You know that expression 'dumbest smart person I know?' That is exactly what kept going through my mind almost from the beginning of this book. Ryan is a great example of piling one mistake atop the next and getting deeper and deeper into a mess he can't get out of. Granted, he's not the only one making mistakes and doing foolish things. Of course, not everything is quite as it seems, and there are plenty of twists as Ryan acts and reacts, and I really, really wanted to reach into the book and give him a good shake. So, yes, it's safe to say that Ryan frustrated the daylights out of me, but he's not the only one. The Request had a few frustrating characters, although Ryan takes the prize. In a lot of cases, that would get on my nerves, and things do sometimes seem disjointed, but David Bell does bring it all together and it works for this story. As I mentioned, there are plenty of twists, some that were quite predictable and some that I didn't see coming at all. Predictable or not, Ryan and company kept me turning the pages all the way to the final twist because here's the thing: no matter how frustrating the characters are, they're intriguing characters. I wanted to see if and how Ryan's secret would come out. I wanted to know if his marriage would be okay. I wanted to see if Blake was up to more than what was on the surface. What it all comes down to is The Request is a well written, fast-paced thriller. It's loaded with unreliable characters, a protagonist who is all too dependent on social media, and the assurance that no matter how big our secrets, they will inevitably come out. I certainly enjoyed it and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the genre.

I love David Bell's writing style. The short chapters and all of the twists and turns makes these books fly by. This mystery was very current with the social media aspect. The characters are very relatable and real, which makes you spend most of the book shaking your head and yelling "why are you doing that?!". There was a part of the book that got very real and you became nervous to keep reading (the mark of a good book in my opinion). I look forward to his next book.

Life is funny sometimes. This is what I wrote almost exactly a year ago:

"I will admit to being a fickle reader these days. My life has been rather crazy at the last four months or so, more anon on that perhaps, and so my mood seems to change regularly. Sometimes I am reading serious nonfiction, sometimes literary fiction but at other times what I really need is something to entertain and distract me from the chaos seemingly surrounding me. The search for intelligent books that still manage to do this, is always going on."

To say the last four months has been crazy is something of an understatement. What with my basement flooding the first day I started working from home due to a global pandemic which meant my kids engaging in digital learning at home with nearly half the house unusable and my daughter sleeping in the living room. Somehow 2020 topped 2019.

Which brings us to David Bell for some reason. The quote above comes from my review of Layover. Coincidentally, I also read a David Bell book in June this year, this time The Request:

"Ryan Francis has it all–great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child–and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret–which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life–Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.

When he arrives at the woman’s home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead–and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder.

Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer–but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined."

This is basically a fast paced summer/beach read which is perfect for when you are seeking entertainment and distraction rather than art/deep thought. As is often the case with these sort of novels, you have to kind of suspend belief a bit as the characters are not always fully developed, believable or likable. But it has a fast pace and a good sense of suspense which is also what you are looking for when you just want an escapists type read.

As with The Layover, the hook (in this case, “sorta estranged college best friend asks for a favor which opens Pandora’s box of secrets and problems”) is what gets you interested and the pacing keeps you reading even as you start to think that most of the characters are annoying and/or stupid.

Much to my chagrin, last year I said “Layover served its purpose in giving me an entertaining distraction but it wasn’t good enough to make me want to seek out more of David Bell’s writing.” So what did I do when offered a review copy? Decided to read more David Bell.

In my defense, this quote from the review also turns out to be true of The Request: “Many readers might question whether the seemingly sane lead character, Joshua Fields, would really make the type of asinine decisions he does.” I am guessing many readers ask the same thing about Ryan Francis.

And in defense of David Bell, it says something that he keeps you reading even as you ask that question. As the book rockets to its conclusion, Bell really keeps you guessing. I figured some things out but was surprised by others and that is part of the appeal of a book like this: you are driven to find out what happens.

Or perhaps, we all enjoy thinking that the character is stupid and obviously WE would not be so stupid, etc. I think there is some element of that going on as well as the question likely linerging in the back of everyone’s mind as they read: what would I do if faced with a similar situation?

One element of this story which I thought was kinda unique is that it has a very anti-social media theme to it. Social media plays a role in the plot and the editorial voice, if you will, is clearly anti-social media. As an issue that I have been struggling with on and off for years, this also struck my interest. Bell puts some pretty cutting remarks about social media into the dialog and, at least from my perspective, they weren’t a stretch. The way we have become the paparazzi of our own lives is weird and probably not healthy. Imagining how this plays out as accusations of murder and treachery play out in relationships is interesting food for thought.

So if you need a fast paced distraction from the craziness, you could do worse than the The Request (How is that for a backhanded compliment?)

Publishers Weekly is coming from a similar place:

"Bell keeps the twists coming, but unconvincing dialogue that too often telegraphs what’s going to happen next undercuts the suspense. Readers who don’t mind a high level of contrivance will best enjoy this action-driven effort."

As I so often say, taste and preferences play a big role in whether you would enjoy this book. It is not literary fiction but it is entertaining and fast paced. Not to sound even more like a dad, but perhaps it is like junk food, fun to grab once in a while but not likely to be good for you in large doses.

Throughout reading The Request, I enjoyed the story, but overall couldn't shake the feeling that it felt very familiar and like things I've read or watched before. While predictable, it was written in an effectively readable style and is totally enjoyable. David Bell is solidly reliable as an author, and this one, while not a new favorite, is perfectly fine and will likely please his fans.

I read this book in a day. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story. It jumps right into the thick of it. I didn’t understand why Ryan was agreeing to this, only that he had no choice. I did find a unlikeable character in Ryan’s wife though. The woman was just trying to understand why her husband was acting strangely, but I kept getting annoyed by her. Like, mind your own business, he has a lot on his plate right now that doesn’t concern you! It’s like one of those moments when you’re doing something naughty and you have someone asking “whatcha doing?” over and over and won’t leave you alone. She had good intentions (obviously), but sometimes you just have to read the room and know when to stop pestering.

THE REQUEST
David Bell
Berkley Publishing Group
ISBN-13: 978-0440000891
Hardcover
Thriller

I was enchanted by THE LAYOVER, David Bell’s last novel. THE LAYOVER turned on a chance meeting in an airport which led to something else. Bell has over the course of several novels demonstrated a particular talent for turning an otherwise simple or momentary event into a catalyst that changes everything for the individuals involved. THE REQUEST, his latest work, continues his string of terrific works with what may be his best work to date.

It is very easy to identify with Ryan Francis, the protagonist and narrator of THE REQUEST, on several levels. He has his own business and has started another project. It keeps him busy but puts bread on the table for himself, his wife Amanda, and Henry, their infant son. What we quickly learn, however, is that Ryan is being blackmailed over for his part in a social group hazing incident that took place when he was in college several years previously. Ryan has always known that Blake Norton, his best friend from college, got him out of significant trouble. Blake may be a screwup, and Amanda can’t stand the sight of him. Ryan has enough on his plate, what with work, family, and deflecting the blackmailer. When Blake comes to Ryan one evening after an absence of several months, however, Ryan can’t turn him away. Blake, it develops, has an ask, which is the request of the book’s title. Blake is about to get married to his on-again, off-again girlfriend. When they were off-again Blake got involved with a woman named “Jen” who has some of Blake’s letters to her. Blake needs them back before the wedding, given that Jen is feeling a bit jilted. Blake wants Ryan to get into Jen’s house while she is gone and retrieve the letters. Ryan is extremely reluctant to do this, but Blake is insistent and pathetic. More important is that Blake has done Ryan a number of solids over the years and thus Ryan finds that he can’t really say no. Ryan gets into Jen’s house with a couple of minor hiccups, but the letters are gone. What is not gone is Jen. She’s dead in her bedroom. Ryan also finds that “Jen” is Jennifer Bates, who at one point was a prospective client of Ryan’s several months before and made it clear that she was very interested in him in a non-business sense. Things begin to spiral out of control from there. A homicide detective keeps turning up to ask Ryan --- and Amanda --- uncomfortable questions. Jen’s new boyfriend is coming around, wondering how much Ryan knows about her death. Another man keeps coming around Ryan and Amanda’s house, acting vaguely threatening. And why is Ryan continuing to get Facebook “friend” requests from Jennifer, who is no longer alive to send them? Also, Ryan has to deal with that blackmailer. Ryan doesn’t just have several plates spinning. He’s juggling flaming chainsaws. Someone --- and maybe several someones --- can and will get burned.

THE REQUEST is the perfect summer read, a slice of domestic suspense and which continuously keeps the reader guessing as to what will happen next and wondering who will do what to do. It is also a subtle --- maybe not so subtle --- critique of social websites and apps that we suddenly and seemingly cannot live without, but should. It’s a book that will keep you reading and thinking. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2020, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Second book in a row by Bell that just didn't do it for me. Here are the reasons why:
1. "The Accident" Oh my word, how many times did they have to talk about the accident? Rehashing and hiding information and being worried the information would come out...the incident at the beginning with Dawn just went nowhere, it was silly when the real reason for her actions came out. And overall it had zero to do with the plot. And I spent the absolute entire book shaking my head--there is no way after all this time that anything could have been done to change the police findings about who was driving. The say-so of drunk passengers? I didn't buy it at all that it would have made ANY difference in things if Blake would have told the police Ryan was driving. You can't even get the police to re-open a conviction with new DNA evidence, why would they even have listened to Blake? Why was Ryan so petrified (I know, he didn't want his wife to know)?

2. The dialogue. So incredibly slow paced and plodding. Very choppy and cheesy. These are not direct quotes but here's how many of the conversations go:
Police: "Do you think your wife could have hacked the computer?"
Ryan: "Amanda my wife you mean? She doesn't know anything about computers! How dare you think she would?"
Police: "Yes your wife Amanda. You don't think she would have been able to figure out the computer? Where did she use to work? For a place where she used computers a lot?
Ryan: "Amanda did work for a place where she used to use computers a lot. I don't know if she would have been able to figure it out. Maybe she had a friend who could have helped her. There was that one guy Steve she used to work with who was good with computers. Maybe he helped because he had a crush on her."
Police: "Steve the guy who worked in IT at your wife Amanda's former company? Do you know his last name or his phone number?"
Ryan :" Yes I think Steve is his name. Amanda might be going back to work when the baby gets a little bit older. She might go back to that same company where Steve works. I might be able to find Steve's phone number to see if he might know where my wife Amanda might be or if she might know anything about computers, but I don't think she does"

Sorry, I know that was long but I was having fun. That's exactly how tedious the writing is though.

3. It's very obvious from the beginning who the ultimate culprit is and it's underwhelming when all is revealed.
This book took me way, way too long to get through and I kept avoiding reading it because it was so slow.Overall, unless you just have a lot of time on your hands or can really suspend a lot of disbelief, maybe give this one a skip. As I have liked Bell's books in the past, maybe I will like the next one more.

The Request is a story of what happens when the past doesn’t stay in the past. In these days of social media the past is only a click away. Ryan thought his friend Blake was one of those people you’re friends with during a certain time of your life. They were roommates in college and share a secret from those days. With a wife and new baby, life is good for Ryan – until Blake contacts him with a specific request. It’s a request Ryan can’t refuse if he wants things to stay the way they are. Ryan’s life might look perfect on Facebook but it could easily get very messy.

This was a twisty mystery! I loved the short chapters that kept me reading “just one more” until I finished (in one day). The Request is the first of David Bell’s books I’ve read and I look forward to checking out his backlist.

David Bell is an auto buy for me and everyone should know it. I was sold with Bring her home a few years back. I love his short chapters ending in cliffhangers and the twists he throws in. I wasn’t able to guess the killer here and that’s always a plus for me. What I didn’t love about this one? The ending. I was just unimpressed because I may have read it plenty of times. Regardless, I’ll be reading everything he writes! Thanks for the copy!

Ryan seems to have the perfect life, but he has a dark secret. To keep his secret, he ends up breaking into a woman's house. An old friend needs some items retrieved from the woman's home, but Ryan discovers a dead woman instead of the items his friend needed. Ryan isn't sure why his old friend would set him up for murder, but Ryan is determined to keep him and his family safe.

A complex mystery involving a man that wants to maintain the image of his perfect life. Ryan has made bad decisions in his past, and he continues to make questionable decisions throughout the novel. He isn't the only one making mistakes though, and it makes for a fast-paced and entertaining thriller.

A fun mystery thriller. Fans of David Bell's other novels will surely enjoy his latest book. Exciting and twisty.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about taking the reader on a twisted, curvy, upside down, and right side up ride. David Bell is the master of writing this way, but this book is his best at it so far. I had no clue; I could not even guess. Well I did guess, but I knew right away that I was wrong. The Request is a book that is guaranteed to keep you guessing from the beginning to the end.
How do you go about not helping a friend who was there for you when your dad died, when you got married, and throughout other important events in your life? You cannot. That is what Ryan decides and what a decision that is. He had no clue all that his friend, Blake, was up to. I got to the point that I was not sure if Blake would ever come clean with all that was happening in his life and how all of those happenings would affect Ryan and the others around him.

The Request is a book that even when finished will stay with you. While reading, I kept thinking about what I had read and trying to put it all together to figure out what would be happening next. Now that I am finished, I keep thinking about it.

I have already discussed it with my book friends that they have to read this book, that I need to know if they figured it all out easier than I did. If you love a good mystery, a good who-dun-it, and a good story with twists and turns or turns and twists The Request is a book that you have to read.

I am a fan of this author but the last book was a bit of a let down. This newest book made up for it. I was hooked. I could not stop reading. Once, I was down the path with Ryan, I had to keep going to see how the story would play out and end.

In the beginning, I was not sure where the story was leading me. Yet, I will admit that about half way through I had my suspicions as to the culprit. However, that did not stop me from still continuing with this book. I will say however that you should be careful about the friends you choose to associate yourself with. Mr. Bell is back in his true form with The Request!

"With friends like these..."

Ryan has it all - a loving wife, a beautiful baby boy, a job he enjoys, a nice home, and a blackmailer (or two)! He has the picture-perfect life which he shares on Social Media. Then out of the blue, his friend Blake asks for a meeting and asks Ryan for even more - he wants him to break into a woman's house and retrieve some evidence that will incriminate Blake in an affair. Ryan doesn't want to do it, but Blake is holding something over Ryan's head and he begrudgingly goes. What he discovers turns into a nightmare.

This book poses some juicy questions. Who is telling the truth? Who can be trusted? Who knows the truth? What is going on? Why is Ryan being blackmailed? The characters themselves make a lot of bad decisions in the name of self-preservation. Some characters are more likable and more sympathetic than others. All are entertaining. Most had me shaking my head. I enjoyed the twists and turns. I did guess a couple of things and wanted to yell and them "Wake up, how can you not see what is going on?" but those pesky characters kept having one-track minds and as they say "couldn't see the forest for the trees"

David Bell does not disappoint and has crafted a fast-paced, entertaining read. He creates quirky flawed characters who fumble around in search of answers. Each could be a suspect. This book might have you thinking twice before responding when someone asks you to do them a favor!

Entertaining, fast-paced, full of tension, captivating, and full of twists.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Ryan is forced to steal letters from a home, he never expected to find a dead woman on the floor. He also didn’t expect to get a friend request from her minutes after finding her. He flees, eventually making his way back to his own house and finding the police already there. They’re there not because they know what he’s discovered or for what he’s done in the past, but because someone else was trying to break into his own home.
Now Ryan is caught in the middle of a murder investigation. He needs to keep his past buried in the past, or risk losing everything he loves.

This book has everything - murder, blackmail, suspense and some twists. A great fast-paced read, perfect for those who love psychological thrillers. Dig in and be sure to cancel your plans for the rest of the week.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advance copy.

Very fast paced page turner! Takes place over the course of just three days but I read it in two! Somewhat of a he said, she said mystery, with some extra plot lines thrown in. You won’t know who is telling the truth or realize what all the secrets are. Anyone who loves a good puzzle will enjoy this I strongly recommend it.

Parts of this book felt very familiar (being set up for murder by a friend), felt unfulfilled (excessive social media use), or a bit excessive (the massive amount of driving back and forth done by the main character, Ryan). But these did little to detract from a solid suspense story. The only thing the reader knows for sure is that Ryan didn't kill Jen. Everything else is fair game! And where the reader is normally enticed to root for the protagonist, Mr. Bell is sneaky and gives Ryan a past that doesn't necessarily make him a sympathetic character. This all weaves together resulting in a solid mystery!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts What a fun book with a bit of craziness. Ryan has made bad decisions his whole life it seems and sometimes the bad ones come back to getcha.

I found this book very lighthearted but also imaginative. Ryan has so many crazy exploits and so do the others in this book. The writing is very well done and kept me wanting to read more. I even chuckled out loud a few times. I mean how much can happen to one guy?

If you are looking for a thriller with a lot of humor this is the one for you.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Ryan and Amanda have the perfect life with their beautiful baby Henry. Ryan makes a point of using social media to post all about his happy life including pictures of his wife and son. Then, he gets a visit from an old college friend, Blake. Blake asks Ryan for a favor…an illegal favor. He asks him to break into an old girlfriend’s apartment and steal some incriminating letters. Ryan refuses, but Blake isn’t letting him off the hook. He threatens to blow up Ryan’s perfect life by revealing an old secret from their past. Ryan reluctantly agrees.

Ryan tries to think of a way out of his dilemma but soon realizes he has no choice but to follow through. However, when he arrives in her home, he’s stunned to find the woman’s dead body. Then, he receives a Facebook friend request from the dead woman. Ryan doesn’t know what’s going on, but when he tries to get in touch with Blake, he’s nowhere to be found.

Terrified of being accused of murder and losing everything that’s important in his life, Ryan tries to figure out the mystery. He can’t believe his old friend would set him up like this. As Ryan searches more and more for the truth, he’s totally shocked where this might be leading.

I absolutely love David Bell’s books and this is my favorite by far. He had me hooked on page one and never let me go. It’s a fast-paced thriller with more twists and turns than a roller coaster. David Bell is a master at his craft. He knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat for the entire length of the novel. I can’t say enough good things about this author.

This is one of those novels that I would rate higher than 5 if I rated books that high. One of my favorites of 2020, so far.

Guilt and shame have hung over Ryan for years as a result of a car accident he was involved in where one girl died and another was injured. He's got a good life with his wife Amanda, baby, job, and bar but...He's being blackmailed even though he's anonymously sent money for years as a way of atoning. And now his friend (really?) Blake has asked him to break into Jen's apartment and retrieve letters or HE will reveal Ryan's secret. Geez. So, foolishly he does it and well- he finds Jen dead on the floor and the police on the way. This turns into a twisty thriller as Ryan flees and realizes that he's the one who is going to have to find out what really happened. I'll admit I had a moment or two when I thought- just own up to what happened all those years ago and get it over with but then this novel wouldn't exist. Bell has a good touch with the everyman trope. Ryan is likable and sympathetic even as he does some stupid stuff; you will root for him. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good page turner.

I usually love David Bell’s work but this missed the mark for me. It was predictable and too over the top for me. It started off great but halfway through I was losing interest and the dialogue between the characters was stilted. Not his best in my opinion.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.