I absolutely loved this suspense novel.
I thought the plot premise and characters were very well written and it was a real page turner. Highly recommended.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. Sometimes books can be masterpieces, with perfect prose, plot and setting, but for whatever reason, you just don't gel with it - and unfortunately for me, this was one of those books. From looking at the other reviews, I can see that it has been enjoyed by many so I'd encourage if you are reading my review, to go read one from someone who has completed the whole piece.
What I can say, from what I read (around 45%), is that the characters are believable, the description and dialogue was well-written and the plot premise was exciting. It would be unfair for me to judge a book as a whole, on the segment that I read.
I really appreciate being allowed this arc, and I apologise that it wasn't for me.

I don’t think I’ve read any other books by this author. The premise appealed and overall, it’s a fairly enjoyable romp. But it didn’t quite hit the spot and I’m not sure why. It’s certainly well written and the story sounded intriguing. It’s well paced but I think the real issue is that the characters are a bit stereotypical. I bought into most of them, but it was easy to know who would come together as ‘good’ and those that were on the other side. Those clichés along with a few too many plot contrivances ended up taking much of the drama away from this. Maybe I was hoping for more of a dystopian sci fi thriller and it didn’t fulfil that expectation. I’m torn between a 3 and 4 and on this occasion I’m erring on the lower side.

OK, let's start with the good bits. It's a great story: the whole of Manhattan just falls asleep, except for a handful of people. The pacing was great; all twisty and turny. It definitely kept me reading to the end. Although I had kind of guessed the main twist about halfway through, there were other little strands that kept things exciting. I had been lured into reading this with its "end of the world" synopsis, but it's definitely more of a speculative fiction thriller.

I found the cast of characters rather cliched. Those who save the day are the all-American "good immigrants": the ex-Army veteran, the cop, then Italian-American woman with her baseball playing daughter. All the "bad guys" seem to be some kind of ethnic bingo cards: black people, Indian, Chinese (ok, maybe the Norwegian here doesn't pan out but still…). I get that some of the activists are doing it for "good" reasons but did the author never step back at any point and think, hmm, maybe this might be a little skewed?

Also, I wasn't sure of the point of Maynard. He's never quite in the thick of things and is used more as a bridge between the Manhattan action and the stand-in world leaders. I was waiting for his plot point to be explained but it never was.

The ending was tied up really quickly and neatly, rather too much for my liking. If it has ended with a corny "and they all lived happily ever after," I would not have been surprised.

Overall, a good but not a great read for me. Thanks to Net Galley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a thrilling book from start to end. It was filled with such interesting characters that you couldn't help but be enthralled with them.

I thought this would be more like a dystopian thriller but it read like an action film with sci-fi element. I liked the first third of the book where we don't know what has happened and by whom, but everything afterwards felt like a script with poor acting and too many conveniently timed events.

I love an end of the world book and this didn’t disappoint. I felt connected to the characters and was genuinely surprised at one point by the unexpected plot twist. When then conclusion came it was a little too tidy for me but overall I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review this.

I was in the right mood for a fast paced and intellegent thriller when I started Manhattan Down by Michael Cordy. It didn't ket me down. It does exactly what is required of such a book. It was a quick read and I liked the main characters, especially the teenage girl who was really well written. (This isn't always the case,.) I found myself engrossed and invested in the people working to save Manhattan.
The technological side was undersrandable for an absolute novice, and I liked the environmental and anti-billionaire message. (If only it were a true story!) I'd definitely recomend this for lovers of thrillers and disater fiction.

I have read all Michael Cordy's previous books and enjoyed them more than this one. It was a clever plot and well written, but it didn't engage me like his other books had done.
Some of the characters were a bit stereotypical, but others were easy to relate to and well developed.

I liked this story - just enough science to make it all plausible and enough reality to make it scary!
A group of activists hold Manhattan in ‘stasis’ - literally. All 4 million people fall asleep at the same time. While they are asleep, the activists plan to carry out an audacious scenario to change the world. Great characters, plenty of exciting little episodes before the finale. Great pace too. I’d love to see this as a movie. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC ebook

This is a techno thriller set in the near future and I really enjoyed it. It's got lots of short chapters that follow the main characters in turn and this helps the story to lick along. It's got twists and turns and a satisfying ending. What more do you want?

A very contemporary and fast paced story, very relatable as climate change issues are always in the news, the September 11 reference also made it believable in a way as who saw that coming ! I also thought the sleep disorder part of the story was well thought out too, insomnia is a huge issue for a lot of people and for someone to be researching a remedy was thought provoking. The plot moved along well and kept the pages turning.

I enjoyed reading this book, took me a little while to get into it however that was mostly my fault due to University commitments making me have to keep putting it down and going back. Well written and flowed perfectly.

This book was so thought provoking I had to step away and take stock. Super emotive and so well written I didn’t want it to end. One of my fave reads this year

Arc copy received thank you publishers, these views are my own. Intelligently written, contemporary story, with good twists and turns an angle for a story that was new to me and took a common affliction aka sleep disorders and takes it to the next level weaving in science to control 4 million plus Manhattans populations in sleeping 'instantly' at 5.25pm and unable to awaken as eco terrorists issue an ultimatum to deputy world leaders as prime ministers and presidents all fall instantly asleep and cannot be awoken, trillions of cash is demanded to take forward green polices or those asleep will be allowed to die. Small cast of characters in a deep well thought out novel.

I thought this was an unusual story, taking on the fears of the day with the new technology and developing the story. I enjoyed the fast pace and the new ideas. I was not really interested or able to digest the technical details but found that that didn’t matter.
As it reached the climax, I began to wonder if various issues raised throughout the book would be resolved. In fact they do resolve but I didn’t find that the “tidying up” was annoying. It felt satisfying.
I was engaged with the progress of the book and with the characters. I found the different characters interesting and relevant and was reading to the end feeling that this was an entirely possible scenario as technology develops and becomes more mainstream.
Recommended

This is an explosive thriller that's bound to be a best seller.

It has all the elements - it's fast-paced, has relatable characters, goodies and baddies, technology, audacious bank heists, political shenanigans and lies. It's also anti-billionaire and pro climate change action, on a worldwide basis.

The story takes place on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary when every person in New York suddenly falls asleep at 5.25pm - nearly every person, that is, since a small number with traumatic brain injury or disease don't succumb to the technology. We follow Samantha Rossi and her daughter Zoe, NYPD cop Nick Lockwood who suddenly wakes from a coma, and brain-injured army veteran Hank Kowalski as they gather clues, take action and fight for what's right - with the aim of resuscitating 4 million New Yorkers before they die from heat, rats and lack of water. They are set against the 'baddies' who are appropriately named after the seven original sins from the bible.

The plot is amazingly well put together. The relatively small cast of characters help the reader maintain a strong grip on the plot. The action is non-stop and highly immersive. Definitely recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an early e-copy of what everyone will be reading soon.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Although high concept thrillers are not my usual genre of choice, I was intrigued by the blurb of Manhattan Down. I'm really glad I read it, It was entertaining, thrilling and a real page turner.

When Manhattan falls asleep, abruptly and without warning, only a handful of people are awake to do something about it. Luckily there are also only a handful of baddies, seven in all, each of them named after ra deadly sin. What follows is a tense read as the seven deadly sins are slowly taken out with some casualties among their adversaries too. The book was cleverly plotted and very enjoyable if a little implausible. But I loved the idea of billionaires being taxed at 99% when their income went over a certain level. Nobody needs that much money!.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Manhattan Down by Michael Corey is an action packed thriller with great characters and an exciting plot.
I couldn’t put it down and read it in two days.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Transworld Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.