Cover Image: Lock Every Door

Lock Every Door

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Crazy twists from beginning to end. I loved this book and this started my obsession with Riley Sager. I found this story within the Bartholomew intriguing from the end. I felt like a detective trying to solve the case. I found the twists and turns so unexpected.

Was this review helpful?

I love everything by this author. His books are creepy and always keep you guessing! This book was no different and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Was this review helpful?

One of my absolute favorite Riley Sager stories ever! Once I started reading this I could not put it down until I finished the entire book. Sager again achieves brilliance in today's thriller market!

Was this review helpful?

When Jules accepts an apartment-sitting gig at the Bartholomew, the most elite (and expensive) buildings in New York, it seems to good to be true. 12 weeks, no visitors or guests, no selfies for Instagram showing off the new digs. Ni disturbing the other residents. Hanging out in a swanky apartment for three months and getting paid $12,000? Radio silence on social media seems like hardly a price to pay. Despite her best friend’s worries that something doesn’t add up, Jules desperately needs the cash – and a place to stay after a sudden break-up.

Jules is instantly enchanted by the view, the amazing apartment. As she gets to know other apartment sitters, however, she begins to think that maybe her best friend was right for worrying. Ingrid tells Jules of another girl who was watching the place right before Jules moved in, a girl who began digging into the Bartholomew’s history and was able to let Ingrid in on everything when she suddenly disappeared. When Ingrid inexplicably vanishes, Jules realizes something is definitely wrong and proceeds to launch her own investigation into what’s really going on within this ivory tower.

It’s Riley Sager, do I need to say more? Seriously, Sager is by now synonymous with summer thrillers (though I first read Final Girls during a snowstorm!) I have nothing more to add to the praise that’s already been said: Lock Every Door was a fantastic read that had me flipping the pages.

Was this review helpful?

Oh. Em. Gee! Holy wild thrill ride, Batman! This book!

I think I’ve mentioned before that I love thrillers. I have read many a thriller in my life. Of all different varieties. And I’m usually really good at guessing early on what is going to happen or what the “twist” will be. But every once in a while, I have a thriller that stumps me. This book was one of those books.

This book follows Jules who seems like if there wasn’t bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all. After more than one family tragedy, Jules loses her job, boyfriend, and home all in one fell swoop. Rather than continue to crash on her best friends couch, she takes a job as an apartment sitter in one of the most iconic New York buildings in history. But the gargoyles adorning the building may not be the most sinister part of the Bartholomew.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down. I ended up staying up until midnight, on a work night, just to finish. Heart racing, breath shallow, I may have even started to sweat a little. Yet the pages demanded to be turned.

If you love thrillers and are looking for a fast paced read with a wicked turn or two or more. This is a great choice for you.

Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley for providing me an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

My favorite Sager yet! I could not put this one down. The atmosphere and the tension were incredible. While the climax/ending was maybe a little outlandish I really didn’t mind it. This is one I’m recommending to all of my friends.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you @duttonbooks for the free ebook via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was one of the best thrillers that I’ve read in a long time. I didn’t really have any expectations going in and I’m glad I didn’t because it blew me away.

I absolutely loved the setting. An old gothic looking apartment building, filled with suspicious characters, where anyone can be a suspect. Those are my favorite kind of mysteries. When there’s a whole cast of characters who can be the guilty party and I’m constantly guessing and changing my mind about who it can be.

Definitely my favorite of Sager’s books so far. Thrillers can be hit or miss for me. This one was definitely a winner.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you read this one? I’d love to chat and hear your thoughts! Feel free to DM me if you want to chat spoilers! I’d love to talk about that ending!

#bookreview #bookrecommendation #thetipsyreader #igreads #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookphotography #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #thriller #rileysager #lockeverydoor #quarantinereads

Was this review helpful?

A creepy thriller filled with misdirection and intrigue - who could ask for anything more? I enjoyed that we were led to believe one source of the mystery and received another explanation all together.

Was this review helpful?

This book was just ok for me. This is the first book I've read from this author. I was disappointed when I thought I had it figured out, but then there was a twist at the end that kind of redeemed the whole story, but not enough to get more than 3 stars from me. A young woman who's parents have died, her sister is missing and her boyfriend cheated on her gets a job apartment sitting in the legendary Bartholomew. Strange things happen, people go missing, there are rules to follow and mysteries to solve. I'm not sure what I didn't like about it, it flowed well, it was very well written and developed, it just never got my attention. I see this author has another book out, I'm not going to give just yet. Here's to hoping Home Before Dark is a little more intriguing.

Was this review helpful?

I was really excited about this book because I truly enjoy Riley Sager's writing. However, this book just fell a little flat for me. Firstly, I started this book last summer and finally just finished it last night. Granted there had been a lot of things going on to make finding time to read harder, but usually, I'll happily sacrifice sleep for the chance to dig further into a good book. This one just had a hard time keeping my interest once I got about halfway in. There were twists and turns you didn't see coming, and I still consider Riley Sager a good writer, I just was hoping for more from this one.

Was this review helpful?

This is like reading a lighter version of Rosemary’s Baby mixed with a little Stephen King and a dash of Peter Cline’s 14. Its main character is a creepy New York hotel, complete with statues of gargoyles outside. It features an author and her book that play a role in the story. The apartment has lots of weird secrets. So, yes, it’s a mashup of those three things mixed with a little water to tone it down some. It even goes down some of the same avenues as Rosemary’s Baby, but, ultimately, forges a new path.
If you are looking for a light thriller that won’t give you nightmares, this is a good option. There’s enough mystery to keep the pages turning, even if it may not blow your mind at the end. I still want to check out Final Girls and see what else Sager has to offer.

Was this review helpful?

What the hell did i just read?
One of my favorites thrillers books that i read this year. It kept me intrigued from the first page. I am angry that it took me so long to grab this one. Its my first Riley Sager book and definitely not my last.
5 amazing stars
thanks to netgalley and Penguin group Dutton for this arc

Was this review helpful?

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because a friend with similar tastes has recommended the author to me before. The book started out interesting enough. I liked the main character, Jules. The story moved along at a pretty good pace, but it got a little too weird at the end. Also, there was just a lot going on with the current storyline and Jules' back story. It turned out being an okay read for me.

Was this review helpful?

“Nothing erased the fact that something sinister is taking place inside the Bartholomew’s gargoyle-studded walls.” Author Riley Sager has successfully delivered a dark, gothic psychological thriller which is as unnerving as it is captivating.

Jules Larsen is no stranger to tragedy. As a teenager, her older sister disappeared without a trace two years before both her parents were killed in a horrific house fire. Years later, when she loses her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment, she is hanging on by a very thin thread until she answers a want-ad for an apartment-sitter in the famed Bartholomew Building. The hundred-year-old, twelve-story luxury apartment building overlooking Central Park is the home of the New York Elite; actors, writers, politicians, and captains of industry. Jules will be paid a thousand dollars per week for three months to live in the most luxurious penthouse apartment in the building until the recently deceased owner’s family can finalize her will and sell the apartment. Jules believes her luck is finally changing. As she learns about the Bartholomew’s dark history and neighbors begin to disappear without a trace, Jules comes to realize she may have made a deal with the devil. And it’s a deal she won’t easily escape.

Author Riley Sager knocks the opening out the park with suspense and intrigue that rapidly propels the narrative. A dark, mysterious tone is struck from the first page of the novel as we see a patient wake in a hospital after an unknown accident desperate to escape from someone or something. The tension and suspense generated in the first scene is capitalized upon perfectly as both are escalated brilliantly scene after scene as questions mount and the unease builds.

The characterization of both the protagonist and mysterious antagonists was wonderfully rendered. The protagonist, Jules, is a dynamic, multi-dimensional character. On the surface she appears the tragic loser, meek and vulnerable, she appears ever the victim who is going to be easily rolled over. As we spend time with her, we slowly observe stores of strength created through unimaginable hardship. She commits herself to facing her fears and discovering what is going on within the walls of the Bartholomew. She has a beautiful character arc wrought through an inspired piece of writing. The supporting cast of characters are multi-dimensional to the point of appearing duplicitous. One moment cold and aloof the next warm and inviting, at first glance friendly and encouraging then standoffish and cagey, seemingly professional and guarded and then flirtatious and playful. The swings in personalities were so extreme, the reliability of the narrator was called into question on multiple occasions. Had her past unhinged her mentally? Was she so damaged and paranoid she tragically misread those around her? Or was she truly sinking ever deeper into something sinister? The result was a cast of characters that were endlessly engaging and reverberated the suspenseful tone of the novel throughout.

Descriptions of both the characters and the setting were wonderfully rendered with sharp, distinctive imagery. The feel and pulse of Manhattan was reinforced every time Jules walked on the streets through descriptions of the teeming throngs of New Yorkers, the constant flow of traffic, the imagery of Central Park. New York set the stage perfectly for the Bartholomew to play the part of a larger-than-life menacing character casting its ominous shadow over much of the narrative. Descriptions of the century old building were dark and unsettling and gave the impression of the monster always lurking over Jules’s shoulder.

Unfortunately, the dialogue didn’t carry the same evocative weight as some of the other elements of the novel. While the dialogue was often crisp and distinctive of each character, I felt it had a tendency to slide into heavy exposition disguised as dialogue. On several occasions, dialogue transformed into large information dumps with little back and forth between the characters. In these occasions, I felt myself pulling away from otherwise wonderful characters as I doubted the realism of the encounter. Even the simple use of beats by either participant in the dialogue could have been largely beneficial in propping up conversations that felt uncharacteristically more like backstory exposition than dialogue.

Sager was exceptional at tapping into base psychological fears to maintain a deeply unnerving atmosphere throughout his novel. Fears of abandonment and isolation are echoed time and again throughout the narrative to continuously reinforce the fear of being left alone. Fear of loss of autonomy through confined spaces or paralysis also play a repetitive part. Universal fears of fire and drowning make appearance throughout. The ultimate result of a deep underpinning of fears we all hold within ourselves coming up time and again to keep the reader off balance enough to allow an emotional impact with the major plot reveals, twists, and reversals. The constant repetition of these fears was a brilliant way to reinforce the eerie feeling Jules had every time stepped inside the Bartholomew.

“Lock Every Door” is an unnerving thrill-ride that hits all the right notes. Engaging and captivating characters, a wonderfully crafted plot, and descriptions that are eerie and evocative add up to a gothic suspense thriller that is hard to put down. Packed with tension and suspense, I enthusiastically recommend it fans of psychological thrillers. I will certainly be looking for more from Riley

Was this review helpful?

This book!

Do you ever read something and get so transported to the setting that it actually feels as if you're truly there?

I felt as if I was in this apartment complex.

The plot, the characters, that setting! Everything is perfectly executed to truly draw you in to this story. It's darkly gripping, with that creepy echo of a real life scenario.

Just read this book, before I accidentally give anything away!

Was this review helpful?

Delightfully Creepy
This is my first experience with this author and I was pleasantly surprised. The book premise had me totally intrigued so there was a fear of disappointment. The story delivered on every level. I am definitely going to check out this authors back list and hope to see Jane's story in the future. Definitely recommend for fans of Hitchcock.

Was this review helpful?

If you enjoyed Stephen King's The Shining or tales that involve an alluring but spooky hotel, you'll definitely find Lock Every Door fascinating.
Jules is at the end of her financial rope when she is made an offer she simply can't refuse: to apartment sit for an anonymous owner at The Bartholomew, an esplendid turn-of-the-century Manhattan jewel, in the same league with The Dakota and The San Remo. HOw can she refuse? Even if the terms don't feel quite right and a voice in the back of her head is telling her this magnificent opportunity is not what it appears to be, Jules ignores it as silly paranoia.
But is isn't so funny when she starts hearing strange noises inside the apartment at night. Or when she feels someone or something is watching her. Or when other apartment sitters begin to disappear.
Lock Every Door will have you frantically turning pages and not stopping until you reach the very unexpected end.

Was this review helpful?

Riley Sager is one of my favourite authors! I absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t put it down! The mystery is unlike anything I’ve ever read before!

New York City, Fancy Gothic Hotel, and a missing girl! Sign me up!

The story was wonderfully done and I’ll read everything Riley Sager writes!

Was this review helpful?

It is plain and simple as this. If Riley Sager’s name is on a book, read it!! He is a master of this genre!! Every book he writes should be made into a movie! Speaking of movies, visit his Instagram where he and @crimebythebook have buddy movie conversations on films ranging from Hitchcock to Scream. ( I wonder if I’m allowed to include this info in this review)

Was this review helpful?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Having read both of Riley’s previous books (Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied) and enjoying them- getting a copy of Lock Every Door was a no brainer.

What I Liked:

The cover. Creepy and I love that purple/pink look.

Jules. She’s quite the character. Even when her back is against a wall, she’s got a strength that shines through.

How the book ended. Fitting ending.



Bottom line: I really did enjoy Lock Every Door and I’m kinda glad I waited till October to read it- it had a spooky vibe! However, I think I enjoyed The Last Time I Lied a bit more.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Was this review helpful?