What a great book. Started with several strands of different storylines and entwined them capturing the reader amongst them. The varied start meant I picked up the book and put it down frequently initially until the story started to gel and then I was hooked.. By three quarters of the way through I didn’t want to put it down at all and stayed up reading until I reached the end.
The characters were believable and the book is enough to put you off lifts for life!

I have had a healthy distrust of elevators since De Lift (1983) came out. Much like this plot is takes the innate distrust we have, or a some of us have at times, when it comes to trusting in a higher authority called engineering, mechanics, gravity and technology. Barclay plays a little with the blind faith we put in certain things. Our lives are filled with items, vehicles and mechanisms that make our lives easier, and because of that we don't think twice before using them.

Not that I am advocating climbing eighty flights of stairs either, just to be clear.

There is one part of the book, a short poignant one, when one person reacts by having flashbacks to 9-11. The people who work in One World Trade Center must have to cope with incredible anxiety and shove away their fear on a daily basis.

Aside from the elevators acting as if they have a life of their own and murderous intent towards the general population, the city is also under siege from a terrorist cell. The question is whether the attacks and the lift accidents are linked in any way. A journalist seems to think that the solution lies a little closer to home. The problem is she is too personally invested in that actually being the case.

Barclay takes an object that is used by millions of people every day and turns it into a weapon of mass destruction. It's perfect, the majority of buildings have at least one, especially in cities that are built vertically, as opposed to horizontally. You don't have to load it - you just need to fill it.

It's a crime thriller that plays with our innate fears and destroys the blind trust we rely on every day.

Richard Headley is mayor of New York (he bears some resemblance to the Donald). Elevators in skyscrapers start to malfunction causing a series of grisly deaths. A brutal murder victim is found on the High Line. The police are looking into that and Barbara, a well known journalist who is often critical of the mayor starts looking at the elevator story. Its a pacey and easy to read thriller but the web of relationships from Headley's past is barely credible. The denouement, on the 99th floor is likewise not really credible.

I never, ever, EVER want to go in a lift again!!! Plus, how the fudge have I not read a Linwood Barclay novel before? I am disgusted with myself, and I want to apologise to my bank balance in advance for when I do binge buy sevral of his novels.

As I’m sure you can tell from the title, ‘Elevator Pitch’ is centred around elevators, or lifts as we call them in the UK. With that little snippet of information, you’re probably wondering why anyone would want to read a book about lifts, right? Understandable! But what if I told you that Linwood Barclay’s novel is a psychlogically twisted, fraught, and unique read that just happens to have elevator problems?

I say elevator problems like I’m describing a nuisance spot; they are indeed way more than being a little problematic, sometimes a teeny bit gruesome! I never knew just how lethal elevators and elevators shafts were!

Linwood Barclay is a force to be reckoned with. His talent at creating such a rollercoaster, chilling and intense read, seriously blew my mind. There were so many fingers pointing towards various characters, and I had marked the one I thought was ‘it’ early on, however I changed my mind multiple times throughout the book because of certain events, certain actions of the characters, and because of my own uncertainty. I wont say which particular character that was as I don’t wish to influence anyone if they haven’t read the book yet.

I really wasnt expecting ‘Elevator Pitch’ to conclude the way it did but oh my goodness, my heart was in my mouth! This book has given me a brand new author to stick on my to be read pile, and it’s a book that I will be shouting about big time!

Just a word of warning though; #takethestairs.

An insanely dark, spine tingling and bloody fantastic book. I honestly couldn’t have wished for anything more.

If you like thrillers then Linwood Barclay is the man. His books, although each one different, offer you the same thrilling, fast paced, action packed read and take you on a complete journey. Elevator Pitch was all of these things and with an added dose of fright!!

I love the city of New York so was thrilled that the setting was here. Of course in a city that has an abundance of high-rise buildings and relies on its elevators the plot behind this novel was terrifying.

Synopsis:
A series of elevator, in different buildings, on consecutive days malfunction leading to a number of deaths. With the Mayor and the police taking action to investigate these acts of terrorism the city's elevators are in lock down. Alongside this a man is found dead with his fingers missing. Can the NYPD get to the bottom of both of these cases?

There were so many characters and subplots in this novel that wove together beautifully to create a fantastic read. As the book progressed it also picked up the pace and I found at times I was holding my breath due to my anxiety levels rising (mainly at the elevator scenes)!!

I would definitely recommend this to all Linwood Barclay fans out there and to those who love to be psychologically scared. For me this was a great thriller and in true Barclay style an action packed ending that had me literally sitting on the edge of my chair.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ publishers for a copy of this e-book.

It's safe to say I've been taking taking the stairs in my work building since starting this cleverly crafted book! This is my first Linwood Barclay book and certainly won't be my last. I really enjoyed the pace of the writing and found myself wanting to pick it up at every available opportunity. I loved how the tension built every time someone got into a lift and really enjoyed getting to know the main characters and their relationships.
Thank you to Linwood Barclay and HQ for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley in return for an honest review..

Another absolute corker from Barclay. Quite different in style to his usual thrillers but just as gripping. Won’t be getting in a lift anytime soon....the stairs seem way more appealing right now.

If you like cop shows, you will enjoy this book. The story is set in New York. A man is found dead, there is a freak accident involving an elevator, reports of recent bombings across America. How is it connected and will the detectives solve the case? A very well written thriller that doesn’t disappoint. I highly recommend this book.

I'm a slow reader so didn't get finished before publishing date.
From the very first page this book gribbed me. Meeting the characters and learning how they were going to connect. As the story unfolded you were kept guessing as to "whodunnit"
Dont want to give a plot away but the suspense toward the end was breath-holding, would they all make it or would another explosion rock through the building?
Another amazing book by an amazing author.
Very well deserved success and here's to the next book.👍

Another favourite author of mine I was delighted to be approved to read this ! An exciting fast paced thriller which, if you don’t like heights , I’d be wary of ! Excellent writing and a great story line .

I've been a fan of Linwood Barclay's right from his first book. He is the absolute master of the heart-stopping thriller and Elevator Pitch is one of his best.

The story starts when four people board an elevator in New York. One works for a movie studio and one is a wannabe screenwriter who has blagged his way into the building to hand deliver his latest script. She gives him the chance to pitch her the script before she reaches her floor - but the elevator keeps going, right to the very top - and then plummets. A random accident? Except the next day the same thing happens, and then repeats the day after that. Someone is deliberately sabotaging elevators - but why?

Linwood Barclay is an expert in creating tension and suspense. As much as I enjoyed seeing how the mystery played out, I LOVED how the tension built up each time someone got into an elevator. And Linwood plays with us too, so that every time something different happens. Brilliant!

The characters were great, thoroughly engaging - even the bad guys! And Linwood encourages us to keep changing our allegiances. There's Barbara, the news reporter who has her sights set on the Mayor - but is he as corrupt as he seems? There are also two detectives, trying to solve a murder that may or may not be linked, and a couple of would-be terrorists.

Jam-packed with thrills and literal spills, this was a fabulous five-star read for me and one of my favourite books this year. Recommended for fans of Harlan Coben and Lee Child, and for anyone who loves a cracking good thriller.


Thank you to Linwood Barclay and HQ for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Thanks to Harlequin UK and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I’m a big fan of Linwood Barclay so couldn’t wait to read this. Usually, I get sucked into the story very quickly and don’t take long to finish one of his books.

This book begins with a series of malfunctions in lifts that don’t seem to be accidental. As a result of these, people are dying and the mayor, police and Homeland Security quickly become involved. New York is a city full of skyscrapers so the possibility of someone sabotaging the lifts is terrifying for the residents.
A few days later, there’s an opening party of a new building which is the tallest in the city. A man has been arrested and the elevators have been checked so everyone should be safe.
At this point I thought I had the culprit worked out but totally fell for the red herring and was quite surprised at who it actually was.

Chapters aren’t too long and the story moves along at a reasonable pace. I did find that there were an awful lot of characters with a lot going on for each of them and at times it was a bit difficult to keep track of who was who and how they were connected.
It wasn’t until about halfway through that my vague curiosity about who the culprit was really peaked and I started to get through it much quicker.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and I’ll be taking the stairs for a while! However, it didn’t draw me in as much as usual and it wasn’t until about halfway through that I properly got into the story.

What’s going on in New York? Elevators failing and other sinister goings-on. Is there a connection or not? The cops and journalists have their own problems to sort out.Another brilliant read from Linwood Barclay. His books never fail to please.
Thanks for an advanced copy from NetGalley.

I'm not going in another lift!! This is a great story which has many twists and surprises and will keep you guessing right to the end. The characters are well drawn and the plot is brisk, with the whole book moving along at quite a pace until the very last chapter. I would certainly recommend "Elevator Pitch" to all lovers of s good story.

My first Linwood Barclay book and what a ride. No pun intended! A brilliantly written book about the chaos and fear brought on when elevators in New York appear to be controlled by someone or something, killing the passengers on board.

This was, for me, a really compelling and interesting read, although a slow burn. It felt a very plausible scenario considering the technologically minded world we currently live in.

The characters were well written and developed, the plot was brilliant and unlike anything I had read before, and it was such a compelling and engrossing read leading to a thrilling climax. I didn't guess who was behind these tragic events, which I'm happy about, I just couldn't work it out. I though I had it sussed, but then I was wrong.

I will definitely be hunting down more of Linwood Barclay's books when I get the chance.

This was a tense thriller with lots of threads which were gradually revealed. Interesting characters whose descriptions made them seem real. Dramatic conclusion deserving of the story

While this book started well, it soon became a bit long winded and hung up on detail that didn’t seem to add anything to me. I was just starting to think that maybe it would be one of those rare books I can’t finish when bam! It suddenly picked up pace and kept me gripped till the end. Full of twists and turns, interesting characters and relationships. If like me, you’re unsure, persevere is my advice - it’s worth it!

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the ARC copy of Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay.

My first Linwood Barclay book but certainly won't be my last.
The mix of characters was excellent and they intertwine extremely well. From Bourque and Legardo of the police department and the ongoing problem Bourque has to the Mayor of New York and his dysfunctional "family" and Barbara the reporter and her daughter.
Starts with an unexplained murder and the corpse left with finger tips removed to hinder identification to a lift plunging through floors without stopping before crashing the people inside to their death. This is followed by more lift episodes and the Mayor banning the use of all lifts. Not being able to use lifts in a place like New York which relies on high level living and working causes problems of it's own.
A great read and an unexpected twist at the end. Title slightly confused me before reading but glad I did and

Great fast paced story. An elevator crashes to the bottom of the shaft; an elevator engineer is found murdered; 2 more elevators have accidents. The mayor suspends the use of elevators throughout the city, but in New York that's a real problem.

This is a very enjoyable book.

I have a feeling I may be about to have nightmares from this book. I can easily say that I'm very relieved I read this while on holiday, and that my room is on a low enough level that I don't really need to use an elevator that much.

As a I suspect I may be wary of them for a while, especially having read this book and seen what technological advances can do for a lift. I'm frankly terrified.

Everything that has been described in this book feel like it could happen at any moment in New York, it is very scarily real and realistic.

This is amazingly the first book I've read by Linwood Barclay and I can now see why he has such a following. That was on exhilarating book.

At times I did wonder just who the main characters were, and just who was causing all the chaos, as the focus jumps around all over the place, but once I realised we were seeing elements of New York from various most likely relevant stances, it became easy to follow while still incredibly hard to predict.

I'm not going to say I loved it, as frankly anything that now has me worried about elevators, when I know my fitness isn't great for stairs... can't really be a good thing in my eyes,,,, it is a highly engaging story that had me completely hooked.

i suspect this may not be the last time I read this rather impressive author.

Thank you to HQ on Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.