Kirkus
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People in Manhattan are falling to their deaths in maliciously rigged elevators. Is it terrorism at work? And if so, are the terrorists foreign or domestic?If anyone is going to get to the bottom of things, it's hard-charging newspaper columnist Barbara Matheson. Overwhelmed New York Mayor Richard Headley, her favorite target, still has no idea what's going on after the third elevator crash or what measures to take: Dare he shut down all 70,000 elevators in the Big Apple, especially on the eve of the spectacular opening of Top of the Park, the city's second-tallest building? When a murder victim found on the popular High Line walkway with his fingertips cut off is belatedly identified as an elevator technician, the police have a possible link to the gruesome elevator deaths. But what does the subsequent bombing of a cab have to do with them? Barclay (A Noise Downstairs, 2018, etc.) is an old hand at twisty, tantalizing plots. But as promising as the premise is, it never really goes anywhere. A combination of so-so surprises, contrived turns, and gratuitous elements take the air out of the story, which also involves Barbara's contentious daughter, Arla, and the mayor's belittled son and adviser, Glover. A recurring motif is characters with restrictive physical conditions being forced to climb many flights of stairs. They include police detective Jerry Bourque, whose shrink's diagnosis that his wheezing condition is psychosomatic gets put to the test.While there's much to enjoy in Barclay's latest, the book too often sells itself and the reader short. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.