Title: The Request by David Bell
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense
Length: 415 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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.
Review:
The Request by David Bell tension-filled domestic mystery.
Ryan Francis is happily married to Amanda and father to infant son Henry. He also has a lucrative career and a stake in a local bar. Needless to say, he has an awful lot to lose when his college friend Blake Norton asks him a favor. The two men have been on the outs for the past six months, so Ryan is surprised by Blake’s news. He is also dismayed and very much against going through with Blake’s request. But determined to keep his secret from being revealed, Ryan very reluctantly agrees. And he quickly regrets his decision when he discovers a dead body. Nor can he locate what Blake sent him to find. With Detective Rountree asking a lot of uncomfortable questions, Ryan needs to locate Blake and get answers to some very important questions.
By all appearances, Ryan is an upright man who loves his wife and son. He made his share of poor decisions in college and one in particular haunts him. He does his best to attempt to right the wrong, so he is determined to ensure his secret remains hidden. Ryan’s biggest fear is Amanda will uncover the truth about what happened his senior year in college.
Blake is gregarious, friendly and always the life of the party. So the first surprising bit of information he reveals is his recent sobriety. Another disclosure is a shocker that sends waves of fear through Ryan. Although his explanation for why Ryan is the only person who can help him is unsatisfactory, his old friend really has no choice but to agree to the request.
Over just a few days, Ryan attempts to stay one step ahead of Detective Rountree as he searches for Blake, who has inexplicably disappeared. He also tries to avoid giving away too much to Amanda who knows her husband well enough to realize he is being somewhat evasive. There is also a hint of danger hanging over the Francis household due to some nerve-wracking incidents that have recently occurred. Despite his anger at Blake, Ryan cannot say no when his friend summons him for a mysterious meeting. Is Ryan fully prepared for the stunning revelations that await him?
The Request is an engrossing mystery that is also quite intriguing. Although none of the characters are easy to like, it is easy to become invested in unmasking a killer. The short chapters add a sense of urgency to the an already suspenseful storyline. With clever red herrings and misdirects, David Bell brings this fast-moving mystery to a twist-filled denouement.
