Thrillers & Suspense
![B. A. Shapiro - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B0084TXH72.jpg)
Metropolis: A Novel
Six people, six secrets, six different backgrounds. They would never have met if not for their connection to the Metropolis Storage Warehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When someone falls down an elevator shaft at the facility, each of the six becomes caught up in an intensifying chain of events.
We meet Serge, an unstable but brilliant street photographer who lives in his storage unit; Marta, an undocumented immigrant finishing her dissertation and hiding from ICE; Liddy, an abused wife and mother who recreates her children's bedroom in her unit; Jason, a former corporate lawyer now practicing in the facility; Rose, the office manager, who takes illegal kickbacks to let renters live in the building; and Zach, an ex–drug dealer and now the building's owner, who scans Serge's photos as he searches for clues to the accident.
But was it an accident? A murder attempt? Suicide? As her characters dip in and out of one another's lives trying to find answers and battling societal forces beyond their control, B. A. Shapiro questions the myth of the American dream and builds tension to an exhilarating climax.
We meet Serge, an unstable but brilliant street photographer who lives in his storage unit; Marta, an undocumented immigrant finishing her dissertation and hiding from ICE; Liddy, an abused wife and mother who recreates her children's bedroom in her unit; Jason, a former corporate lawyer now practicing in the facility; Rose, the office manager, who takes illegal kickbacks to let renters live in the building; and Zach, an ex–drug dealer and now the building's owner, who scans Serge's photos as he searches for clues to the accident.
But was it an accident? A murder attempt? Suicide? As her characters dip in and out of one another's lives trying to find answers and battling societal forces beyond their control, B. A. Shapiro questions the myth of the American dream and builds tension to an exhilarating climax.
Editorial Reviews
"An ingeniously plotted hybrid social/suspense novel . . . [Shapiro] takes her time loading the bases, and in the last inning, she hits it out of the park."―Shelf Awareness
"Metropolis has all the elements I love in a novel: fascinating characters, a pace that crackles with tension, and a deeper message that will resonate with everyone. Once again, B. A. Shapiro weaves a unique and riveting tale."―Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of I Know a Secret
"A rich and gripping journey through intersecting lives, a nuanced exploration of characters who share nothing in common-but almost everything too. Inventive and immersive, it's a page-turner of novel that will also make you want to slow down and soak it all in."―Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of November Road
"In Metropolis, Shapiro is the literary equivalent of a master juggler, writing with tremendous compassion and a wonderful knack for storytelling. Her characters whirl together within the confines of a self-storage unit and, though at its core is a mystery, its beating heart is their stories. It is a dazzling performance and a novel that will stay with me for a long time to come."―Mary Morris, author of Gateway to the Moon
"Part mystery, part sociological study… fascinating."―Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Skillfully crafted with memorable characters, Metropolis is a riveting psychological thriller of a read from cover to cover. Raising crime fiction to an impressively high literary level…"―Midwest Book Review
A "spellbinder from the bestselling author of The Art Forger and The Muralist."―Booklist
"Metropolis has all the elements I love in a novel: fascinating characters, a pace that crackles with tension, and a deeper message that will resonate with everyone. Once again, B. A. Shapiro weaves a unique and riveting tale."―Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of I Know a Secret
"A rich and gripping journey through intersecting lives, a nuanced exploration of characters who share nothing in common-but almost everything too. Inventive and immersive, it's a page-turner of novel that will also make you want to slow down and soak it all in."―Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of November Road
"In Metropolis, Shapiro is the literary equivalent of a master juggler, writing with tremendous compassion and a wonderful knack for storytelling. Her characters whirl together within the confines of a self-storage unit and, though at its core is a mystery, its beating heart is their stories. It is a dazzling performance and a novel that will stay with me for a long time to come."―Mary Morris, author of Gateway to the Moon
"Part mystery, part sociological study… fascinating."―Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Skillfully crafted with memorable characters, Metropolis is a riveting psychological thriller of a read from cover to cover. Raising crime fiction to an impressively high literary level…"―Midwest Book Review
A "spellbinder from the bestselling author of The Art Forger and The Muralist."―Booklist
Readers Top Reviews
Paul M. HarmanSJG
An interesting story with multiple characters whose lives get entwined because of their proximity. Metropolis is actually a storage facility managed by Rose. Several of the characters rent storage, and several actually live in their rented storage facilities and their different backgrounds and problems create a wonderful story of people and their lives. B. A. Shapiro is a wonderful writer and her characters and their stories come alive on the pages.
Virginia YoungPau
Each character' story intertwined but I was kept guessing about the stories ending. So many current issues were addressed in the telling of the story. A great read!!
Shud49Virginia Yo
Zach owns Metropolis and collects all the rent from the storage units there. A story of interwoven lives, domestic abuse, hiding from the government, drug use and redemption. Good read.
PeggyKindle Lover
Thought the book was reading quite well until she had to add a lesbian relationship with far too much detail. There ARE still straight people in the world who don’t want these visuals. The ending was the most difficult because these intricate, interwoven stories just abruptly end, with just quick sections to finish the book. I have liked a couple others of this authors work, better than this one.
Antoinette G. Har
Many rooms in an old storage building contain the interesting contents and stories of the tenants . As the story unfolds, so do the people , and they are intricately connected in fascinating ways.
