortable (in the way the elevator scenes managed to do).

To be honest, I felt a little bit disappointed by this book. I agree that it was an entertaining and binge-worthy quick read that will delight many readers, but I had expected a bit more adrenaline! Just as I was truly invested in the terrifying elevator scenes and their consequences on the city of New York, the scene would shift to a much less exciting sub-plot I cared little about. I really thought that packing in so many red herrings and different storylines diluted the fear factor that could have made this a five star read for me. As it was, I neither loved it nor hated it, and it kept my interest enough to keep reading until the final reveal (which I did not see coming BTW). I remember feeling the same with A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS, so it’s probably just a matter of not quite gelling with the writing style (that’s reading life!). I am certain that I am in the minority here and that other readers will wholeheartedly disagree with me, but felt that the book was not quite the tense thrill ride I had anticipated.

All in all, ELEVATOR PITCH was entertaining in the same way of an action movie with several subplots and a storyline that heavily relies on its viewers’ own phobias to do most of the thrilling. In fact, I think it would make a great movie! Personally, it did not quite deliver the tense thrills I had anticipated, even though it made a good palate cleanser after some heavy and bloodthirsty Nordic novels I have recently indulged in.

This was an interesting one and, having read it, I may never look at an elevator in the same way again. Especially one in a high rise building.

There were some very inventive details and a few very gory deaths. The author used his imagination fully to create original and amazing ways to die in an elevator incident. I was completely fooled by the ending. There was one huge red herring which made me think I was very clever - until I was not. Very well done and definitely worth a read

As one elevator after another malfunctioned and people were killed, the mayor of New York, Richard Headley was trying to calm the people of his city. But Headley’s decision to shut down all elevators – in a city that was mainly vertical – meant chaos ensued. Who was causing this? And why?

NYPD Detectives Delgado and Bourque were investigating the brutal death of an elevator mechanic when suddenly the links to the two connected. And reporter Barbara Matheson, for Manhattan Today, was asking questions – about Headley, and once again, the why. The depth of the investigations; the crisis that New York was facing – people were terrified. Those who lived in high rises couldn’t leave their apartments because of the climb back to the top. Minor needs like groceries and prescriptions had to be forgone. But people were dying and whoever was behind it all needed to be stopped.

With the latest high rise, Top of the Park, due to open, the rush to make sure the elevators passed inspection was on. Almost one hundred floors with the party on the top level – the elite of New York attending – would it be safe? Would it go ahead? The race was on…

Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay is a standalone psychological thriller with an electric pace and plenty of twists. I thought I knew who the perpetrator was – I was wrong. A chilling read with a good dose of suspense; Elevator Pitch is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

After reading this, you'll never look at an elevator the same way, and if you're smart you'll certainly never step into one without looking first.

It all began on a Monday in Manhattan, when an elevator accident caused four people to plummet to their deaths. At least it was thought to be an accident until another elevator accident happened on Tuesday followed by a third on Wednesday. The Mayor's office is in a spin - who is targeting elevators and will there be any more incidents? Do they keep quiet and hope there won't be or do they close down all 70,000 elevators in the city bringing the whole city to a standstill, and causing hardship for all those living in high rise apartments? The NYPD have few leads to follow to find the culprit and have others matters to investigate such as a faceless, fingertip-less corpse and a terrorist bomber loose in the city, who might or might not be connected to the elevator incidents.

Linwood Barclay has taken something very familiar to the everyday lives of city dwellers (elevators) and made it into something very scary indeed. It would probably have to be the most effective way of crippling a city with the least number of deaths. The plot moves along well, centred on the Mayor and his closest staff, a hard hitting journalist (and long time thorn in the Mayor's side) Barbara Matheson and the two very likeable detectives on the case, Jerry Borque and Lois Delgardo. The final chapters are very thrilling indeed as Barclay ramps ups the tension as the culprit manipulating the elevators steps out of the shadows and their motives are revealed.

“Elevator Pitch” is an action thriller that propels you through the plot at speed; it’s hard to put down until you’ve finished it. It’s a little light on characterisation, but the plot is strong and original and the action is so well written that those things take centre stage and make for an outstanding novel.

In New York, four people step into an elevator to reach their workplaces, and instead plunge to their deaths. A dreadful tragedy that’s rare enough to catch everyone’s attention, it’s nevertheless clearly an accident. Until there’s another fatal elevator accident the next day. And then another.

Is someone doing this on purpose? How? Why? Is any elevator in New York safe? In one of the world’s most vertical cities, that question has the potential to create chaos and shut the city down.

We see events from multiple perspectives: the Mayor of New York, a prominent journalist, a police officer, a terrorist, several of the Mayor’s staffers. This is an effective way of telling the story and maintaining tension, but it probably contributes to the sense that the characterisation is not strong. We don’t spend a lot of time with any one character. They don’t seem unrealistic; it’s more that we don’t feel we know any of them well.

On the other hand, the plot grabs your attention and won’t let go. The basic idea is quite original, and Barclay writes with conviction – there’s enough technical detail to convince, but not enough to bore the average reader. He’s tapped into a pretty universal fear – who hasn’t had a bad moment in an elevator? – and then jacked it up. I personally am planning to take the steps for a week or two!

I did feel that the ending was perhaps a little too cinematic – everyone’s motives and secrets reve
aled as they explain them to each other, along with a big action piece. And frankly, some of the motivations were a tiny bit far fetched. However, the strength of the action scenes will probably carry most readers past that little hitch.

This was a really enjoyable action thriller – written with conviction, and at a pace which sweeps the reader along. It’s weaker in the characterisation, but if that’s the main thing you’re looking for in a novel, you probably won’t pick this one up anyway. Readers who like strong plots or action will love this book.

I joked on Instagram (when sharing the cover pic of this book) that I hoped that people didn't 'try this at home'. The blurb promotes the book as 'doing for elevators what Jaws did for the beach'. I am extremely shark phobic and read Jaws at a young age (probably too young but we were on Fraser Island and reading options were limited. I still remember spending the entire barge trip home waiting for some mammoth shark to come and swallow the massive vessel!)

So, like Adrian McKinty's The Chain, there's a sense of... "Oh god I hope this doesn't give people ideas!" But that's mixed with a reminder that sociopaths and psychopaths will be motivated by the things we least expect. (And I note there have actually been a few elevator / lift-themed horror movies, so this isn't completely unheard of. 

Of course, this isn't science fiction so elevator systems across the city haven't come alive (SkyNet style) to overthrow their human masters. Rather, fairly early on, it's discovered that the mishaps are being manipulated by someone who's hacked the system and installed cameras to watch.

So... a psychopathic voyeur perhaps, which would make them very hard to find if there's no obvious motive? Or someone with a personal axe to grind?

Barclay (again) introduces some great characters. I really liked ambitious (forty-something) journalist Barbara who is determined to reveal the NYC Mayor's corruption. And then there's the Mayor's son... the constantly belittled Glover and handsome security cum-fixer Chris who takes a shine to Barbara. And vice versa.

And then there's Detective Jerry Bourque (and his partner, Lois Delgado). I wondered if Jerry had been in another novel as it felt a little as if we were coming in part-way through his story but we soon get caught-up on events of his past, continuing to impact on him.

On top of that there's Bucky a somewhat 'simple' hatchet man for the 'Flyovers' a domestic extremist group responsible for a number of bombings; who seemingly have a problem with 'coastal' elites 'flying' between New York, Boston, LA and San Francisco. I didn't know that was a thing? We have a joking rivalry between states here in Australia but not one that generates venom. (Other than a couple of times a year for sporting events!)

Like I said, we're again given great characters, but something I (also) found in Barclay's Promise Falls series, was that it's a little hard for readers to identify with the / a narrator. Obviously it's not uncommon to have multiple narrators. Here we spend a lot of time with Barbara and Jerry though the story unfolds from several points of view.

I suspect it's the introduction the myriad of characters and plots (from the elevator sabotage, to mayoral misconduct, to Russian defectors, to domestic terrorists) that distracted me a little and meant my allegiances (and focus) were perhaps scattered.

But as is (also) so often the case with Barclay he throws in some surprising twists.

Naturally my ingeniousness (!!) pointed me in the direction of the baddie quite early in the book, and we're later led there via the plot, but all is not as it seems... and we're given some hints via a backstory interspersed throughout the novel.

Although paranoid about sharks after Jaws, this hasn't caused me to be overly suspicious of elevators. Some of the scenes are confronting though and it could freak some out a little.

As an aside I particularly appreciated the fact that Barclay highlights the role elevators play in a city like New York and how their non-functionality can impact on lives. And livelihoods. 

Weirdly I was saddened by the way things ultimately turn out, but I guess I should take solace in the fact Barclay offers up textured characters who aren't always as they seem. And of course it's a reminder that unlikeable people sometimes have reasons for being that way and may occasionally have some redeeming qualities. And vice versa.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author, Linwood Barclay, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Elevator Pitch in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
What a ripper of a read. Would have to be, in my opinion, the best book he has written. Loved it.
The storyline was well thought out and written with well developed characters and a rollercoaster plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Well worth a read.