Book Review: Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay

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With my phobia of lifts, I don’t really know what possessed me to read this book. You’d think the title alone would have given me a clue! But I did and I’m very glad I did. As usual Linwood Barclay’s mastery of suspense and plot structure shine through and although I may well think twice about going into a lift alone … or indeed at all, this was a cunning storyline. Besides which the cover is brilliantly evocative.

Blurb

It begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in Manhattan. Each presses the button for their floor, but the elevator climbs, non-stop, to the top where it pauses for a few seconds, before dropping.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again. And when Wednesday brings yet another catastrophe, New York, one of the most vertical cities in the world is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it’s working. But what do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line?

It will be a race against time for detectives Jerry Borque and Lois Delgado to find the answers before a deadly Friday night showdown.

What I Think

From the beginning we are immersed in a New York facing the horror of a tragedy that introduces us to the mayor and his entourage. The mayor himself is objectionable, his son is a wuss and his bodyguard and PA both have the mayor’s back.

By the time the Wednesday dawns, the press are giving the mayor a run for his money as detectives Borque and Delgado try to make sense of what is happening.

As usual Barclay gives us a fascinating insight into human nature with a cast of characters that he draws so vibrantly, often in just a few brush strokes. He builds the tension so tightly that it is easy to imagine yourself transported to New York, city of the skyscraper where such panic surrounding the safety of the elevators is almost palpable. This is a city paralysed with fear. Barclay dips into the consequences of the elevator attacks for broader society, never letting us forget the diversity, both economic and socially of New York.

The climactic end is edge of the seat stuff and the twists he so seamlessly weaves in along the way make it a thrilling read.

The sub plots really drew me in and added to my appreciation of the storyline and the switching between the police procedure, the journalist and the mayor’s stories was appealing.

Loved it! Highly recommended.

You can buy your copy of Elevator Pitch here: Amazon Link