“One hell of a suspense novel.” —Stephen KingThe New York Times bestselling author of A Noise Downstairs and No Time for Goodbye returns with an edge-of-your-seat thriller that does for elevators what Psycho did for showers and Jaws did for the beach—a heart-pounding tale in which a series of disasters paralyzes New York City with fear.It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator … disasters paralyzes New York City with fear.
It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each presses a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, non-stop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets.
Right to the bottom of the shaft.
It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different Manhattan skyscraper. And when Wednesday brings yet another high-rise catastrophe, one of the most vertical cities in the world—and the nation’s capital of media, finance, and entertainment—is plunged into chaos.
Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it’s working. Fearing for their lives, thousands of men and women working in offices across the city refuse to leave their homes. Commerce has slowed to a trickle. Emergency calls to the top floors of apartment buildings go unanswered.
Who is behind this? Why are they doing it? What do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line? Two seasoned New York detectives and a straight-shooting journalist must race against time to find the answers before the city’s newest, and tallest, residential tower has its ribbon-cutting on Thursday.
With each diabolical twist, Linwood Barclay ratchets up the suspense, building to a shattering finale. Pulsating with tension, Elevator Pitch is a riveting tale of psychological suspense that is all too plausible . . . and will chill readers to the bone.
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Read Elevator Pitch as soon as possible. It’s one hell of a suspense novel.
You’ll want to take the stairs after reading Barclay’s newest book. This one’s slightly different that Barclay’s usual everyman-in-trouble suspense, being a more of typical thriller. It definitely delivers the thrills.
This novel moves as fast as a falling elevator and hits with just as much force. Linwood Barclay is a stone cold pro and Elevator Pitch is a shameless good time.
“Elevator Pitch” by Linwood Barclay opens with Stuart Bland preparing to pitch his script “Clock Man” to Sherry D’Agostino of Cromwell Entertainment, but the elevator they are riding in does not stop, and then the elevator is in free fall, until it hits bottom.
The scene immediately shifts to city hall where Mayor Richard Wilson Headley and his son, Glover Headley, are attempting to wrangle out from under attacks by media involving accusations of favoritism in awarding city contracts. It is business as usual in the zoo that is city politics. The mayor goes to the site of the elevator accident mostly to dodge the press. After all, elevator accidents are rare in New York City, only one or two per year; there are more reports of alien abduction than elevator accidents. Amidst the political chaos, there is another tragedy, a murder on the High Line. Then, there is another elevator accident. People are frightened; the mayor is speechless; and the media is arguing amongst themselves. Is this a threat to foundations of American life or is it all just fake news designed to create panic over nothing?
The pace is fast, the action intense, taking place over just a few days. The magnitude of the story grows exponentially hour-by-hour. Alternating chapters show the complex actions from the perspective of each of the participants. Readers see the whole day, what everyone is doing, what everyone is planning. However, participants do not know about the others until their paths intersect, sometime in tragic ways. Characters are well defined, complex, and significantly impact others as their paths intertwine, disengage, and merge into one terrifying tale.
Be advised, Barclay is a master of misdirection, deception and hiding secrets in plain sight. No one is really who he or she appears to be at first, perhaps not even the terrorists. Some pieces of the puzzle fall easily into place, but not all; even the most perceptive and careful readers will be surprised at the end.
Barclay gives a nice “shout out” to socks with library cards (by “out of Print”) and mentions significant New York landmarks that are worth finding Google Maps including The High Line, The Strand Bookstore, Grand Central Market, the entrance to Central Park Zoo, and the Morning Star Café.
Are there lessons to be learned? Of course, actions have consequences, and TAKE THE STAIRS. I received a review copy of “Elevator Pitch” from Linwood Barclay and William Morrow. Readers should set aside time to read because once started, this book is impossible to put down.
Elevator Pitch is a white-knuckled ride of a book with twists on every level and an unforgettable cast of characters brought to life with Linwood Barclay’s signature flair and acuity. I gulped it down.
Good character development, lots of plot twists and enough “mystery” to keep the reader’s attention. Classic Linwood Barclay!
If you’ve ever been just a ‘little ‘ afraid of elevators, then you may not want to read this novel. But if you want a really a ‘stay up all night’, page-turner type book, then grab this one. Barclay is a fascinating storyteller and this one doesn’t disappoint.
It is definitely a thriller and one that will keep you guessing. Thank you Mr. Barclay for another great journey.
Good thriller
Yikes, I may never ride in an elevator again!
I have become a fan of Linwood Barclay ever since I read A Tap on the Window. Elevator Pitch is exciting, keeps the reader guessing, and is an all-around enjoyable read from beginning to end.
The front of this book has this quote by Stephen King that says “one hell of a suspenseful novel”. Seriously?????
This book was kind of a bore making my 2star rating kind of generous.
An elevator in a 40-story Manhattan office tower races to the top and then plunges back to the bottom of the shaft, killing four people. The next day an elevator in another skyscraper malfunctions, killing a Russian scientist about to defect. A third elevator accident the following day removes all hope that the malfunctions are coincidental, and the mayor is faced with the choice of causing a city-wide panic by announcing the elevators are being hacked or shutting down all the elevators. And that’s just the beginning This is a gripping thriller that is sure to make you uneasy next time you step into an elevator!
Twisted and genuinely surprising. A terrific read!
I really liked this book, it kept my attention but I did find a pages I got bored and skimmed over. Now that being said, it is full of surprises right until the end. There were a lot of parts I did not see coming and I loved that. I would have loved a bit more info on the detectives background (why he had the PTSD). This book was full of suspense, had a few stories going on but it all flowed well right to the end. I also could have did without the “parfait” scene, don’t think I will be ordering one too soon, lol. Thank you Mr. Barclay for a wonderful book!
P.S. I would have given it 4.5 stars but I don’t know how to do that.
I wasn’t quite sure where this book was taking me. I was intrigued by the premise and it had to be good as it was written by one of my favorite authors. It took me a little while to get into this story, but about half way through I had to know what was happening. All elevators are ordered to be stopped by the mayor of New York after numerous elevator mishaps throughout the city. This is a well thought out story, with numerous intertwined storylines, that keep a reader entertained. When you think you have it all figured out, jaw dropping antics occur, surprising even the most well read reader of action thrillers! Stick with this story, you won’t regret it!
Nobody does suspense likeLinwood Barclay! A terrific and terrifying premise, compelling characters, and the worlds’ scariest crime technique. Read it if you dare–but maybe–just use the escalator.
ELEVATOR PITCH is so much more than the blurb ever let on! A friend recommended this book, I had never read Linwood Barclay before, and it was a most wonderful surprise! The main characters are two NYPD detectives, Lois Delgado and Jerry Bourque; Mayor Richard Headley; and journalist Barbara Matheson. There are also several secondary characters, and oodles of minor ones, and Mr. Barclay’s prose is so extraordinarily descriptive that each and every one of them comes fully alive on the page, and you feel that you are in New York City. The author does tend to meander a bit, but his writing is so enjoyable that I found it didn’t matter because he does get to the point. In the end, everything becomes meaningful as it gives us a more complete picture of the principals and a better understanding of the suspense.
ELEVATOR PITCH is not fast paced, but Mr. Barclay slowly builds up the tension with a plot that has more layers than you could imagine, and stuns his reader with startling revelations along the way, culminating in a most unexpected way! Linwood Barclay is a supremely talented storyteller who writes in brilliant colours; absolutely nothing is black and white, not even the good guys or the bad guys. I loved the tone of the book from the start; the crisp descriptions, the humour and snarky remarks, and the author’s keen sense of observation and insights into politics, the media, and people.
I hesitated between 4, 4.5, and 5 stars throughout the book – because of the abundance of extraneous information – but the small negative things started to fade away towards the conclusion, and what finally tipped the scales and earned the book 5 stars was the dazzling ending and the complexity of the characters and the various relationships between them, particularly between men and women.
I hope it’s only the beginning of the adventures of detectives Jerry Bourque and Lois Delgado, they are fabulous! Linwood Barclay has found a new fan!
Expect to start and finish this book in one sitting because you won’t be able to put it down!
A scary thrill ride that will make you think twice before getting on an elevator. The characters are relatable on so many levels, a mayor conflicted about his career and grown son, a writer with a grudge and a daughter working on her own anger and a plot line that would make headlines.
Add in two cops, a staff of assistants working for the mayor, elevator personnel and two different people out to cause destruction for their own reasons. The bombings add to the confusion when an elevator fails to stop and the occupants are killed. One accident is okay but two is scary…and three…major problem!
Jerry is a cop overcome with guilt and grief and trouble breathing without an inhaler. Barabara is trying to deal with her past but her daughter isn’t helping. Richard Headley as the mayor is a multidimensional man that runs the city as he screws up his homelife.
The amazing thing is the plot is so detailed as are the victims and villains…and you’ll never guess who the real person behind it all is.
There is more than one plot line and they intersect and go there own ways making it harder to decipher the truth.
Visually dazzling toward the end as you can close your eyes and put yourself there….a place that if you fear heights, you will not forget. Realistic, people you care about, and an unbelievable conclusion…whew!
a terrific story from a master story teller. As always Linwood leaves you guessing until the last minute.
Not typical Linwood Barclay. I was very disappointed