Elevator Pitch is the first novel I’ve read by Linwood Barclay. I found the plot intriguing. Why would anyone kill people by messing with elevators? Is it just to terrorize the people of New York, one of the most vertical cities in the world? I predicted the villain early in the story but was led astray a few times before my guess was confirmed at the end. But I never guessed the “why” until revealed at the conclusion.

Barclay’s character portrayals are varied and interesting; the main ones are a reporter with an ax to grind, her daughter, two NYC police detectives, the mayor of New York, his son, and his “I take care of everything” staff member.

Although the book kept my interest throughout, it could use some editing, and it could lose about 200 pages. Lots of unneeded detail slowed the pace in the middle. I have a habit of skipping to the last few chapters of a book when I get bored, but this one kept my interest enough to keep me from doing that. I read all 600 plus pages.

I will look for more of Barclay’s writing.