Ok, so now I’m totally freaking out every time I step into an elevator! 😬
I have always been a fan of Linwood Barclay books but not picked one up in a while. I was delighted to receive his latest one as an ARC - thank you.
It’s reminded me how much I enjoy his stories, I’ll be heading back to some of his previous work soon.
The story starts off pretty intense and fast paced, then slows down quite a bit before picking up again. I was expecting more elevator scenes but regardless, it does take you on quite a ride!
There’s a good deal of gruesome scenes as well as suspense, and it did keep me guessing until the end. If you’re looking for a new psychological thriller ... look no further!
3.5 rounded up. Review will be up tomorrow for publication date!

Someone is playing havoc with the elevators in Manhattan, finding horrific ways to kill off people using them. But why? Who? Could it be politically motivated, random terrorists, or is down to a group of activists called The Flyovers?

From the moment I heard I was able to read this ARC copy after featuring it on a previous Waiting on Wednesday, I was literally chomping at the bit to start. Strangely, it's starts off with a bang and hooked me in with a lift crashing out of control in the first chapter, and then my initial excitement fizzled out a bit because this whole elevator theme didn't come back into play until the latter half of the book. Admittedly, this is where the book really took off and I raced through it, pushed by a ticking bomb situation and the realisation of exactly what was going on - which made for a spectacular ending. It's just a shame that parts in the middle seem to drag. I liked getting to know the Mayor better and seeing how he wasn't all that bad, and then there was reporter Barbara Matheson (who opposes him) with her own problems, but I could have done with a bit more lift disasters, after all, that was what drew me to this book. Is it wrong to want more horror and death? Nevertheless, this was still a fun read and those characters that did become fatalities were certainly killed off using some ingenious ways. I know many fans will love this book, and I have to tip my hat to the way Linwood Barclay did indeed mention the title of the book, in the way most authors would imagine it too. Clever!

I chose to read and review this book as an ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Loved reading this book. full of twists
Loved the characters, how they got involved throughout the story. How each one was individual.
I loved how the story moved, it was quick, kept in suspense and kept thinking and trying to work it out all the way through

Another great book from Linwood Barclay.
Someone is tampering with elevators in some of the tallest buildings in America and causing terror and mayhem.
It definitely made my palms sweat at several points in the book, just imagining the depth of the drop in the lift shaft.
Barbara is a journalist and is on a mission to get a story on the mayor but even she can’t help being affected by the elevator deaths.
Detectives face a race against time to stop another tragedy and the mayor faces a life and death situation when the book reaches it’s breathtaking climax.
There is a bit of a lull in the middle of the book but the ending makes up for that and I’d recommend this book if you like a good thriller.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I love a good thriller and this didn't disappoint. Linwood Barclay is one of the Kings of this genre and once again he has delivered a fantastic story.
Why are elevators in New York out of control? Are terrorists responsible? What is the importance of the mayor?
A well constructed plot with plenty of threads to keep you guessing

Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay

Another gripping story! I have not read a Linwood Barclay for a few years and I had forgotten how much I enjoy his books. This was a typical Linwood Barclay with lots of twists and turns and plenty of red herrings. A book that is totally absorbing and enjoyable. This is a story set in New York that apparently involves acts of terrorism carried out in the city’s elevators caused by malfunction and crashing to the ground. Three acts happen one after another with the police having no idea who is responsible or how it is being done. There are a number of false leads so that when the final reveal happens it is totally unexpected. This is exactly what Linwood Barclay excels at. There are a few major characters in the book. A couple of police officers, Lois Delgado and Jerry Bourque, who has psychological health problem, who are investigating the case. There is also the major, Richard Headley who has collected a number of enemies during his time in office, one of whom is Barbara Matheson, a reporter, who paints him in a bad light in her news articles. There are a few other characters in the book who play minor roles in the story including the Mayor’s son, Glover, and Barbara’s daughter. I love the originality of the storyline and the fact that preventing people or even scaring them into not using the elevator could shut a city like New York down completely because of the high rise nature of the city. When people become wary of using elevators there are a number of fatalities anyway caused by heart attacks and accidents.
Linwood Barclay is great at writing books that keep you turning the page and in suspense until the end. I really enjoyed reading this book so thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this and write an honest review.

I love Linwood Barclay books so was very excited to be chosen by Netgalley to read and review this. The book is a real rollercoaster ride from start to finish. It centres around a man found murdered in a park and a possible link between elevators breaking down and being sabotaged. After finishing this book I can say I don’t feel comfortable getting in an elevator anymore! This book was fast paced, very well written as with all Barclay books and I would highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this and review it.

Another well written thriller by Linwood Barclay that keeps you wanting more.

Elevators are suddenly not doing what they should. Plummeting to the ground, opening doors when no elevator is there and more. Someone is causing chaos with the elevators and putting the mayor under pressure to sort. Who is doing it and why? That is the thrill you are going to get as you read this book wondering who and why. There are as ever numerous people who could be doing it but it isn't easy to get to the bottom of it.

This is a typical Barclay book in that it comes at you fast with things happening and you race through chapters wondering what is going to happen next. Fast and furious the incidents happen and so does the plot. You read through wondering where it will lead and who would want to do it and why? It kept me guessing right to the end.

If you have read Linwood Barclay books then you won't be disappointed with this. If you haven't then this is a good book to read with twist and turns and a fast pace to the book. I would strongly recommend it whether this is your first one of his books or not.

Welcome to damppebbles today and to my review of one of my most eagerly anticipated books of the year, Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay. Elevator Pitch is published in hardcover, audio and ebook formats today! Happy publication day to Linwood Barclay and the team at HQ. I received a free eARC copy of Elevator Pitch via NetGalley but that has in no way influenced my review.

I love the idea behind this book. A maniac takes control of Manhattan's elevators finding clever and inventive ways to kill random strangers. But to what end? Ah well, you'll just have to read the book and see for yourself. And it's not just any old city that's being terrorised either. It's one of the most vertical cities in the world - New York. The thought that the next elevator (or lift to any Brits reading this, lol!) you took could lead to your terrifying and grisly death immediately grinds a busy, thriving city to a dramatic halt. Or if you look at it from another angle; you live on the 38th floor of a skyscraper and the lifts are taken out of service because of the danger. You're trapped. Unable to leave your apartment - and if you do, that's a heck of a lot of stairs to tackle to get home again. Are you fit enough? Will your heart take the climb? What if you have children? Such a wonderful premise for a book and, as it's a Linwood Barclay novel, it's very well written too.

The reader is introduced to reporter Barbara Matheson who is so beautifully flawed that I was immediately on her side. She is opposed to the current Mayor, Richard Headley, and fights to prove that he's corrupt and no good for the City via her Manhattan Today column. We also get to spend a good deal of time with the Mayor and discover that despite his poor reputation, he does have a softer side. That is until he opens his mouth and belittles his poor son, Glover. Then you have the discovery of a fingerless body on the High Line (I had to Google the High Line to find out what it was) and Detectives Bourque and Delgado are sent to investigate. And finally, Eugene Clement and his wife are on an anniversary break to New York. Except Eugene is the leader of a pressure group called The Flyovers; is this trip business or pleasure? These different threads run alongside each other for a large proportion of the book. They were all interesting and I was, of course, looking out for how the different threads fitted together. But I would have liked the story to move along a little faster than it did.

There are red herrings galore and the author has done a wonderful job of duping his readers into thinking they know where the story is going when in truth, we really don't. There are some beautifully written twists at the end of the book which gave me goosebumps. Elevator Pitch is a well written slow burn of a novel until you get to the last few chapters when things really HOT up! There are things about this novel which I will remember for a long time to come. But is it wrong to have wanted more elevator tragedies? A little more blood spilt? Probably, but you must be used to me by now, dear reader 😂🤣.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would. I love the premise and it's well written. I've been incredibly nervous using a lift ever since I read Elevator Pitch. A totally feasible, panic-inducing and very enjoyable read. Recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Elevator Pitch.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is the first Linwood Barclay I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. There are aspects of this title that I found a bit clunky or long winded, but the story itself is a good one & I enjoyed the political aspect of it as well as the usual crime thriller storyline. Definitely one I’ll be recommending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read books by Linwood Barclay in the past and enjoyed them. This book does not disappoint. It is fast moving and it isn’t until the last few chapters that you realise exactly what is going on. With action and surprises this book keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Let me start by saying Linwood Barclay is one of my favourite authors and I have read, and loved, all his books. But......in my humble opinion this is not one of his greats. It’s good, and it certainly has its moments, but it didn’t grip me the way other books of his has. Perhaps it is the characters. I did not really engage with any of them, and rather than focus on one main character, we follow many different roles. I was also disappointed in that we didn’t really get that far into the mind of the person causing elevators to crash and fall. Yes, the ending was all tied up, but loosely for me.
The novel started well, as four strangers get into an elevator and all press their floors, but at the top the doors don’t open and then crashes to the bottom. The novel ends well too, but the middle is heavily padded.
As I say, I love Linwood Barclay. The guy is a great writer, and I’m sure many people will love this and give it five stars, but for me, whilst is was good, it wasn’t great, hence three stars.

I’m a big fan of this author and I did enjoy the book but not as much as usual. It does have a few twists, sub plots that definitely throw you off the scent and definitely taps in to some of your worst fears. However unusually so I think this would actually make a better film than a book as it would be great visually on the big screen. As an avid reader I don’t say this often!
It’s hard to write too much in a review without giving too much away. The plot focuses as the title suggests, a series of elevator failures in NYC the home I’d high rise buildings! There are some good characters and some edge of your seat moments but I felt like I’d read something similar before. It’s a good thriller and worth a read.

When you see that a book is being endorsed by Stephen King, you go into it with fairly high hopes. Well, this wonderful little thriller definitely delivered on that!

One Monday morning, four people get into an elevator in New York. It's just an ordinary working day, and everything seems perfectly normal - but then suddenly the lift stops, and everything goes wrong. The four people inside are plummeted to their rather gruesome end, in what is assumed to be an awful and very tragic accident. However, when a week later, the same terrible thing happens in a different elevator system, it quickly becomes clear that what happened is no accident. Who has taken control of the city's elevators, and why?

I'm sorry to admit that this is the first book I've read by Linwood Barclay, but it certainly will not be my last. The mounting sense of tension throughout the story made it incredibly difficult to put down, and even when I didn't have the book in my hand I was constantly trying to figure out the mystery! The characters are believable too, and the constant changing viewpoints kept the story interesting. I thought I had things all figured out several times when reading, but I was wrong every time. Definitely one to add to the TBR if you enjoy an unpredictable and twisty thriller... Although it might have put me off of riding in elevators for the rest of my life!

This is actually the first book by this author that I have read. Shocking I know, especially considering how much I actually enjoyed this book. It's definitely on the scary side, especially if you live in a high rise! Thankfully, I don't.
So, New York, city of skyscrapers is paralysed when, after a couple of very nasty incidents involving elevators (of lifts as we call them in dear old Blighty), the mayor grounds them all (see what I did there!) which pretty much brings the city to a complete halt and panic ensues. The whole city is in chaos. Meanwhile, a hard-to-identify body is found on a train line and a hard hitting journalist is continuing her one-woman campaign against the Mayor. Oh and there's this new faction that call themselves The Flyovers stirring up things a bit.
To be honest, that's pretty much all I can say about the book without giving anything away as it all becomes a bit convoluted and interconnected along the way, culminating in a a pretty spectacular finale.
Short punchy chapters help this book get on with itself which is actually quite handy as there is quite a lot of setting up initially and it almost dragged a bit too much for me at times. But it piqued my interest enough for me to never consider putting it aside. Especially as I was having so much fun trying to work it all out ahead of time. I failed, spectacularly and then kicked myself for not spotting the clues along the way. Hats very firmly off to the author for completely flummoxing me but not making me feel duped. Just as bit annoyed at the stuff I missed.
All in all, this was a cracking introduction to a previously unread author. One whose entire back catalogue I now have on my TBR. If I live long enough to get to them that is!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Be prepared for a frenetic travel inside a pitch and without braces!
This had been a non-stop thriller book; with politician lies, journalists searching for the next news, bombs and some elevators that are falling down without any explanation.
This is one of those books where there are some different stories connected between them, but don’t know who is the real perpetrator till the last moment, of course.
There are quite a few interesting characters on this book, each of them with their problems and secrets, that made the story complex and addictive. The story is told with the different voices and perspectives of each character, we even have the delightful insight of what happens inside each elevator before the terrible ending.
I don’t know which character was my favorite, the detectives are interesting and with their own faults, but ready to investigate who is the victim they found in the part, without any finger print. Because, there’s no way it has a connection with the mysterious accidents with the elevators, am I right?
We will have a first sight too from the mayor of the city and his way to act; not a beautiful sight, but sometimes what we learn from our parents is what we become no matter how much we try to change it.
I’ll have to admit I didn’t know that New York was totally controlled by elevators, that if someone wants to control the city, the best way would be controlling them. I am so used to houses or small buildings with just 5/10 floors, that it sounds really weird that someone prefers to stay at home instead of going up/down 50 floors by the steps.
If you are looking for a nail bitting thriller to enjoy on one stand, don’t doubt that this is your book.
Remember to not enter to any elevator, just in case.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of Elevator Pitch, a stand alone thriller set in New York.

When a lift suddenly drops four people are killed and for journalist Barbara Matheson it is personal as she knew one of the victims. For the mayor, Richard Headley it is a PR nightmare because this is just the beginning.

I thoroughly enjoyed Elevator Pitch which is a gripping read, full of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view, but mainly Barbara and the police detectives. This approach works well in the novel, giving the reader a wider perspective on events, both in action and reaction. I found myself in full “just another chapter” mode, reluctant to put it down and desperate to know what was coming next, so I ended up reading it in one sitting.

Yet again I find myself admiring Mr Barclay’s skill. The premise is clever and unusual so it draws the reader in immediately. The motive and perpetrator are unclear but are gradually teased out over the course of the novel, the twists keep coming, leaving the reader in limbo as each certainty dissolves in front of them, and it’s all done in a very readable style with a dash of humour and some unmistakable digs at modern day American politics. I was hooked from the opening chapter which covers Mayor Headley’s press conference - it’s genius.

I liked the characterisation as well from Barbara, the hard bitten press hack, to Mayor Headley, the unpopular politician with more than a few skeletons in the cupboard. They and their backstories bring the novel to life.

Elevator Pitch is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a preview copy. I was excited to read this as the preview made the storyline sound exciting and a bit different to the normal. I have read quite a few Linwood Barclay books. Some I have enjoyed, others not much. Unfortunately, this fell into the latter category. The storyline was jerky and I felt the author didn’t have a clear direction. The characters were clunky and I gave up half way through.

Linwood Barclay is a favourite author of mine and this book did not disappoint. The story set in New York is fast paced and the characters are well drawn and interesting. It is a book I didn't want to put down. I have to say that after reading this I am looking at lifts i.e. elevators with a somewhat different view. Highly recommend.

Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay

One Monday morning, four people get into a lift in Manhattan, New York. Everything seems normal until the lift stops. And then everything goes very wrong indeed. It seems to be a terrible accident but then, a week later, another lift kills. The city is in shock. How can a skyscraper city manage without its elevators? The authorities don’t know how to deal with it. Blame flies between them, with many pointing a finger at the Mayor who, in turn, has his eye on others. Two detectives and a journalist race against time to stop the panic, to catch the killer. And meanwhile people die, not just in the lifts but also on the stairs as people are faced with climbs of over a hundred flights of stairs. The city is being held to ransom. But why?

I’m embarrassed to say that Elevator Pitch is the first novel by Linwood Barclay that I’ve read but what an introduction to his books this is! The premise is very enticing and the thriller fully delivers on it. Elevator Pitch is thoroughly exiting, tense and exhilarating – there were moments when I just could not look. I also read this book when I was staying eight floors up in a hotel. It made that lift ride to breakfast each morning a little sweaty. But it was the perfect holiday read.

The story is fantastic but so too are the characters as we spend time with a range of people, as we get to know a little about how this city is run. Battle lines have been drawn between the journalist, Barbara, and the Mayor and it’s now got very personal indeed. It’s worth pointing out, though, that this is not a simple case of the evil city Mayor. Richard Headley is much more complicated than that. Meanwhile two detectives, one near the start of his career, the other nearing the end, bring their very different skills together to try and solve this case. And there’s a countdown. A very special public event will take place shortly. The world will be watching and elevators will be needed.

There’s a social message as well. This is a city divided between rich and poor, with the rich enjoying living and working in the roof of the city in its skyscrapers. Radical groups are gaining media attention, terrorist acts are taking place across the northeastern United States. Time is ripe for the elevator killer to cause maximum terror. This is thrilling stuff! This is the type of thriller, with a political element thrown in, that I find irresistible and I gobbled it up, even though it made me eye that hotel lift with more than a little unease. There were also some unexpected moments of emotional shock. Excellent!