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sepeters2506's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
Ryan seems to have it all , perfect wife and kid and a great job. When his friend Blake asks Ryan for a favor ,Ryan is reluctant to oblige. Blake wants him to break into a woman's house and retrieve some evidence that will incriminate Blake in an affair. What happens next turns Ryan’s whole life upside down …
The Request by David Bell is an action packed thriller with flawed characters with some expected and some unexpected twists and turns that kept me entertained till the end
I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
The Request by David Bell is an action packed thriller with flawed characters with some expected and some unexpected twists and turns that kept me entertained till the end
I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
Fast-paced, intricate, and with some great twists—if you don’t mind suspending your disbelief a tad, grab David Bell’s latest thriller and clear your plans for the next day! This one is hard to put down once you start it!
It all started with blackmail. Well, that’s not entirely true. It all started with the accident back in college. The secret that Ryan and his best friend Blake have held onto for so long. The guilt over a sophomoric prank gone wrong. Now someone is blackmailing Ryan, and it is only the beginning…
Ryan has the picture-perfect life. Literally. His photos of his wife Amanda and their infant son Henry gather hundreds of likes and comments from friends and family. Ryan has finally overcome his troubling past—the loss of his father, the struggles to make ends meet and finish his degree, the accident… Now he is married, has a job he is great at, has a beautiful son, and is even a minority owner in a local bar.
When his best friend from college Blake gets together with him, everything will change. First the blackmail, and now Blake reappears. Despite the setbacks, Ryan and Blake always are bonded. So when Blake approaches Ryan with the good news that he and his on-again-off-again girlfriend Samantha are getting married, Ryan is taken aback but happy for them. Sam is so good for Blake.
Now Blake has just one small request from Ryan, that will change everything…
Go to the house of a woman he was seeing on a break with Sam, and look for some letters. The letters will not just destroy what Blake has with Sam, he also confesses about the accident from college. The one Ryan is being blackmailed about. So Ryan goes, against his better judgment. And when he gets these, things really take a turn… Because Ryan knows this woman, and now he finds her murdered in her home.
He was never supposed to be there, so he runs. And then things really unravel. Who is setting him up for murder? Did Blake know about this? And is this death linked to the blackmail, or just a coincidence?
Moving at breakneck speed from the moment it begins, this is a fantastic book to lose yourself in. For my personal tastes, this is by far the best book of David Bell’s that I’ve read. The narrative structure and the cliff hangers at the end of the chapters definitely has me hooked. It is a total “one more chapter” kind of read!
Ryan is a great character, because he is rootable but flawed. I really wanted things to turn out okay. I loved his family. I really liked Amanda and found her to be quite intriguing as a character. From the beginning social media has a subtle but important current underlying the narrative. Ryan notes several times how much he puts on display. And at times we hear from different characters whether they do or don’t use social media. We also learn how many see the perfect photos of Ryan’s family and think it means his life is perfect. Let me tell you—it is clear from page one that his life isn’t perfect! But that is always the thing about social media, right? We only put the good things out there.
Ryan also harbors guilt over the night from college, and it is hard to not want to reach through the pages and shake him. Just come clean! Stop lying to Amanda! And then there were moments I wanted to say the same to her. But through all of their ups and downs as characters, I loved the way both drop everything for one another. That sort of love can get you through even the roughest times. And let’s just say, this book covers the roughest of times for them!
Twist-y and addictive—this is a great thriller to dive into!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
It all started with blackmail. Well, that’s not entirely true. It all started with the accident back in college. The secret that Ryan and his best friend Blake have held onto for so long. The guilt over a sophomoric prank gone wrong. Now someone is blackmailing Ryan, and it is only the beginning…
Ryan has the picture-perfect life. Literally. His photos of his wife Amanda and their infant son Henry gather hundreds of likes and comments from friends and family. Ryan has finally overcome his troubling past—the loss of his father, the struggles to make ends meet and finish his degree, the accident… Now he is married, has a job he is great at, has a beautiful son, and is even a minority owner in a local bar.
When his best friend from college Blake gets together with him, everything will change. First the blackmail, and now Blake reappears. Despite the setbacks, Ryan and Blake always are bonded. So when Blake approaches Ryan with the good news that he and his on-again-off-again girlfriend Samantha are getting married, Ryan is taken aback but happy for them. Sam is so good for Blake.
Now Blake has just one small request from Ryan, that will change everything…
Go to the house of a woman he was seeing on a break with Sam, and look for some letters. The letters will not just destroy what Blake has with Sam, he also confesses about the accident from college. The one Ryan is being blackmailed about. So Ryan goes, against his better judgment. And when he gets these, things really take a turn… Because Ryan knows this woman, and now he finds her murdered in her home.
He was never supposed to be there, so he runs. And then things really unravel. Who is setting him up for murder? Did Blake know about this? And is this death linked to the blackmail, or just a coincidence?
Moving at breakneck speed from the moment it begins, this is a fantastic book to lose yourself in. For my personal tastes, this is by far the best book of David Bell’s that I’ve read. The narrative structure and the cliff hangers at the end of the chapters definitely has me hooked. It is a total “one more chapter” kind of read!
Ryan is a great character, because he is rootable but flawed. I really wanted things to turn out okay. I loved his family. I really liked Amanda and found her to be quite intriguing as a character. From the beginning social media has a subtle but important current underlying the narrative. Ryan notes several times how much he puts on display. And at times we hear from different characters whether they do or don’t use social media. We also learn how many see the perfect photos of Ryan’s family and think it means his life is perfect. Let me tell you—it is clear from page one that his life isn’t perfect! But that is always the thing about social media, right? We only put the good things out there.
Ryan also harbors guilt over the night from college, and it is hard to not want to reach through the pages and shake him. Just come clean! Stop lying to Amanda! And then there were moments I wanted to say the same to her. But through all of their ups and downs as characters, I loved the way both drop everything for one another. That sort of love can get you through even the roughest times. And let’s just say, this book covers the roughest of times for them!
Twist-y and addictive—this is a great thriller to dive into!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
ashleekraus's review
3.0
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. :) So thanks to the folks who make that happen.
Three stars for excellent writing, with nice plot and character development.
I didn't rate it higher because I saw all the twists as each new character was introduced. I also felt like it was trying to do a little too much. The book could have easily been about the six year old crime or the current crime, and the way they came together felt a little flat to me. I realize I'm in the minority as this book is rated very highly. The narrative about unplugging from social media also felt a little forced/preachy to me.
All in all, a nice read for the beach or road trip. Would encourage others to read it and see if it's for them.
Three stars for excellent writing, with nice plot and character development.
I didn't rate it higher because I saw all the twists as each new character was introduced. I also felt like it was trying to do a little too much. The book could have easily been about the six year old crime or the current crime, and the way they came together felt a little flat to me. I realize I'm in the minority as this book is rated very highly. The narrative about unplugging from social media also felt a little forced/preachy to me.
All in all, a nice read for the beach or road trip. Would encourage others to read it and see if it's for them.
jmj697mn's review against another edition
4.0
(Disclaimer: I figured out the culprit as soon as they were introduced. HOWEVER, this book was still fantastic.) This book literally kept me breathless through the first 300 pages. I was turning pages and finally exhaling, waiting to see what would happen. GREAT for reading, tough on my anxiety but I really enjoyed the ride. Might be my favorite Bell novel so far.
rmarcin's review against another edition
3.0
Ryan and Amanda seem to have the perfect life. Ryan is always posting on social media about his family and his business. He b lives to see how many likes he receives. However, Ryan has a secret. He is afraid to tell Amanda, because he believes it would destroy her.
Ryan’s college friend, Blake, knows Ryan’s secret and uses it to make a special request. Blake and Samantha will be married in a few days, and he needs something done before that happens.
Lots and lots of secrets in this book, and the author keeps throwing misdirection into the mix. But I had it figured out about 40-50% through the novel.
Moral- don’t keep secrets and don’t post your life on social media!
#TheRequest #DavidBell
Ryan’s college friend, Blake, knows Ryan’s secret and uses it to make a special request. Blake and Samantha will be married in a few days, and he needs something done before that happens.
Lots and lots of secrets in this book, and the author keeps throwing misdirection into the mix. But I had it figured out about 40-50% through the novel.
Moral- don’t keep secrets and don’t post your life on social media!
#TheRequest #DavidBell
1neverendingtbr's review against another edition
2.0
Everything about this book was awful. The characters are all unlikeable, the plot is awful and the repeat content is annoying and oh my god if I have to hear about Ryan’s social media life one more time. We get it... he has no life but posting on social media. I thought about putting this book down and jumping off a cliff but then I decided it has to get better, the reviews are amazing. Nope. Disappointed.
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
I am a fan of this author but the last book was a bit of a let down. This newest book made up for it. I was hooked. I could not stop reading. Once, I was down the path with Ryan, I had to keep going to see how the story would play out and end.
In the beginning, I was not sure where the story was leading me. Yet, I will admit that about half way through I had my suspicions as to the culprit. However, that did not stop me from still continuing with this book. I will say however that you should be careful about the friends you choose to associate yourself with. Mr. Bell is back in his true form with The Request!
In the beginning, I was not sure where the story was leading me. Yet, I will admit that about half way through I had my suspicions as to the culprit. However, that did not stop me from still continuing with this book. I will say however that you should be careful about the friends you choose to associate yourself with. Mr. Bell is back in his true form with The Request!
kdurham2's review against another edition
5.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
How many hours a day or a week do you spend on social media? Do you have the perfect profile and pages? Do you envy others who seem to have the perfect life?
This book combines great mystery thriller writing with the addition of social media and how that can impact both or our romantic relationships and friendships. Ryan has the perfect life or so it seems via social media, he has wife, son and not one but two great jobs. He has had a friend Blake since college and they have held onto a secret for just as long. This secret could destroy a lot of things, so Ryan will do just about anything to keep it.
How many hours a day or a week do you spend on social media? Do you have the perfect profile and pages? Do you envy others who seem to have the perfect life?
This book combines great mystery thriller writing with the addition of social media and how that can impact both or our romantic relationships and friendships. Ryan has the perfect life or so it seems via social media, he has wife, son and not one but two great jobs. He has had a friend Blake since college and they have held onto a secret for just as long. This secret could destroy a lot of things, so Ryan will do just about anything to keep it.