Elevator Pitch - Linwood Barclay

I don't even bother to read the descriptions of Linwood Barclay's new releases - I just know it's going to be a great read. Elevator Pitch is the latest release from Barclay.

I'm not a fan of elevators at all, so the premise already had me already squirming. A tragic accident - an elevator with four people in it - but the elevator isn't responding - it rises up to the top without stopping - and then plummets to the bottom of the shaft. And then it happens again....and its clear that these are not accidents.

Think about how many elevators are in Manhattan - and the fact that now no one wants to use them. The city is in turmoil. The frightening thing is that this premise isn't all that far-fetched. A great idea for a story!

Barclay introduces us to a wealth of characters from the opening chapters. Even seemingly supporting characters get lots of description and page time. The protagonists are two detectives (Bourque and Delgado) and Barbara, a journalist. Barbara was my favourite character. I liked her drive, her spunk and her attitude. The detectives were a close second - they played off each other really well. (And flawed leads are my fave.) I do love large ensemble novels and this one will have you keeping a mental scorecard of who's who in the beginning. I wondered how all these players would come together by the end.

Barclay takes the plot in a direction that was impossible to guess as he wove all those characters together. However, there was one subplot that I thought was a bit much,'over- busied' things and by the end didn't add much to the main whodunit IMO.

The chapters are short and the book moves along at a good clip. This was another entertaining, enjoyable read from Barclay. Here's an excerpt of Elevator Pitch. And I will continue to take the stairs when possible!