I read The Elevator over two evenings after work and it got under my skin more than I expected. It starts as a familiar, tired end-of-day commute: everyone just wants to get out of the building, but a packed, badly maintained elevator changes that. As the car lurches, stalls, and traps its passengers between floors, the atmosphere shifts from everyday annoyance to genuine dread.
What really works here is the claustrophobia. You can almost feel the air getting thicker as tension grows between this random group of strangers. The author slowly peels back who they are and why they react the way they do, while dropping hints that something much darker is afoot. Hidden agendas along with twists and turns make this a worthwhile read for your evening commute (hopefully you don't have to take an elevator after reading it).