Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay

Hello everyone.

Hubby is on vacation this week. We were going to head to New England but with leaves being at peak color we feared most hotels were booked. We thought about doing something else seasonal and perhaps go ghost watching in Gettysburg. The battlefield park is open well after dark. Let's face it, this is an excuse to go somewhere, sit in the car with the camera at the ready, drinking coffee. I suppose I could do that in the driveway but the neighbors would think I'm even more nuts than they already do. At least in Gettysburg, nobody knows me. Before you say if we went to Gettysburg we should be learning about the history, you should know I've already been. In fact, my dad was a huge history buff, specifically the civil war. He was fascinated that people from the same country would fight each other, literally brother against brother. When we were kids and were going on vacation, we had to stop at every historic sight and read every historic marker along the way. When I was in the sixth grade we went to Disney World. My dad wanted us to tour Gettysburg first. I remember all the headstones and my parents being very moved. Then my dad had us stand in a specific place asking if we were amazed that we were standing right where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. At that age, unless Lincoln had been sporting Mickey ears, I wasn't interested. Now, I love history.

In past posts I've mentioned going to New York City on vacations, when I was little. I still remember being amazed by the tall buildings, trying not to look up all the time. Funny that I don't remember my dad making a big deal out of the history there. Of course, NYC is loaded with early American history, like most of the East Coast.  My parents suffered from Broadway-show-itis and Mamma Leone's fever. (Mamma Leone's was a famous restaurant they loved.)

I recently read Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay. This story takes place in NYC, emphasizing that the city is made up of so many skyscrapers. This thriller features several simultaneous story lines that of course support each other and merge at the end. New York is under attack and the Mayor's office and police are desperate to discover what is going on and who is responsible. A elevator repair man has been murdered, left unidentifiable. A bomb has been left in a car. Then an elevator plummets from a high floor to the lobby. The elevator issue seems to be an accident, until it happens again and again. Now residents of this vertical city are unable to use elevators as the Mayor demands they all be shut down while being inspected for tampering. Getting food and medical assistance becomes an issue on higher floors. People can't leave apartments knowing they cannot climb dozens and dozens of floors to return. They city is at a standstill.

This book is intense, a true thriller. As the authorities rush to figure out who is terrorizing their city, the reader flips pages faster. The novel is well written, and parts that may seem slower, than things in a free fall, are absolutely necessary in building and supporting the plot. There is no unnecessary rambling. Some very enjoyable and white knuckled reading here!

I was so freaked out about elevators by the end, I actually started learning which kind used a piston and which used cables. You can bet your Aunt Fanny that the next time I'm in NYC I'll request the hotel assigns us a low floor.  Oh, and I am never, ever, watching the movie Speed again.