The Request

By: David Bell

Narrated by: Tristan Morris

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.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Request

“David Bell more than delivers on the shocking premise of The Request, which is a gripping exploration of guilt, loyalty, and desperation. The Request combines complex characters, social commentary, and expertly meted out plot twists that will keep readers guessing – and gasping – until the final page. Bell is a master.”—Robyn Harding, international bestselling author of The Swap and The Party

“Fast-paced and thrilling, with twists at every turn, The Request kept me guessing until its satisfying conclusion.”—Catherine McKenzie, author of I’ll Never Tell

Praise for David Bell and His Novels

"A terrifically tense thriller with a femme fatale who will keep you guessing until the very end."—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark

"David Bell is a top-notch storyteller....I flew through this twisting, riveting psychological thriller."—Cristina Alger, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us

“[A] canny new thriller...intelligent, believable.”—The Columbus Dispatch

“A whirlwind story about secrets, regrets, and sacrifice....a deliciously infectious thriller.”—Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife

"A tautly told, heart-pounding read...a page-turning whodunit where every character's a suspect and no one can be trusted." —Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl

"A compulsive, twisty, race-against-the-clock thriller...[a] smart and unrelenting page-turner!"—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter

"[Bell is] a bang-up storyteller, armed with enough detours and surprises to keep the pages turning."—Cleveland Plain Dealer

"[A] suspenseful page-turning thriller."—Hello Giggles

"[A] taut gem...a tale straight out of the psychological thriller territory blazed by the likes of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner."—Providence Journal

Tge Request

This story is amazing. You have a man that's well established, supposedly a great family man. Now you have a person from his past has made a request of him. He has history information that can disturb his life. He wants to refuse but due to the secret he keeps he cannot. You're on the edge of your seat in this fast paced book that will keep your interest and you will not want to put the book down. You need to read this book to see how messed up it becomes. I highly recommend this book.

what stood out was when jennifers body was first discovered

I liked Amanda the most. what i didnt like is how much I got confused on this story.

didn't love the narrator

My husband and I listened to “The Request” by David Bell, narrated by Tristan Morris. Unfortunately, we were not a big fan of Morris as a narrator for this novel. Saying that, we listened to all twelve hours and six minutes of the story. In addition, the protagonist is one of the most idiotic characters I’ve come across. I’m not sure if Bell intended for the protagonist to be such a fool, and maybe it was the narrator’s voice that added to the stupidity. Another factor that could have affected our opinion was that we had just listened to a James Patterson novel with a pitch-perfect narrator for the main character. Our standards were high.

Again, we remained involved in the story despite all the reasons not to. What held us is Bell’s twists and turns. Yes, the protagonist Ryan Francis made mistake after mistake. He deserved all of his problems. Even driving, we would say aloud “how can he be that stupid!!” And yet, we continued to listen. So I ask myself, why?

Well, David Bell paced the story perfectly. The twists and turns had impact. Ryan, the main character, finds himself involved in a woman’s murder. He has a ‘great” friend who anyone with a sane mind could see that the guy is manipulative, deceitful, and untrustworthy. Yet, Ryan continues to do his bidding and gets himself into deeper water.

I do give up on stories that I don’t like. In this one, I think I liked the story, but hated the characters. Could the story work with a more likeable protagonist? I am not sure. It was like watching a bad traffic accident that you can’t take your eyes off of. The characters in the novel gain no sympathy or empathy. Yet the storyline is one that maintains interest.

Narrator

I wanted to so bad but i just cant ... his voice. I want to poke myself in the ears. Did he not want to work when he recorded it?!?