Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher for an e/ARC of Manhattan Down.

I was very intrigued by the blurb description of this book which I thought would be very interesting. Fortunately I was correct.

This is the first book I that have read by this author, and I'm pleased it was very good as that is not always the case with authors one hasn't experienced before.

The story flowed well even though it had elements of science fiction, and the characters were varied and interesting. It was quite violent which was rather a shock but as it was in keeping with the general plot so it was acceptable. There were parts in the middle of the book which seemed a bit dull and slow but generally the book was was fast flowing in the storyline.
I was disappointed that there wasn't any real mystery in the plotting of the story and the end was fairly predictable but it was worth reading. I recommend the story as it was fairly exciting.

I found this quite thrilling. It's atmospheric and strangely thought provoking. The recuperative abilities of some of the characters are completely frustrating but the story wouldn't work without them.

Hostage taking is a classic extortion technique. Taking four million hostages is egregious, but not hard if you’ve put them all to sleep. Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Wrath, Lust and Pride are ecoterrorists, and their hostages are all the inhabitants of Manhattan; including the leaders of all nations, who happen to be at the UN for a Climate Conference. With four exceptions: Samantha Rossi and her daughter Zoe, who have a genetic condition which makes the immune to the ultrasonic wave generator which induces sleep, Nick Lockwood, an NYPD cop with a brain injury, and Hank Kowalski, a marine veteran with an unspecified mental problem. The ecoterrorists are demanding major changes to world governance, global finance, and the replacement of all fossil fuels with renewables. And as a side line electronically robbing all of the major banks headquartered on the island. The unlikely collection of insomniacs find themselves involuntarily cast as the saviours of the four million, and the world order.
This is a fairly run of the mill thriller, with a few twists but a flat trajectory. The basic premise is not unbelievable, but the exposition is unlikely. The various characters are stereotypes, and there is a rather overt political bias in that the goodies are The West (essentially Americans), and the baddies, including the brains behind the baddies, are The Rest (especially Chinese), while the motivation for the terrorists is cast in an overly positive way. I can see this plot being quite a reasonable straight-to-video movie, where the speed of events limits the viewer’s scepticism, but it is a pot-boiler as a book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a huge thank you to Michael Cordy, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

I was surprised at how quickly I got into this book once I read the first page. Reading some tedious family drama unfold and then Samantha Rossi outlining her mundane plans for the day gave me a false vision of the book being drab. Things start to get a little spicy once she starts undertaking some of her appointments and it is not long before the big sleep we were promised occurs.

Manhattan Down is a book like no other. Though it is set in today’s time, the eerie silence on the Manhattan streets gives it a dystopian feel. The global leaders have all assembled in Manhattan to discuss the threat of climate change but before any real talks can take place a weird event traverses the city and sends almost every inhabitant into an unconscious sleep. The questions on the readers’ lips are why did it happen, and who is responsible? With lives at stake, will the only two ‘friendly’ adults in town manage to beat the sins that hold the world to ransom?

I have never read anything like this book. There were some predictable elements that I solved quite early on that had me wondering whether the whole book was going to be giant, whopping loaves of bread rather than just some breadcrumbs that may or may not lead me to a merry dance up the garden path. I was pleasantly surprised when it took a different turn to what I expected and picked up speed. That is not to say it was not progressing at a great pace to begin with.

The story is told from different character perspectives, where each perspective is a chapter that starts at a given time. This meant that often, the current perspective would overlap with the one before which allowed the reader to run into a previous event but from a different angle. For example, there is a scene where one of the characters runs from a shooter. The next chapter starts five minutes before the gun shot and is trying to ascertain whether it has come from one of the characters they have just stumbled upon. I did find this a little confusing at first, but I quickly came to expect this. The style of writing led to a lot of ‘a-ha!’ moments as things became seemingly clearer on the one hand but raised questions on the other hand that makes the reader question everything they have believed as the novel progresses.

I enjoyed second guessing the motives of the characters as more of their backstories were unveiled. There were some heart-stopping moments as well as some thought-provoking ones, and I loved the idea of global solutions being adopted to solve certain issues. Though they made some foolish mistakes, I really liked that the characters had enormous potential. They were an intelligent breed but maybe had an over-abundance of trust.

This book is going to be an enjoyable read for lovers of thrillers. There are themes of terrorism, politics, climate change, working for the greater good, family, and terminal illness. This book is not straight forward so I advise readers to buckle up and settle in for a crazy ride that lasts less than 24 hours but seems like a lifetime because of the scenario and how it is handled. I can see why it has been an absolute age since Cordy published. Every minute spent carving out this plot was worth it. I highly recommend this 5 out of 5 read. It is un-put-downable!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of Manhatten Down.

I love good disaster movie. So I thought this book would be right up my street. And I was correct.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and that always makes me a bit nervous, hoping that I will like the writing style etc. and I did with this one.

The story flowed well, and the characters were varied and interesting. My only small issue was that the main characters called each other by their first names, but were always mentioned in the narrative by their surnames or full names. The main character’s daughter was always referred to as Zoe, but her mother always as Rossi, instead of Samantha for example. I found this odd.

Overall though, a great read, much enjoyed on my holiday balcony in the sun!

Action packed, tense and terrifyingly possible...

When everyone in Manhattan falls down into a deep sleep, only a few are immune. Samantha Rossi and her daughter Zoe, Nick Lockwood, a cop who wakes from an eight-day coma, and the members of the organisation who have caused the event. External drones are blocked and nobody can come onto the island without falling asleep.

oh, and every world leader is in the climate summit in the city too! There's a moral issue at play, when the "bad guys' reveal their reasons for what they are doing and it made me wonder whether they really were bad at all; I share their frustration that all these climate summits go on, with lots of talking and no action. They've had enough and have some pretty wild demands, but do they all know the full story?

The characters in the city were great, the bits with Maynard were all a bit pointless and could be edited out without anyone noticing or affecting the overall plot. It was a really enjoyable read overall, everything ties up a bit too conveniently and neatly though, so that makes it feel a bit Hollywood perfect and you will have to suspend some disbelief!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Cordy and Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Michael Cordy delivers again ! An exciting and complex story , well written characters and high tension keeps this book moving along at pace. A very timely novel.

Begins almost like Day of the Triffids waking in hospital with everyone around collapsed It turns out to be a blackmail plot on the financial heart of New York City by an obscure group with the technology to send everyone in Manhattan to sleep including senior world leaders at the U.N. Their demands for funds to mitigate poverty and climate change resonate with our actual situation now but this is fictional so an exciting plot line is required and it delivers in style. Good fun with a super climax.

I found this book to be hard going, I so wanted to like it, I loved the sound of it but I really struggled ,it was too slow for an impatient reader like me. Hopefully other readers will enjoy it more.

Receiving bad news from the hospital, turns Rossi's world upside down but that is just the start of a really bad day.
Shutting down New York by putting everyone to sleep including the world leaders attending the united nations.
Terrorist, freedom fighters or global activists, the goal to divert funds to help the poorest and most affected by climate change.
Blow up New York or give in to the demands?
A book that will grip and astound you.
Enjoy I did.

Fast paced thriller that could easily be a blockbuster with Mark Wahlberg.

It’s well written and relevant, touching on issues in the real world.

Easy to read and entertaining.

An exciting fast paced thriller about eco terrorists using technology to put Manhattan to sleep and the world to ransom. I liked the characters of Nick, Sam and Zoe and the story was believable and thought provoking.

I found this novel rather comic book in style. All of a sudden 4 million people fall asleep, nobody external to Manhattan knows why and any that investigate are similarly cut down, except of course for the hero characters. They have particular traits which make them immune to whatever is causing people to sleep. I suppose the author might have got inspiration for the novel from reading about the Havana Syndrome and substituted a feeling of being unwell, to that of unconsciousness. The miscreants all have psuedonyms which happen to be the taken from the seven deadly sins. The twist in the plot could have come from many films including James Bond. The let down was with the delivery of the 'sleep ray'. Technically impossible to reach everybody like it did. In ranking the novel, I will give it three stars purely for the fun element of it.

An action packed book from the very first page the only thing the reader needs to do is open the book and hold on. As a lover of action films I felt right at home and this would make a great movie of the Die Hard, White House Down genre. A bit formulaic but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. I liked the main characters and cheered them on in their race to save Manhattan and the world. If you're happy to spend a few hours letting your imagination run riot in the name of just what human beings can think up to do to each other next this book is quite likely to be one you will enjoy. I certainly did. Can't wait for the movie!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a fascinating story with an absorbing cast of characters. The tension was very high right through the story and a scary prospect. Excellent conclusion.

**Manhattan Down** is a thrilling adventure that takes place in the heart of Manhattan, New York. Imagine this: nearly four million people suddenly collapse into a deep sleep, and only a few are left awake to figure out what’s going on. Sounds intense, right?

This book is a fun, fast-paced ride with a tight-knit cast of characters, making it easy to follow along. I really appreciated how original and believable the storyline felt. There are plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing — some were a bit predictable, but others really took me by surprise!

While I didn’t click with all the characters, they were well-crafted and relatable in their own ways, which added some nice depth to the story.

The ending wrapped things up nicely, although I thought it might have been a bit too neat for my taste. It’s tough to share too much without spoiling the fun, but I truly think it’s best to jump in without knowing too much beforehand.

If you're looking for a gripping, high-stakes action thriller to keep you entertained, I highly recommend adding this one to your reading list!

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Random House UK and Transworld Publishers, for letting me read an advance digital copy of this book. All the thoughts in this review are completely my own, and I am sharing them voluntarily.

Really enjoyed this ARC - thank you for my copy.

A well paced and satisfying read. Touching on eco-activism I was slightly concerned at one point that the bad guys weren't all that bad and were being misrepresented but all became clear. A really interesting premise - the city asleep - and a great delivery of an interesting tale.

Michael Cordy’s Manhattan Down is a wild ride from start to finish—think Die Hard meets Inception with a side of The Day the Earth Stood Still. The premise? New York, the city that never sleeps, suddenly takes an unexpected collective nap. Every single person on Manhattan Island—world leaders included—drops unconscious, except for two unlikely heroes: a single mom with her own battles and a detective who wakes up just in time for chaos.

The tension is high, the stakes even higher, and Cordy keeps the action moving at breakneck speed. Rossi and Lockwood are fantastic leads, thrown into an impossible situation with only their wits (and a serious sense of urgency) to guide them. The mystery of why this happened unfolds in a way that keeps you flipping pages, and the looming sense of a world held hostage adds an extra layer of suspense.

It’s cinematic, gripping, and packed with twists—basically, a popcorn thriller in book form. If you love high-stakes action with great characters and a touch of the unimaginable, Manhattan Down delivers. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Unreal, yet just real enough to make you think that it possibly could happen. An eco terror attack on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11 sends Manhattan into a deep slumber, with a few exceptions - those wishing to bring harm and those hoping for something more. This book would make an excellent blockbuster and was so easy to visualise events as they unfolded. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book so much, I really did find myself rooting for the characters and cheering them on. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

Very much a Dan Brown-style, high-concept thriller, Manhattan Down isn't full of political nuance and deep characterisation, but it is a fun, rollicking adventure with a trio of likeable leads, an intriguing premise, and a satisfying payoff.