February 2022

I read THE CAGE by Bonnie Kistler a few months ago. The story was so well written that writing this I feel like I read it yesterday. The setup is great. Two women are working late at a high-end fashion company on a Sunday night. They get on the same elevator. The lights go out, and the elevator stalls. Help is called. By the time they get to the lobby and the doors open, one woman is dead. Was it a murder or a suicide? The survivor is Shay Lambert, the company’s newest lawyer; the deceased is Lucy Barton-Jones, their seemingly unflappable human resources director. Shay immediately calls it a suicide, but Lucy’s husband is stumped.

Readers are twisted back and forth as they follow what happened. Fingers quickly point to Shay as the assailant, but then the blame shifts over to Lucy. Someone (or perhaps many someones) is lying.

Bonnie had a long career as a trial lawyer, so she whips readers through a lot of legalese about what is going on at the company --- and how it may have influenced what happened in that elevator. While it was complex, I definitely hung with her, trying to get a handle on all of the details. I learned a lot!

One more thing to note: There is a reason she calls this book THE CAGE instead of THE ELEVATOR. You will see why as you read it.

I loved Bonnie’s last thriller, HOUSE ON FIRE, which also was a Bets On pick. I look forward to whatever she does next!

I will leave you with this. When I get on an elevator, I always look around to see if anyone has food and beverages. If we get stuck, I am going to be all about nourishment and hydration. The longest that I have been stuck in an elevator is 45 minutes. We were staying at a convention hotel, which meant that we missed most of the mix-and-mingle cocktail party. As management greeted us when we finally got off, I said, “I am in room 210; you know what to do.” My friend asked what that was about. I said, “I expect this night to be comped.” And it was.

» Watch my "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Bonnie Kistler and listen to the podcast.