ELEVATOR PITCH has benefited from a large amount of pre-publication buzz that has been generated by Linwood Barclay’s reputation as a solid, no-nonsense thriller author who is incapable of writing badly, as well as the hook of the book, if you will. The latter is a relatively simple premise: Someone is causing elevators to crash in New York City. That was enough for me to eagerly anticipate its arrival more so than I have other works by Barclay. The verdict? It’s even better than I expected.

The novel takes place over the course of four extremely long days, from Monday through Thursday, during what otherwise would have been an ordinary week. An elevator in a high-rise building suddenly crashes on each day. Fatalities ensue. By the second day, of course, it becomes clear that something is up. New York slowly slides into chaos, unwittingly aided and abetted by a governmental decree that only makes things worse.

"ELEVATOR PITCH will have you taking the stairs for weeks, if not months. The plot unwinds slowly but steadily through the viewpoints of a number of instantly memorable characters..."

The doer isn’t making any demands or issuing any manifestos, which complicates matters. Someone finally figures out the “why,” but only in a general sense, so there are a number of people trying to make sense of it all. Among them are the mayor, a mostly unlikable politician with a couple of redeemable qualities; an investigative reporter; the mayor’s staff, which includes his browbeaten son, a tech expert and a newly minted publicist; a New York police detective who is dealing with a king-sized case of PTSD that strikes at the worst possible moments; and a Russian diplomat who is watching the proceedings with more than casual interest.

Consider these and other individuals to be a spinning plate with a live hand grenade on top of it. Barclay keeps each breathlessly spinning as he switches viewpoints and plot lines with rapid aplomb. Who would be so angry that they would go to such lengths to unsettle New York and its residents in a manner that effectively brings business to a standstill? Readers ultimately get answers, as well as a satisfying ending delivered with a healthy dose of subtle, inside irony.

ELEVATOR PITCH will have you taking the stairs for weeks, if not months. The plot unwinds slowly but steadily through the viewpoints of a number of instantly memorable characters, each of whom you miss when they’re not on the page at any given moment. My favorite is the head of the city’s elevator inspection department, who, at various points throughout the book, provides entertaining explanations of how elevators work (and what happens when they don’t), statistics and history. ELEVATOR PITCH is one of those rare books that will make you wish it would never end.