Easy quick read. I kind of figured out what was happening partway through, which always disappoints me but there were enough distractions to keep me reading up until the end.

Social media seems to be the newest deadly tactic in thrillers these days and David Bell is no exception! The Request was an interesting thriller but ultimately, not my favorite.

Ryan has it all, a great job, house, wife and child. When his past catches up with him, he is at risk to lose all of it. His friend Blake makes an appearance and has a small favor to ask of him and what happens turns out to be the worst case scenario for poor Ryan. He will spend the next few days running, hiding and trying to clear his name and protect his family. Not only from the events of the past, but the decision to help a college friend. David Bell's books are always page-turners that keep me intrigued until the very end.

David Bell never dissappoints. This book was fantastic.. I have read all his books and will continue to do.. Can not wait for the next to come out.

I have loved every David Bell book I’ve ever read but this one is my least favorite. It’s probably because all of the characters (except for the baby) are so unlikeable. I wish I had a dollar for every time I thought, “why would you do something so stupid?” There was also a LOT of running around in this book - meaning, the main character seemed to spend an crazy amount of time running around town looking for folks because they didn’t pick up the phone. I wish I would have liked this more.

The Request is the eighth novel of its author, David Bell. His stories reflect a deep interest in the mysterious pull of crime, death & disappearances. He brings out these elements compellingly in this novel. In order to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer and I found myself holding my breath from the beginning to the last pages!

I have been hooked on David Bell's books since Cemetery Girl. His books never disappoint. The Request was an enjoyable read.

Ryan Francis has a wonderful life, but it is all threatened when an old friend asks him to do something against his better nature. To prevent an old secret from becoming public, will Ryan go as far as commit a crime and then lie to protect his friend and himself?

I wanted to like The Request, but all of the twists were too much like smoke and mirrors for me. The story had its peaks and valleys, but the eventual conclusion was predictable. None of the characters were all that likable, as it seemed as though they all had a secret worth keeping. Without a good main character to root for, the story itself did not have enough to propel the plot forward. Overall, the secret did not seem plausible, as you would think that the investigators would use evidence (both from the scene and the bruising/injury patterns) to figure out what actually happened. For these reasons, I was not enamored with The Request and would be hesitant to recommend it to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Request by NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley. The choice to review this book was my own.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO THE REQUEST BY DAVID BELL?
Sometimes I like to step out of my comfort zone. The Request by David Bell was completely out of my comfort zone and really on the surface, not a me book. It’s a thriller where the main character is a guy who seemingly has everything in his life together. I am not one who is usually into that kind of thing when reading, but something about the summary caught my attention. Maybe it was the idea this book posits about social media only being the highlight reel (which I fully agree with). When this popped up as available via audiobook for the library, I went for it.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
The Request is about a man who has it all. His job is wonderful. His family life could not be better. Also, his social media is hashtag goals. Ryan Francis is truly living the dream. However, his dream may all come crashing down on him. You see, his old friend makes a request of Ryan – break into a woman’s home and destroy evidence of the affair. Ryan feels like he cannot turn the request down, so he does so. Unfortunately, it turns out the woman has been murdered. Ryan gets himself tangled up in something serious. Oh, and he knows the woman too. His phone rings and it turns out to be a Facebook friend request from the woman. Also? Ryan is pretty sure he is being set up for the woman’s murder. So, he is on the run and trying to solve the case and clear his good name.

HOW DID I LIKE THE REQUEST?
Frankly, The Request was really compelling. I will admit to skipping ahead to make sure that Ryan’s baby turned out okay. You see, I can’t handle tiny children in danger. Thankfully, the baby turns out just fine, no issues or anything. I do think that Ryan made a lot of terrible life choices. But, I get it. When you are under that much stress chances are you aren’t thinking logically – particularly when you are being framed for murder and all that you hold dear could be taken away. While this was not my favorite book of all time ever, it was a good step into something different. After reading, I am willing to try more at least by David Bell, and more thrillers aimed at adults.


HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of The Request is narrated by Tristan Morris. It is 12 hours and 6 minutes long. If I recall correctly, I listened to this at 1.5x speed which was ideal for the story. The action translates really well into audio. I think that this would be a good audiobook for men or for people who really like high octane movies and tv shows. It certainly was an entertaining listen and I have zero complaints about the audiobook.

David Bell is an auto-buy author for me, so I was so excited to get this copy early. This one did not disappoint! David sure knows how to write a suspenseful story that doesn't give away the ending so easily. I truly am always left in suspense, including this one!

How far would you go to help an old friend? Ryan Francis isn't going to turn down his friend's request- not with the past and secrets they share. But what starts as a single favor quickly turns into a lot more - and Ryan's perfect life is on the line.
This is a great twisty thriller to read this fall. There's a lot going on in this one- dark pasts, unlikable characters, tension.
A few of my hunches in the story ended up being correct, but there was still a lot to try to figure out. Just when things finally appeared to be solved they suddenly took a turn and I was right back to wondering what could have happened. It was a satisfying read and I look forward to more from David Bell
Many thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This book started too slow for me and I kept putting it down before picking it back up, but I'd have to say, the back half held my interest more.

JUST love this Author. Thrilling book that was impossible to put down.. I read it as slow as I could to absorb every word and make it last as long as possible!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fast-paced, intricate, and with some great twists—if you don’t mind suspending your disbelief a tad, grab David Bell’s latest thriller The Request and clear your plans for the next day! This one is hard to put down once you start it!

About the Book

It all started with blackmail. Well, that’s not entirely true. It all started with the accident back in college. The secret that Ryan and his best friend Blake have held onto for so long. The guilt over a sophomoric prank gone wrong. Now someone is blackmailing Ryan, and it is only the beginning

Ryan has the picture-perfect life. Literally. His photos of his wife Amanda and their infant son Henry gather hundreds of likes and comments from friends and family. Ryan has finally overcome his troubling past—the loss of his father, the struggles to make ends meet and finish his degree, the accident… Now he is married, has a job he is great at, has a beautiful son, and is even a minority owner in a local bar.

When his best friend from college Blake gets together with him, everything will change. First the blackmail, and now Blake reappears. Despite the setbacks, Ryan and Blake always are bonded. So when Blake approaches Ryan with the good news that he and his on-again-off-again girlfriend Samantha are getting married, Ryan is taken aback but happy for them. Sam is so good for Blake.

Now Blake has just one small request from Ryan, that will change everything…

Go to the house of a woman he was seeing on a break with Sam, and look for some letters. The letters will not just destroy what Blake has with Sam, he also confesses about the accident from college. The one Ryan is being blackmailed about. So Ryan goes, against his better judgment. And when he gets these, things really take a turn… Because Ryan knows this woman, and now he finds her murdered in her home.

He was never supposed to be there, so he runs. And then things really unravel. Who is setting him up for murder? Did Blake know about this? And is this death linked to the blackmail, or just a coincidence?

Reflection

Moving at breakneck speed from the moment it begins, this is a fantastic book to lose yourself in. For my personal tastes, this is by far the best book of David Bell’s that I’ve read. The narrative structure and the cliff hangers at the end of the chapters definitely has me hooked. It is a total “one more chapter” kind of read!

Ryan is a great character, because he is rootable but flawed. I really wanted things to turn out okay. I loved his family. I really liked Amanda and found her to be quite intriguing as a character. From the beginning social media has a subtle but important current underlying the narrative. Ryan notes several times how much he puts on display. And at times we hear from different characters whether they do or don’t use social media. We also learn how many see the perfect photos of Ryan’s family and think it means his life is perfect. Let me tell you—it is clear from page one that his life isn’t perfect! But that is always the thing about social media, right? We only put the good things out there.

Ryan also harbors guilt over the night from college, and it is hard to not want to reach through the pages and shake him. Just come clean! Stop lying to Amanda! And then there were moments I wanted to say the same to her. But through all of their ups and downs as characters, I loved the way both drop everything for one another. That sort of love can get you through even the roughest times. And let’s just say, this book covers the roughest of times for them!

Twist-y and addictive—this is a great thriller to dive into!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a mystery about a girl that is killed, and a group of college friends that were part of something bad that are connected to this girl.

This was written in a fast paced manner but I found myself bored with the pacing, uninterested in the characters and just wanting the book to be over. Definitely a miss for me.

Dollycas's Thoughts

You just need to look at Ryan Francis' social media posts to know he is happy. A new baby, a loving wife, and a great job. Then his friend Blake makes a request. A request that could cost him everything so at first, he refuses. Then Blake threatens to make public a deep, dark, secret he and Ryan vowed to keep forever. Blake keeps pushing until Ryan finally accepts his request.

Blake wants Ryan to break into a woman's house to remove some things that would prove Blake was having an affair. Instead, he finds the lady of the house dead on the floor and realizes that he knows her. When he instantly receives a Facebook friend request from the woman he freaks out. Did Blake set him up? He hears the sirens and knows he has to get out of the house, find Blake, and find out what the hell is going on.

______

Secrets, blackmail, murder, The Request has them all and more.

Bell continues to create interesting characters, those we root for, instigators we grow to hate, and a few that keep us on the fence until all the twists and secrets are revealed.

David Bell has penned a compelling mystery where he turns the lives of people who could be your next-door neighbors inside out. The past comes back to bite in unexpected ways. The pace is fluid as it picks up with almost every turn of the page.

I anxiously await each new title from David Bell and this one was sure worth the wait. I was unsure where he was going to take these characters when I started reading. I thought "the request" was a little strange but Mr. Bell quickly drew me in with the first twist and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.  The ending was amazing! I never saw it coming.  I was totally entertained the entire way.

Ryan Francis seems to have a perfect life, but it's all a lie. He's hiding a secret. One that's landed him in a heap of trouble! With this secret as leverage, Ryan's best friend, Blake, has asked him for a big favor.

Blake is about to get married. But before he can, he wants Ryan to break into a woman's house and steal some damning correspondence. The woman is Blake's ex, one who could ruin his relationship with his wife-to-be. But she can also ruin Ryan. Because Blake already told her Ryan's secret. He put it in the letters.

Ryan does as he's asked but everything immediately goes wrong. When he arrives at the woman's house, he finds her dead in her bedroom and the letters missing. Now he's got an even bigger secret to hide and with each passing minute, the secret gets harder and harder to keep under wraps.

David Bell is known for his insanely paced page turners and this is no exception.

Ryan is a mess. He's made one dumb decision after another and when the book begins he's about to make a whole lot more.

He and his wife have a great relationship. They have a new baby. Ryan's got a steady job—in fact, they're about to begin a huge overhaul of their yard. Basically, he's an everyman who's got it all.

But Ryan was once a dumb kid who made a mistake. And his friend Blake, who stood by him for years and years is the only one who really knows the truth about Ryan.

Blake on the other hand is a screw up. But he's loyal and supportive, which is why Ryan has been steadfast in his friendship for so many years even when his own wife has tired of Blake's antics. But it seems Blake has finally turned over a new leaf. He's getting married and his fiancé seems to have a great calming effect on him.

Except it seems that Blake's past behavior could potentially ruin it all before it begins.

Now, it's understandable that Ryan would want to keep his past behind him. And it's understandable that he'd believe that with this one favor, everything might be neatly swept up once again. But I'm not sure Bell had me completely sold on the plot of this one from start to finish.

The Request is a popcorn read through and through—by which I mean it's fun, goes by super quick, and pairs great with popcorn (it'd also make a fun movie adaptation). But it's not his strongest book by far, unfortunately.

BOOKS: Old friends aren't the best friends in new thriller

"We all have a friend from our past who is a lot of fun when we’re young but when we get older and get settled, that person is someone you want to leave behind,” David Bell said in explaining the idea behind "The Request" (Berkley 2020; $11.99 on Amazon).

“And I wondered what would happen if that friend showed up, and even more, if that friend knew something about you that no one else knows.”

That’s what happens to Ryan Francis. Years ago, Ryan was involved in a car accident that left a young girl seriously injured. It was his fault, his best friend Blake Norton tells Ryan after he wakes up in the hospital, the memory of the accident completely gone.

Since that time, Ryan has rebuilt his life, marrying and starting a successful business, and now the father of a young child. He also carries the guilt of knowing he’s harmed someone, and has stealthily left large sums of money in the girl’s mailbox to help with her ongoing medical expenses.

But things are coming undone. The girl’s sister confronts Ryan, demanding a large amount of cash, or else she’ll reveal the truth. But she’s not the only one wanting something from Ryan. Blake is back and he needs a big favor — break into his ex-girlfriend’s home and steal letters Blake wrote her that she’s threatening to show his current fiancé. And though Ryan refuses, Blake won’t take no for an answer. If Ryan won’t get those letters then Blake will reveal the truth of what happened all those years ago.

It’ll be easy, Blake assures him. But, of course, it’s not. Letting himself into the house when Blake’s ex is supposed to be at yoga class, Ryan can’t find the letters — they’re not where Blake said they’d be. But much, much worse, the Blake’s ex never left the house to go to yoga. Ryan stumbles across her body — she’s been murdered.

Blake disappears, stealing Ryan’s laptop, a strange man tries to break into their home while his wife and baby are there by themselves, and the police zero in on Ryan — and his wife — as a possible suspects. It seems that others besides Ryan and Blake have their secrets as well.

“Even the person closest to you has a secret they don’t want you to know,” Bell said. “I think we’ve all had the experience of thinking we know someone really well but people can still surprise us, no matter what.”

Not for me. This book was really farfetched, and I felt it was extremely predictable.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Another great book from David Bell! Ryan seems to have a perfect life- a wife, baby and great success with work. But what happens when an old friend shows up in his life again and requests him to do a favor for him. Ryan is left with little choice about completing the favor because of something from their past that his friend is holding over him. I was hooked from the beginning and rooting for Ryan to make it through OK! Once I started the book it was difficult to put down, I had to find out what happened!. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.