The Request by David Bell

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 362 pages
Expected publication: July 7th 2020 by Berkley Publishing Group
About the Book:
Ryan Francis has it all—great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child—and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret—which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life—Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request. When he arrives at the woman's home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead—and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder. Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer—but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

No one stepped forward to offer help. No one said anything. They filmed and photographed. And looked happy to be doing it.

I am very critical about mundane repetitive stories I have read before. This book had twists and flowed. Bell is a very good writer who can tell a story without getting lost in details that can tend to drag a story out. I felt I was there with the protagonist throughout the story. The tension ratchets up to a climatic ending as red herrings abound. I have never been more surprised at an ending, what an explosive and satisfying conclusion this book has.

I cannot remember when the last time was that I stayed up most of the night just to finish a book like I did last night. The author has the knack of placing ordinary people on a path with evil. That's what makes them so unsettling. This book has a fantastic story line and well developed characters.

I have given this book a four star rating because the plot and characters were original, and I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting and fast paced read, I highly recommend this book to those who love thrillers, red herrings, surprise endings, and an original plot. This is the first of Mr. Bell's novels that I have read and it was very enjoyable. What a true gift for story telling, with a really twisted imagination. I really liked it and can't wait to read another, I am thinking The Layover. Well done Sir...Put this book on your To Be Read List.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and David Bell for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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