Lock Every Door: A Novel

I loved Final Girls, thus I love (most of) Riley Sager's (nom de plume) fast and fun novels. Lock Every Door has a lurid purple-and-pink cover that promises an equally lurid thriller and does not disappoint. I enjoyed reading this book because, even though it has been done, it is fun to see what the author brings to the "scary luxury apartment table." (Nestlings by Nat Cassidy is very creative and spooky on this genre.) The main protagonist was annoying with her persistent nosiness and digging, HOWEVER, without it she wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble. The suspense was well done, the eerie presence in the silent apartment was creepy. There was some fun play with an old-fashioned dumb waiter that promises tension, some good misdirection, and a twist that even I didn't see coming. It is so much fun to know that trouble awaits at every junction, and our nosy little Jules is going to be in the thick of it. The gargoyles were a perfect touch to this tasty mix of thriller. Note: I love Riley Sager's innate familiarity of Central park. He has used wonderful descriptions in some of his other novels.

In just one day, Jules lost her job, husband and home. She finds herself sleeping on her best friend’s couch with no money and no immediate prospects. With no family to fall back on, she is desperate to find a job and a place to live. Then Jules sees an ad for an apartment sitter in one of the most famous buildings in New York, the Bartholomew. Although there are some strange rules she must follow including no friends over, don’t bother other residents and you must spend every night in the apartment, she cannot turn down $12,000 for three months. Her best friend, Chloe, thinks it is too good to be true and tries to dissuade Jules from moving in to no avail. Jules feels that people that rich are allowed to have strange rules for apartment sitters in their building. Immediately after moving in, Jules’ research into the building and its past, show a much darker side to this opulent building. Former apartment sitters have disappeared in the middle of the night without a word and are never heard from again. As Jules digs, she realizes that she may be in danger. Twists and turns make Jules think she has the answer but only to find there are other hidden dangers. Is she putting her trust in the right people?? Will she make it out alive??? It is easy to relate to Jules, her desperate need for money to the point of overlooking some obvious red flags, for easy money. $4,000 is a lot of money just to live somewhere. I also overlooked the fact that they kept putting off going to the police, thinking there was not enough evidence. I would hope the police would start looking into numerous disappearances in the same building. A suspenseful novel that will keep you reading. I enjoyed the story and had trouble putting it down. Will definitely read this author again.

This book keeps your interest at full speed. You can't put it down. Its captivating and the characters are so believable. The story line I'd smooth and flows naturally. I enjoyed this reading and can't wait to see what else I can read from this author.

3.25 Stars: Hmmm, this was not one of my favorites from the author. There were good aspects in the novel, but at times it was a wee bit flat. Jules is pretty much down on her luck and needs a place to stay. So, when an opening arises at a luxury building as an apartment sitter, she jumps at the chance. There are several rules she must abide by whilst living in the luxury building, to include, no guests. She notices other “apartment sitters” but they barely speak. Upon finding random things in the vent, and Ingrid (a recent friend from the building) suddenly goes missing after a suspicious encounter… things appear to be “off” to her. Once she realizes the previous apartment sitter didn’t just “leave for a better opportunity”, she becomes increasingly uneased at what’s happening in her building. But can she escape before it’s too late…

The book came in great shape.

Chegou em bom estado, não há qualquer marca ou defeitos. Já li outro livro do autor e gostei muito, espero que este seja tão bom quanto.

I enjoyed this book throughout, I like it when there are dialogues and are fast-paced. This book served the purpose of solving mystery. Was hooked onto it since beginning of the book. Nice climax too. Finished it in one day.

I read almost all of his books ❤️

Actual rating 3.5 stars. I’ve really enjoyed Riley Sager’s work in the past and ‘Lock Every Door’ promises to be another chilling tale of a twisty murder mystery for an outwitting final girl. This book did not disappoint. Our protagonist, Jules as an apartment sitter with a checkered past and sets up this novel nicely – though with the rules and regulations around this job immediately had flashing lights and sirens going off in my head. They were literally screaming ‘Run Girl!’ So the believability was on shaky ground from the get-go. What sort of haunted house ish was this set up? I don’t know if it was tongue-in-cheek, playing on the horror trope intentionally, or just lazy plotting. The mystery part and tense ambience was written really well. I was making my list of suspects even before there was a murder to think of – and believe me there are plenty of suspects. I will say I had hunched out the mystery of sorts but then second-guessed myself because I thought it was too obvious; though the details of said mystery were way off, so it kept me interested and the pay-off was well worth the journey to get there. The world building is executed with aplomb. Marrying the New York City and gothic tone of the Bartholomew were just perfection – sprinkle in a little bit of isolation and powerlessness for Jules and it paints the perfect landscape for this thriller. There is a heavy element of trying to impose the supernatural in ‘Lock Every Door’ that I feel wasn’t dealt with properly – it could have been so much more than it was. I think some of the ridiculousness of the plot, combined with a missed opportunity is what held me back from being fully immersed in the story, but Sager’s writing style really shines. I’m on the fence about recommending this one – it’s an entertaining read for sure, but there was something about this that just didn’t sell the story for me... so I’ll say a soft recommendation. Maybe for the reader who wants a taste of the mystery/thriller demographic but who doesn’t read a lot in that genre.