I always look forward to a new book by David Bell, he’s fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book got my attention in the first few chapters and I couldn’t put it down. The story followed Ryan who seems to have it all, nice wife, good job, a child,. Along comes a friend who asks for a small favor in return for continuing to keep a secret from their college days. Mistakes along the way, lack of truthfulness in your marriage and how social media influences life these days all combine to make this a great read. Can’t wait for his next book!

I have really enjoyed some of Bell’s previous works, but this one — although fast-paced and intriguing — fell somewhat flat for me.

Bell’s main character, Ryan, has a comfortable, almost perfect life that he shares with his wife Amanda, his son Henry, and on social media. Yet, he has a dark secret from his past that he believes would ruin him if it were divulged. Enter Blake, his best friend from college, who asks him to break into the home of one of Blake’s former girlfriends (Jennifer) to retrieve some letters that Blake says contain evidence of what Ryan has been hiding all these years along with details of Blake’s relationship with her. Because Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s secret if Ryan does not do his bidding, Ryan obeys, only to find Jennifer dead.

Events become helter skelter from there, events that for the most part are wholly implausible. Additionally, the characters — especially Ryan, Blake and Amanda — continue to make such poor, stupid choices that are downright unbelievable. (An example: Ryan finds Jennifer’s cell phone next to her dead body but decides to take it with him and keep it.)

The ending had some twists and turns that deserve some merit, but this story as a whole just did not live up to my expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

This was my first book from the author and I really enjoyed it. It was a fast-paced, twisty and turney ride that kept me guessing. I had no idea what the outcome would be. The writing was solid and I could not put it down. Highly recommend.

It seems like everyone has a secret in this fast moving murder mystery. This is an enjoyable read, just not my favorite by this author. A lot is going on, with some things not really adding to the story, but maybe to confuse the readers. Lots of rabbit trails! The book did a great job of calling attention to the social media obsession and the more need for common sense.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it kept me hooked throughout. This book is a quick paced thriller with lots of twists and turns which kept me engaged. The suspense built throughout the storyline to a satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and will be checking out some of his previous novels. #TheRequest #DavidBell #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley, David Bell and Berkley Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I find usually for me, Bell is a hit or miss, but the beginning definitely had me intrigued to what exactly happened that caused Ryan to feel so guilty. I did find this novel slower than I usually enjoy, but I really liked the characters development that happens and how the relationships progress! I found myself blaming each and every character for what was happening, but was shocked to find out who the real guilty party was! Overall, I really got into this novel and enjoyed the story line!

Out June 30th!

I tried with this one. I couldn't stay focused on it. The writing felt very off. It felt like the author was trying to hard to emphasis on things that were unimportant, which took away from the story itself.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for a honest opinion.
The story line had a a lot of potential and started with a bang but it slowly fizzled and left me flat. Too many dead ends with lots of twists that never panned out. Too long for an ending that did not satisfy.

I was a bit disappointed with the book. I've read other work by this author that I liked a lot better.

He was doing a buddy a favor. He sneaks in the house to retrieve some letters written by his buddy. The house is torn apart, he can't find the letters and he unfortunately finds a dead body.

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published June 30th.

His buddy claims no knowledge about the murder. He also blackmails Ryan into remaining silent about it. He claims a drunk Ryan ran over a girl and hit her sister. Ryan doesn't remember. But his buddy uses it for all he's worth.

This story is filled with lies and only here and there does the truth come out.

There are those who are envious of Ryan and his perfect life. He wants to help his buddy but all he is is trouble. Ryan gets caught up in his buddy's mess and even his family get threatened. Ryan is trying to get clear but even his wife has lied to him.

Poor Ryan. His life is spiraling out of control. Can he stop it in time?

A classic David Bell novel about ordinary people facing extraordinary dilemmas that are bound to change their lives forever.
Bell is a master at sowing seeds of doubt in the reader that makes the twists and turns of the story very believable and effective in driving the story forward.
Just as I thought I had figured it all out and I felt super knowledgable and smart (and Bell predictable), Bell twisted the story again and wrapped the story neatly up. That takes skill, and Bell has it.
Four and a half star but closer to five than four for this story that will be a treat for fans of other masters of this genre, e.g. Harlan Coben and Joseph Finder.

David Bell has done it again. Another addictive, thrilling, chilling, must-read novel that you must ad to your TBR!

I loved the thrills, chills, and fast-pacedness of this novel and the edge of your seat, nail biting chapters that leave you wanting more as you read along and flip through the pages. I enjoyed reading about the main characters, their personalities and what happened in their past that makes them who they are today. Ryan and Blake have been friends for many years, and have secrets together, secrets that not even their partners know about. There is so much going on in this novel and we learn their secrets one at a time, and what you learn at the end of the book will rock you! I loved the building up of the suspense as I tried to figure out who was telling the truth, who had something to hide and who was responsible for everything.

A definite must read for the year!

I really enjoy David Bell's books. His writing is excellent and always keeps my attention, and this one took off right from the beginning. The premise is intriguing and the many threads that come together to threaten everything in Ryan's life really made this a page turner. I did have a few problems with the plot, though. Without giving anything away (I hope), I did find it a bit puzzling that Ryan didn't suspect the identity of the person who came to his house and spoke with his wife; to me, it seemed quite obvious who it was. Also, I wasn't really a fan of the ending. I felt that certain actions seemed out of character--to the extent we knew much about that somewhat minimally developed character--for that person, and I found it hard to quite understand the motivation, making the end a bit unsatisfying. Still, a very enjoyable read and I'll always look forward to anything by David Bell. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book.

David Bell writes a non stop action thriller where the pages turn quickly. Short chapters make it go even faster.

The Request is just such a book!!

Ryan agrees to help out his friend with a shady request to break into a woman's house to retrieve some papers.

How could that possibly go wrong?

Ryan, Ryan, what were your thinking !

But still I cheered him on as I was shaking my head at him.

So many secrets, so many half truths and the pages fly by.

A great entertaining read !!!

You cant go wrong with a novel from David Bell !

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for such an entertaining heart pounding read.

As a fan of David Bell’s other novels, I was excited to delve between the pages of his latest book, “The Request,” as I found the premise to be particularly intriguing. Unfortunately, this story just didn’t live up to my high expectations. Boasting unlikeable characters, stilted dialogue and a story that fell a bit flat, the quality of writing just didn’t compare to this author’s previous work. Despite my overall disappointment, "The Request” is still an okay read—good, but just not great.

This was an ok book. The storyline was good, just somewhat predictable. I had trouble connecting with the characters in this book, so that could be my issue with this. For me, an average read.

The Request was my first David Bell novel, and I have to say, I'm a fan!

This book was a non-stop, roller coaster ride. It started with a bang and the tension only escalated as the story progressed. It takes place over a relatively short period of time--around 48 hours--which is normally a big no-no for me, but this time, it actually worked.

Did Ryan, one of our protagonists, make some stupid choices? Oh yea, he sure did.
And did his wife, Amanda, get on my nerves a couple times? Oh yea, she sure did.

I, nevertheless, found the red herrings to be probable and the story to be twisty and engrossing. Although I suspected pretty much every twist, and was ultimately proven correct...I was still fascinated by the reasons behind them. Going into the final quarter of the book, I didn't want to put it down.

Mr. Bell has rapidly become a must-read author and I'm already looking forward to his next offering.

Recommended to those who love relentless action and suspense.

Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

I keep hoping for a novel from this author that will blow me away. This wasn’t it. This author has so much potential however I find it often falls flat and I’m bored halfway through the book. Sorry to say I was disappointed

Ryan has a picture-perfect life, literally. He and his wife are not shy about posting pictures on social media of their little family, especially now that they have an adorable little boy. So when Ryan’s best friend from college shows up one night with news that could possible cause Ryan’s life to crumble, Ryan feels that he owes his friend this one last favor and he agrees to his “request.” I love David Bell’s books, but I have to say this wasn’t my favorite. Starting with the request and Ryan’s guilt trip for agreeing to it, to the subtle hints about how some folks need to be a bit more protective of what they put out into the social media sites, it all felt a like a bit of a stretch from the get-go. This won’t stop me from reading his books, though – not all of them can be winners.

2 Stars

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was hard to put a star amount to. At first it was 3* because it was slow going and any book that takes me 6 days to read usually doesn't hold my interest. You see Amanda and Ryan had this perfect life, along with their son, Henry. But then things started going wrong because of Ryan's friend, Blake. They were involved in a car accident in their college days that killed and maimed other people. Their friend Aaron went to jail for driving while drunk.

But then things changed, the real story was going to come out, so Ryan and Blake had to make sure no one found out. So then I changed my review to 4*. Because this was now so interesting and I could not figure anything out (I like to guess who is the culprit in books).

And then I had 25% more to go and David Bell stepped up the mystery, the danger and did a complete twist around in this story. I had to amp my review up to 5* because O.M.G I did not see this one coming. Thanks to #Netgalley for this ARC and to #DavidBell for writing another great book! Make sure to put it on your list, to be released June 30,2020.