Review: The Request by David Bell

Genre:
Suspense, Thriller

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Berkley

Release Date:
June 30, 2020






Synopsis from Goodreads:

When a man agrees to do a favor for a friend, he gets more than he bargained for as he becomes embroiled in a woman's murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of Layover.

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.

My Review

Ryan and Amanda have the perfect life with their beautiful baby Henry. Ryan makes a point of using social media to post all about his happy life including pictures of his wife and son. Then, he gets a visit from an old college friend, Blake. Blake asks Ryan for a favor…an illegal favor. He asks him to break into an old girlfriend’s apartment and steal some incriminating letters. Ryan refuses, but Blake isn’t letting him off the hook. He threatens to blow up Ryan’s perfect life by revealing an old secret from their past. Ryan reluctantly agrees.

Ryan tries to think of a way out of his dilemma but soon realizes he has no choice but to follow through. However, when he arrives in her home, he’s stunned to find the woman’s dead body. Then, he receives a Facebook friend request from the dead woman. Ryan doesn’t know what’s going on, but when he tries to get in touch with Blake, he’s nowhere to be found.

Terrified of being accused of murder and losing everything that’s important in his life, Ryan tries to figure out the mystery. He can’t believe his old friend would set him up like this. As Ryan searches more and more for the truth, he’s totally shocked where this might be leading.

I absolutely love David Bell’s books and this is my favorite by far. He had me hooked on page one and never let me go. It’s a fast-paced thriller with more twists and turns than a roller coaster. David Bell is a master at his craft. He knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat for the entire length of the novel. I can’t say enough good things about this author.

This is one of those novels that I would rate higher than 5 if I rated books that high. One of my favorites of 2020, so far.

For reading challenges:
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2020

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.