The Request by David Bell

Ryan Francis seems to have a perfect life, but it's all a lie. He's hiding a secret. One that's landed him in a heap of trouble! With this secret as leverage, Ryan's best friend, Blake, has asked him for a big favor. 

Blake is about to get married. But before he can, he wants Ryan to break into a woman's house and steal some damning correspondence. The woman is Blake's ex, one who could ruin his relationship with his wife-to-be. But she can also ruin Ryan. Because Blake already told her Ryan's secret. He put it in the letters. 

Ryan does as he's asked but everything immediately goes wrong. When he arrives at the woman's house, he finds her dead in her bedroom and the letters missing. Now he's got an even bigger secret to hide and with each passing minute, the secret gets harder and harder to keep under wraps. 

David Bell is known for his insanely paced page turners and this is no exception. 

Ryan is a mess. He's made one dumb decision after another and when the book begins he's about to make a whole lot more. 

He and his wife have a great relationship. They have a new baby. Ryan's got a steady job—in fact, they're about to begin a huge overhaul of their yard. Basically, he's an everyman who's got it all. 

But Ryan was once a dumb kid who made a mistake. And his friend Blake, who stood by him for years and years is the only one who really knows the truth about Ryan. 

Blake on the other hand is a screw up. But he's loyal and supportive, which is why Ryan has been steadfast in his friendship for so many years even when his own wife has tired of Blake's antics. But it seems Blake has finally turned over a new leaf. He's getting married and his fiancé seems to have a great calming effect on him. 

Except it seems that Blake's past behavior could potentially ruin it all before it begins. 

Now, it's understandable that Ryan would want to keep his past behind him. And it's understandable that he'd believe that with this one favor, everything might be neatly swept up once again. But I'm not sure Bell had me completely sold on the plot of this one from start to finish. 

The Request is a popcorn read through and through—by which I mean it's fun, goes by super quick, and pairs great with popcorn (it'd also make a fun movie adaptation). But it's not his strongest book by far, unfortunately. 

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