When a man agrees to do a favor for a friend, he gets more than he bargained for as he becomes embroiled in a woman’s murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of Layover. Ryan Francis has it all—great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child—and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home … him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret—which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life—Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.
When he arrives at the woman’s home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead—and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder.
Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer—but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.
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When we meet the lead character, Ryan Francis, he’s doing pretty well. He has a good job and a lovely family. His biggest complaint is that he doesn’t love changing his baby’s dirty diapers. But when his college friend, Blake, shows up with a strange request, Ryan’s life changes in an instant. Blake asks Ryan to break in to his mistress’s house and steal love letters he sent to her. Why would Ryan even consider saying yes? Because those letters reveal an explosive secret from their college days which could derail both of their lives. But when Ryan finds her dead on the floor, the story accelerates and doesn’t let up for an instant.
This one has no shortage of twists and turns. I tried to figure out the mystery, but I gave up about halfway through because the whiplash was too painful. Despite the page count and number of chapters, this is a quick thrill ride of a read. It took me a minute to get used to the style, but once I did I was hooked for the duration. Bell knows how to craft a fast paced thriller and if you like his style, there are many more books for your TBR.
Thank you Get Red PR, David Bell, and Suzy Approved Book Tours for a copy of The Request in exchange for my honest review.
David Bell is a new author for me. The Request easily made him an auto-buy author going forward. The Request follows Ryan, a husband, and father whose story begins with someone asking him for $10,000…but I will not reveal why. Throughout the story, Ryan is asked to break into a woman’s home to steal some evidence that he was having an affair, only to discover the body of a dead woman he knows. Then that woman requests to be his friend on Facebook. Things go awry with Ryan’s friend begins framing him by holding dark secrets from their past over his head, threatening his perfect life with his wife and son. Ryan becomes obsessed with keeping his life intact and clearing his name…he begins the search for the real murderer.
The Request begins off with trouble and ends with thrills. The entire novel gave me anxiety as it seemed that Ryan kept encountering barrier after barrier. I enjoyed the game of the classic “whodunit” mentality while falling deeper into a story of mishaps along the way. The writing was crisp and intelligent. I enjoyed the simple touches of real life that Bell included in the novel while making the story seem intense and plausible. Thrillers have long taken a back seat for me, but I am not hooked on reading his novels and hooked back into the genre.
Highly recommend for fans of an intense story of favors and deceit.
4 stars
The Request is available on June 30, 2020.
Oh my goodness, I could not put this riveting page-turning thriller down….
I was on the edge of my seat for practically the entire book.
David Bell captures you instantly and keeps that grip until the very last page with “The Request”.
All of the twists and unexpected turns were exhilarating. I never saw that ending coming !!!!
The complex characters were extremely well developed.
This is definitely a “must read”!!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review.
When we meet the lead character, Ryan Francis, he’s doing pretty well. He has a good job and a lovely family. His biggest complaint is that he doesn’t love changing his baby’s dirty diapers. But when his college friend, Blake, shows up with a strange request, Ryan’s life changes in an instant. Blake asks Ryan to break in to his mistress’s house and steal love letters he sent to her. Why would Ryan even consider saying yes? Because those letters reveal an explosive secret from their college days which could derail both of their lives. But when Ryan finds her dead on the floor, the story accelerates and doesn’t let up for an instant.
This one has no shortage of twists and turns. I tried to figure out the mystery, but I gave up about halfway through because the whiplash was too painful. Despite the page count and number of chapters, this is a quick thrill ride of a read. It took me a minute to get used to the style, but once I did I was hooked for the duration. Bell knows how to craft a fast paced thriller and if you like his style, there are many more books for your TBR.
THE REQUEST
On Sale 6/30/20
By David Bell
Published By Berkley, a Division of Penguin Random House
Do you want a non-stop exciting thriller with brain teasing twists and turns that will have you in its clutches from beginning to end? Then this book by Author David Bell is just the one for you. My stomach actually physically felt knots and when I thought something had been resolved, how wrong I found out I was. There is no way you will guess the ending when reading this riveting novel.
Told from one POV with very real believable characters, descriptive surrounding and events, you will be fully satisfied at the end. Like eating that long awaited piece of mom’s home cooked apple pie that’s you’ve been dreaming of.
Ryan & Amanda Francis with their baby son Henry have the perfect life on Social Media. But behind the scenes is a past that Ryan hasn’t told Amanda about from his college years that he would like to stay buried. That is until a woman, Jennifer, who has a crush on Ryan and who has been dating Ryan’s college buddy, Blake comes into the picture. Amanda knowing about the flirtatious messages her husband has been getting doesn’t make her feel at all secure after she has just had a baby.
One night, Blake frantically gets ahold of Ryan and asks him to go to Jennifer’s house to collect some letters he had written her before breaking up with her. These were love letters he wrote to her while being in a serious relationship with someone else. In those letters, he reveals to Jennifer the dark secret from both Ryan & Blake’s college past that could destroy them and everything they hold dear. But when Ryan shows up to retrieve the letters, he finds Jennifer dead and it looks as if Blake has set him up.
Blake has disappeared and Ryan needs answers before the police implicate him for murder. Trying to keep this all from Amanda is hard and having to lie to her his not easy. But what if Amanda is on to his lies? And what if Samantha wasn’t some unassuming fiancé that may have know about Jennifer? But then there’s that dark secret! Nothing can be answered or explained in a tidy little envelope. So get ready to get your world rocked!
THE REQUEST by David Bell is a fast paced thriller that hooked me immediately. The short chapters and interesting characters make the pages fly by. Every character has a secret that is slowly revealed with all the twists. I thought I knew who the murderer was but kept changing my mind and was totally wrong. This book might also change what you post on social media. Thank you David Bell and Berkley Publishing for a copy of this amazing thriller and this is my honest review.
Ryan Francis has a full and happy life – a wife he adores, an infant son he can’t wait to get home to, a good job, and a bar he opened with friends. As big social media fans, Ryan and his wife Amanda, post a lot of pictures to share their happiness with others. They think nothing of it, it’s a common thing, just part of their day really, a log of their lives.
But some of those others begin to think Ryan has too much and come after him asking him for “favors” that he can’t refuse. When not one, but two people begin to blackmail him with threats of exposing a secret from his college days that could change his marriage and take away his freedom, Ryan’s happy life becomes one of chaos, danger, fear, betrayal and retribution. He’s kept secrets from Amanda and when she finds out, she’s not happy about it. Not at all. But Amanda’s been keeping secrets of her own that also puts them at risk. If they can get out of this with their lives, will their marriage survive?
The author plays with Ryan like a cat plays with a mouse as he ratchets up the suspense and the danger. Ryan’s fear is palpable. He could lose everything. He struggles throughout the book to do the right thing, but it becomes very hard to know what the right thing is.
David Bell has written another excellent book which grabs readers right from the start and keeps them engrossed throughout. I have come to be on the lookout for new books he writes as I know I’ll enjoy an entertaining and thrilling read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for allowing me to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
This mystery thriller was the the heart-racing page-turner I needed. I’m a big fan of thrillers that keep you on your toes and this twisty read did just that. I loved watching this story unfold and that each chapter ended in such a way that you couldn’t help but keep going. The writing was great and it kept my adrenaline up. I also really loved the cautionary tale aspect. I highly recommend this one if you’re in the mood for an addicting thriller with a lot of twists.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review.
Wow, what a synopsis, right?! This book is just a crazy roller coaster ride. I mean, imagine not only if, but why one of your friends would set you up for murder. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout this story, and while some of it might be predictable the “why” behind it all is what shines and makes this thriller so intriguing.
This book takes place over a short period of time, and I think that that really worked for this book. I actually prefer when thrillers take place over short period of time because I find it more realistic and the stakes are higher. What interested me the most is that the characters were seemingly rather ordinary people. Yet you have this crazy plot. Plus it was so successfully done, that the juxtaposition between the two made so much sense.
I have to admit that this is my first read by Bell, but I can see just why he is so popular. I will be definitely checking out more of his books in the future. This is an incredibly fast-paced book, which means you’ll want to binge it in one go! Which, as you know, I love doing. It’s definitely a great book to just sit down and let your mind be blown.
This was my first David Bell book, but it won’t be my last! Fast paced, suspenseful, and full of mystery is how I would describe this book. You’ll pick this up and keep turning the pages because you have to know what happens next! This is one I couldn’t wait to get back to when I put it down. The plot seemed to thicken at every page. I found my heart racing at multiple points and even shouting in disbelief!
I wouldn’t say I connected with any of the characters, and that usually bothers me, but not this time. Each character had so much going on that I just wanted more information on each one. Bell delivers!
It was interesting how social media played a part in this story. Blake kept telling Ryan it seemed that he had the perfect life/job/family because of what he posted online. It was far from the truth, but Blake didn’t know that and he wanted a piece of that perfect life.
Get ready for the twists and turns! The author does a good job with them, and they randomly pop up throughout the book. Just when you think you have it figured out, and you have to be right because there are not that many pages left in the book, here comes another shock! That ending! Wow!
This is one you don’t want to miss out on! Be sure to grab your copy June 30, 2020!
Oh my goodness, this was a terrific read that I really enjoyed. I am always on the look out for thrillers that quickly grabs my attention from the very first page, with characters that seem to get in deeper trouble, and of course with some twists to keep you guessing and those adrenaline pumping.
David Bell delivered another amazing thriller in The Request. Ryan Francis is guilt ridden and trying to make things right with a family involved in a car accident that Ryan was a part of where one of the daughters died, and another left disabled. He anonymously leaves an envelope with money for the family every month. He is happily married and with a son, has a bar he is a partner of and life seems to be doing okay until it spirals out of control. His friend Blake asks for a favor, the request, which is simple enough until he gets framed for murder.
Bell wrote a real fast paced thriller that was entertaining and addicting. I thought the writing was superb and had me guessing and talking loudly to some of the characters. I was really immersed in this engrossing and relevant read about the power of social media and the way it seeps through our lives. I love a great thriller that I can binge read with protagonists that are in impossible situations.
I encourage you to pick this up for an enthralling and binge worthy read worth staying up for.
WOW! David Bell, Author of “The Request” has written an intense, captivating, riveting, enthralling, and suspenseful novel. The genres for this novel are a mystery, suspense, thriller, and fiction. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes his dramatic characters as complex, and complicated. There are a number of characters that could be suspect in crimes. There are lies, betrayals, secrets, danger, blackmail, and murder.
I love the way that David Bell tells a story and vividly captures the descriptions of the characters, events, and the landscape. There are always twists and turns. There is always some part of the story that states, “What If…………..”, which can be so thought-provoking. I appreciate that the author describes how the use of various media can cause a misleading representation of the lifestyle and facts of one’s life and can cause complications. Also discussed are problems such as alcoholism and gaslighting.
If you look at Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pictures of Ryan Francis, and his wife and baby, you would think he has everything. You wouldn’t see or know the terrible guilt from a tragedy that Ryan carries from his college years. It’s not until his college friend Blake confronts Ryan with a “special request” in such a persuasive manner, that Ryan becomes anxious and has a foreboding feeling.
Blake makes Ryan an offer that he can’t refuse, and Ryan finds himself going to a woman’s house to retrieve incriminating letters. Ryan doesn’t find the letters but does find the body of the dead woman. As Ryan hears police sirens in the near distance, his phone rings, with a Facebook request to be friends with the deceased woman.
I would highly recommend this edgy, chilling thriller for readers who love to escape in a great book.
David Bell writes a non stop action thriller where the pages turn quickly. Short chapters make it go even faster.
The Request is just such a book!!
Ryan agrees to help out his friend with a shady request to break into a woman’s house to retrieve some papers.
How could that possibly go wrong?
Ryan, Ryan, what were your thinking !
But still I cheered him on as I was shaking my head at him.
So many secrets, so many half truths and the pages fly by.
A great entertaining read !!!
You cant go wrong with a novel from David Bell !
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for such an entertaining heart pounding read.
An emotionally significant past event, a seemingly perfect life profiled on social media, and an abundance of twists. This book was filled with great characters and at some point I emphasized with each one but this is a thriller. A thriller with unexpected and amazing turns.
Highly recommend this great read.