It's OK: it's a page-turner, but it's at least 50 pages longer than it needs to be -- inflated by unnecessary detail and misguided attempts at suspense. (Honestly, no spoilers, but I guessed both "big reveals" long before the end ...)
The New York detail is good. My sense is that Barclay is more comfortable with small-town, intimate thrillers that allow him to plunge an "Everyman/woman" into a world of pain.
The New York detail is good. My sense is that Barclay is more comfortable with small-town, intimate thrillers that allow him to plunge an "Everyman/woman" into a world of pain.
It's a Monday morning in New York City. A body has been found on the High Line, an elevated public park on the west side of Manhattan. Detectives Jerry Burke and Lois Delgado have their work cut out for them. The victim's face has been destroyed and his fingertips are missing. Identifying this person is going to take a little while. Meanwhile, an elevator with four occupants rises to the fortieth floor of a Manhattan high rise, then plunges to the bottom, killing all on board. Everyone believes it is a tragic accident until it happens again in another New York office building the next day. By Wednesday, when another elevator has malfunctioned and taken more lives, the Mayor has called for all elevators in the city to be locked down and New York City comes to a standstill.
I picked up this book because I thought it had an interesting premise. I kept asking myself who was sabotaging the elevators? Are they targeting specific people or just killing random riders? What does the body on the High Line have to do with these accidents?
The first half of the story felt very disjointed with the various elevator scenes, the murder investigation, and the introduction of so many characters including a reporter, the Mayor and his staff, the victims on the elevator, and the cops investigating the murder. I kept wondering where the story was going and how some of the people were tied to the story. I'm glad I stuck with it. The second half of the story answered a lot of my questions and led to a satisfying conclusion. My rating: 4 Stars.
I picked up this book because I thought it had an interesting premise. I kept asking myself who was sabotaging the elevators? Are they targeting specific people or just killing random riders? What does the body on the High Line have to do with these accidents?
The first half of the story felt very disjointed with the various elevator scenes, the murder investigation, and the introduction of so many characters including a reporter, the Mayor and his staff, the victims on the elevator, and the cops investigating the murder. I kept wondering where the story was going and how some of the people were tied to the story. I'm glad I stuck with it. The second half of the story answered a lot of my questions and led to a satisfying conclusion. My rating: 4 Stars.
I really like Linwood Barclay books, but this one was a dud in my opinion. The story was convoluted and it just dragged on and on. I didn't like the characters and the story just did not flow for me.
