I've been a fan of Chris Pavone's novels since his first one. This is an interesting departure from his usual style. Echos of Bonfire of the Vanities, brought to today's New York City. The glowing blurbs from the illustrious authors on the book cover are, for once, completely justified. This is brilliant work. I pride myself on my deep knowledge of New York City habitues and neighborhoods but Pavone's much deeper and more extensive understanding (and empathy!) for those worlds is extraordinary. Yet his prose is freewheeling and so fun to read. What an absolute treat. There are so many well-written enconiums here already that I feel I can't make a uniquely helpful comment. Just to say - Bravo. Thrilled to read this deeply insightful portrait of today's NYC (capital of the world, I daresay) and its inhabitants.

Unfortunately The Doorman just wasn't for me. I tried very hard to continue reading, but it just was too difficult for me to get into.

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for a copy of The Doorman in exchange for my honest review.

This story was so well done and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy reading from this author and I'm looking forward to the next book. The plot was really well explored and I enjoyed the overall story. The characters were great and I was able to dive myself into this book. It was well done and I highly recommend. This book was so good.

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy THE DOORMAN by Chris Pavone, but now I’m so glad I picked it up.

The Bohemia, the most famous and prestigious apartment house in the world is the home to artists, financiers, social elite, and the scores of Black and Hispanic people that make it run smoothly. No one seems more important than the doorman, Chicky Diaz, who knows everyone’s secrets, lies and subterfuge best. In the penthouse we find Emily Longworth, mother of two who does not like her husband or love him, but an ironclad prenup keeps her in the marriage. When artist Julian Sonnenberg, a Mr Mom type dad, receives devastating news from his doctors, he begins scrambling, wondering how his children will be affected by his diagnosis. And as racial tensions increase across the city after the death of another Black man, Chicky decides that he will ignore the rule of no firearms by the staff and obtain a gun to protect the people of the Bohemia. Oh, and don’t forget the mob who is after him after a run in with a Boss’s son at a nightclub.

As the demonstrations are breaking out across the city, the residents of the Bohemia attempt to hunker down as a means to protect themselves. What happens is a night of explosive violence on the streets and in the Bohemia where secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested and someone winds up dead.

As I stated, I loved this book. The class system was clearly evident in an upstairs/downstairs, the haves and the have-nots way.. I felt like I was riding the elevators to the penthouse and sneaking through the bowels of the building. The writing was clear and concise which led to a very enjoyable read. I could not put this down! This is my first Chris Pavone novel, but it will certainly not be my last. I can’t wait to see where he takes me next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

4 stars.*

I've been a fan of Chris Pavone since reading The Expats years before I was even an expat.

I was excited to see this one come up on NetGalley and lept at the chance to read The Doorman.

I really liked the premise and enjoyed the characters, even though I entirely predicted the ending. The Doorman is primarily the story of Chicky Diaz, the longtime doorman at the historical and famous Bohemia apartment building in tony upper east side Manhattan. We get to know many of the residents of the building and their faults and flaws remind me of White Lotus for their sheer hateability.

The excesses are wild, the characters are well drawn and believable.

A good summer read!

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I really liked Chris Pavone's last book, Two Nights in Lisbon. However, this book just never got interesting. There was too much time spent on character building and background. Nothing was happening and the narrative became repetitive. I went into this so excited to have gotten an ARC since I loved his last book. However, this was a big disappointment. I DNF at 25%. I didn't enjoy the characters or the way the storyline was going.

Thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux for the ARC.

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux/MCD on May 20, 2025

The Doorman is a crime novel in the sense that Colson Whitehead’s recent novels have been crime novels; that is, they use crime to give the story a structure while the real story is about New York City and the division between working class and the wealthy, the clusters of racial groups and ethnicities competing for a slice of the pie. The novels differ in that race and its place in New York City’s history is the dominant theme of Whitehead’s work, while Chris Pavone uses it to provide atmosphere to a crime story.

Most of the story takes place at the Bohemian, an exclusive cooperative building where even a two-bedroom unit on a lower floor sells for millions. Key characters either live or work in the building. Julian Sonnenberg is an art dealer who earned modest wealth during the Obama years by opening a gallery with a Black partner that specialized in artists who were not straight white males. Tides eventually shifted, as tides must, and Julian is having money trouble. He’s undergoing an IRS audit, sold a Rothko of questionable origin to one of the Bohemian’s wealthiest residents, and is feeling his mortality as he prepares for surgery to correct a heart condition.

Chicky Diaz is a doorman at the Bohemian. He also has money problems, mostly medical debt related to unsuccessful treatment to save his wife from cancer. Unrelated to his work, Chicky gets into an altercation with a serious thug who now has leverage over Chicky. That leverage may induce Chicky to facilitate a crime.

Emily Longworth lives in a double-sized unit on the eleventh floor. Most of the school moms in Emily’s social group work for charities or have “careers” as feng shui consultants or interior designers. Emily uses her middle name (Grace) to hide from her friends when she volunteers at a soup kitchen but spends $4 million a year managing her household. Emily is married to Whitaker, whose wealth derives from selling body armor to militaries and terrorists alike. Emily is having an affair and would like a divorce but is stuck with a prenup that would leave her a bit less than a million dollars a year, an amount insufficient to keep her in the world of high society.

Whit has a habit of putting a hand around Emily’s neck during sex. He also pays prostitutes to disguise themselves as Emily so he can choke them more forcefully. In the view of the doorman, who encounters one of Whit’s abused prostitute during his part-time job at a hotel, Whit is rehearsing his wife’s murder. Apart from the unsavory way in which Whit built his wealth, decent readers will dislike Whit for his unrepentant racism and sexism. Emily is rather fed up with one of Whit’s business associates, a disgusting guy who is even more brazenly racist than Whit.

In the background are two police shootings of young Black men. Protestors are swarming the city. They’re also protesting outside Whitaker’s company after news “leaks” about its sales of body armor to countries that support terrorism. The identity of the leaker will probably come as a surprise to most readers.

More than three-quarters of the novel sets the stage for the crime that occurs near the novel’s end. The reader might guess what that crime will be, but the guess will likely be wrong, thanks to Pavone’s skillful misdirection. In a series of frenzied but controlled scenes, the way the crime unfolds comes as a genuine surprise (at least it did to me). That makes The Doorman one of the smartest crime novels I’ve read this year.

Underlying themes of race and class keep the reader engaged as they wait for the criminal climax. Various points of view are represented along the right-left spectrum. The wealth of the Bohemian’s residents contrasts with the working class people who serve them, both in the building and elsewhere in New York City. Chicky frequently comments upon ethnic changes in the city. His first superintendent was Irish, as were all the supers Chicky knew when he started working. The superintendent hired Chicky but didn’t want him to look “ethnic,” prompting Chicky to comment to himself “as if Irish wasn’t an ethnicity.” The super’s successors were Eastern Europeans. “But they were also one white guy after another. Different types of white guys but still.” The building’s residents are almost entirely white and its governing board (on which Julian sits) intends to keep it that way, notwithstanding Julian’s warnings about legal liability.

The building’s staff are now Hispanic (Chicky doesn’t have much use for the term Latinx) thanks to Chicky, who alerted friends to job openings. Chicky notes that other buildings fill their staff with other ethnicities in the same way, word of mouth steering neighborhoods of manual workers into available jobs.

The mix of NYC’s people and criminals (from white collar to violent) add flavor to the novel and give the reader something to chew on while waiting for the crime to occur. It’s a long wait but the story is so entertaining that I wouldn’t expect most readers to grow impatient. And when the crime finally arrives, the story becomes tense as characters the reader will probably like are placed at risk. Some are unexpectedly heroic, others are true to character, and one will behave in a way that few readers will expect. The shock value of the final pages, combined with the engaging look at urban life that precedes them, makes The Doorman an essential read for fans of crime novels who are looking for a break from stories of tough guys enforcing morality with their fists.

RECOMMENDED

The Doorman was a book about privileged white people who lived in an exclusive building overlooking Central Park in NYC. The pace throughout most of the book was slow, as the author built each unit owner's background, lifestyle, and MAGA beliefs into each character. The Doorman, Chicky, was a lonely, hardworking Hispanic man who was grieving the death of his wife, and the huge debt that her death left him.. For me, he was the only likable character in the book. The author contrasted the lifestyle of the wealthy with the poor working class people who worked for them, and brought into play multiple racial stereotypes, and wealth disparity, along with issues with LGBTQ, bigotry, gun control, drugs, antisemitism which I think was supposed to be satire, but seemed to be covering all the bases for discrimination,
Chicky, of course was a main character, and two unit owners were also primary characters - Julian - a man with personal and professional crises, and Emily- a woman in an unhappy marriage.
However, the last 25% of the book brought out the author's skills in developing a tense situation and analyzing it through each character's involvement, actions and reactions. I was expecting more action in the heart of the book like there was in Two Nights in Lisbon, so I was disappointed in this one.
I received an ARC of The Doorman from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving my opinions voluntarily.

The Doorman by Chris Pavone is a mystery-thriller, that quite honestly, wasn’t that mysterious or thrilling. Set in modern day New York City, The Doorman is supposed to be a take on class, privilege, and race issues.

The novel follows several main characters, one of which is Chicky Diaz, the doorman. Unfortunately, the novel takes a very long route to get to the murder/mystery. At 25%, I was ready to call this one DNF. However, I decided to stick with it until the end of Part One (there’s five parts + the prologue). At that point, it got very slightly interesting, so I decided to keep going. In the end, I sort of regret that decision.

If you love the HBO show The White Lotus, you might enjoy The Doorman more than I did. It’s really more about the characters (all flawed, none really that I connected with), and while it touches on class, privilege, and race, from my perspective it didn’t say anything new or interesting.

⭐️⭐️ (2 out of 5)

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.

In The Doorman by Chris Pavone, a gripping urban thriller unfolds over a single, tension-filled day in New York City, where Chicky Diaz, a dedicated doorman at the elite Bohemia Apartments, navigates a world of privilege, secrets, and impending violence. Pavone masterfully weaves a narrative that blends sharp social commentary on class, race, and inequality with a slow-burn mystery that erupts into a pulse-pounding climax. While the novel’s deep dive into societal issues can occasionally overshadow the plot, Pavone’s vivid character studies—particularly of Chicky, the stoic ex-Marine, and residents like the trapped Emily Longworth—bring humanity and depth to the story. I enjoyed this story as well as some of Chris' other works. I am looking forward to what Chris writes next!

“The guys with the most stunning Amazonian wives were almost always roly-poly trolls, triple chins and bovine jowls, pear-shaped and ham-assed, and male-pattern bald.”

“He voted for Obama, twice. But then he told a dirty joke at work, got called out by a young woman of color, canceled, bought out of his partnership, career over, and suddenly he was watching Fox News day and night.”

Set in a ritzy apartment building on Central Park West (modeled after The Dakota), there are 3 principal characters of this book: Chicky, the longest-tenured doorman, who has money troubles, Emily, who lives in the penthouse with her extremely wealthy and also extremely obnoxious husband and Julian, an art gallerist who lives in 2A.

This book is a combination of social commentary, current politics, the class divide, racial conflict and domestic drama. It reminded me a little of “The Bonfire of the Vanities”. The story grew on me as the book progressed. The last quarter of the book really ramped up the tension among the characters and also the city as a whole. The author captured NYC very well, although the situation at the end of the book seemed excessive even for New York. But who knows - maybe it happens all the time and the news just isn’t telling us about it. (Seems unlikely, since “if it bleeds, it leads”).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Chris Pavone's latest novel, "The Doorman," is a gripping and provocative look at one fateful day at the Bohemia, an exclusive apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, as seen through the lives of three people: Chicky Diaz, its longtime and well-loved doorman, Julian Sonnenberg, art dealer and the president of the Bohemia's co-op board; and Emily Longworth, the unhappy wife of the building's wealthiest resident. Pavone ratchets up the tension in the prologue, entitled "Tonight," which ends on a cliffhanging note of suspense that menaces the otherwise quotidian events relayed in the "This Morning" and "This Afternoon" sections of the book which follow, raising the stakes for all of the characters' seemingly unimportant decisions. By the time we arrive back at the events portrayed in the prologue, Pavone has developed not only a full picture of each of these characters' lives, but also of Manhattan itself; he is exceptionally good at portraying the city's neighborhoods and their residents and class groups in all of their eccentricities, affectations and proclivities. I loved that part of the book almost as much as its thriller aspect, although both had me sneaking away to find every spare moment to keep reading--the experience felt akin to binging an entire season of a television suspense thriller. Fast and fun while still thought-provoking and timely.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

I’ve loved Chris Pavone since I read The Expats back in 2012.I loved it! It was an international thriller, telling the story of a couple who pick up and leave the US so the husband, Dexter, can take a lucrative job in Luxembourg. They jump at the chance to start a new life abroad with the promise of a much higher standard of living…only catch is that the wife, Kate, has been leading a double life, with all sorts of entanglements and plot twists. In 2016 I read The Travelers, in 2019, Paris Diversion, and in 2021 Two Nights in Lisbon. ALL were solid 5-star reviews from me! So I was super happy to receive a copy of The Doorman from FS&G and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

As with any of his books that I’ve read, telling too much about the story would likely reveal details that would ruin the surprise(s), and I just don’t do that. So let’s just go with the tiny details that the story revolves around a doorman named Chicky Dioaz who works at an upscale building in New York and basically knows everything that is going on, in the neighborhood in addition to his building. Various residents in the building are prominently featured, and all are “elites” living alongside the staff who work in the building, who are primarily black and brown…and when a man of color is killed by police activity near the building, things start to look scary enough that Chicky decides to carry a gun to work. (What could possibly go wrong?)

There is action in the plot, and well-defined characters…in addition to pointed social commentary revolving around race, class, power/privilege, and sex. It’s a wild ride, and well worth reading. Another winner from Pavone!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

The Bohemia is the most famous apartment building in the world PERIOD. It's residents encompass all the rich and famous of New York, although it is not as popular with celebrities as it use to be, but it is still home to some uber-rich people and social elites. And Chicky Diaz has spent years being the perfect doorman to all "his people" . He knows and addresses them by name, knows their pets, their children, everyone's schedules, and swiftly and efficiently manages any deliveries. But few of them know anything about him outside his hours stationed at their front door.

But Chicky's private life is not as tranquil and organized as his professional life. His wife recently died of cancer (although few of the Bohemia's residents even knew he was married), his daughters are grown and gone, living lives of their own, and he is slowly drowning in medical debt. So he goes looking for alternative ways to make some money to remain in his apartment and his job.

Meanwhile, the residents' lives are not as magical as it may seem on the outside, either. For instance, one wife has finally realized that she actually HATES her boorish and overbearing husband, but his income is outlandish and she is not ready to give up her lifestyle. Another tenant is also slowly going bankrupt, his business teetering on the brink of collapse.

But on this night, none of this is important. Because another black man has been killed by police and there is a demonstration looming, with counter demonstrators who will prove to be more deadly than their adversaries. And a gang has targeted the Bohemia.

Who survives? Whose life is better? Whose is worse? And, most of all whose lives are irrevocably changed on this fateful night?

A full review was published by Open Letters review here: https://openlettersreview.com/posts/the-doorman-by-chris-pavone

The Doorman has been the surprise of the year so far. It feels like a new season of Succession with extra blood-soaked choice scenes. Or even Bonfire of the Vanities with Die Hard undertones.

This streamlined and bitingly modern novel takes place around the historic Bohemia on Park Avenue in NYC. The building is a stratified anthill of class and wealth with a vile king and savvy, sympathetic queen atop the pile. Our titular doorman and other staff don't often circulate above ground levels but daring drones can bring down an entire hill.

A vivid cast of across every political and socioeconomic background animates this fabulous story. The precariousness of modern times is fully realized by characters that do much more than just check boxes. The reader is reminded how an errant step, slight nudge or wrong word can bring down kingdoms.

Pavone creates a realistic world where the rich might not be respected but the power wielded by their money must be. It is especially impressive how well “normal” people from the lower and middle classes blend so well into the orbit of the wealthy. The novel has a conversational tone that draws the reader matched with crisp pacing to keep the pages turning. A must read for fans of Don Winslow, Dennis Lehane, or Greg Iles.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC which is published May 20, 2025.

I was drawn in by the premise of The Doorman and thought it sounded great. Unfortunately the writing style wasn’t a match for me and I decided to dnf.

I found The Doorman, my first read by the author Chris Pavone interesting; although at times rather slow, yet picked up momentum as I continued reading; the ending really sizzled. Chicky Diaz is the doorman at the ultra exclusive Bohemia Apartments on Central Park West. The Bohemia is home to extremely wealthy and prestigious white residents; the apartment has only had one black resident in its history- a sports figure living there off and on. Chicky has been the doorman for 28 years, having only missed one or two days during that time as he takes his job very seriously and is committed to keeping each resident safe from any harm. A few residents appear throughout the book, however it primarily focuses on the beautiful, altruistic and patron of the arts, Emily Longworth and her over bearing and outspoken husband Whit. While Emily appreciates and tries to give back to her community, Whit is only interested in making money and pursuing his rather deviant sexual proclivities. Suffice to say their marriage is far from blissful. The other focus of the book is Julian Sonnenberg, a lifelong resident of the Bohemia, and a struggling art gallery owner. He is facing imminent heart surgery, the sizzle in his marriage has faded and his two teenagers are distant . He is also smitten with the lovely Emily. The novel unfolds with the city of New York in a state of unrest as a result of the police shooting of two black men within 72 hours. The book is a political thriller first and foremost with references to what appears to be the Trump presidency. It also provides insights into the elitist world and the discrepancies between it and the working world of the black and brown. Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Doorman; this review reflects my candid opinion. 3.5 stars.

This book takes place in New York City in a very famous and elite apartment building. First, we meet Chicky Diaz the doorman, who is having financial difficulties due to the illness and death of his wife. Despite his circumstances, he does a good job and is very responsive to the residents and their needs. Emily is married to Whit, an extremely successful businessman due to the success of his company’s body armor. While Emily is nice to everyone, Whit is quite an obnoxious character. Julian and Jennifer live in one of the smaller apartments. She is a lawyer, and he is an art dealer whose salary is more modest than that of his wife. Julian has been involved with Emily’s art purchases as they were remodeling their home. The book has a bit of upstairs/downstairs vibe to it, with very well-developed characters. Quite a bit of the story revolves around the politics and climate of the city. A black man has been killed by the police and there are protests and violence going on. This has all been woven together into an intriguing read.

Also reviewed on B&N (1IrishEyes430) and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

I received an ARC of this new novel through NetGalley.

This is a very well-written portrayal of the life of the wealthy in an upscale apartment building in New York. While the title of this book is The Doorman, the book actually goes in depth portraying the occupants of two of the apartments. In one of them lives a couple with children where the husband owns a body armor company that is worth billions, selling its products to the USA, its friends and its enemies. The husband has a fat wallet and an ego to match, which leads his wife to a state of disenchantment. In the other featured apartment lives an art dealer who does business with the family just mentioned. He develops a close relationship with the body armor guy’s wife.

The doorman is an observer to the whole scene. This story takes place at a time where there is great tension in the community between the races, resulting recently from Black men being killed by white police. There are also protests against the body armor guy, when word leaks out that he is profiteering from war and by selling to our enemies.

Lots of tension and suspense builds in the first 90% of the book and the reader needs to wait patiently for something big to happen. And it does …. in the last 10% of the book.

This book is very strong on character development and creating an atmosphere of suspense.‘

I have read every Chris Pavone book. I normally love his books that take place internationally, but I actually loved that this book takes place in NYC. He captures the zeitgeist of the rich and priviilege and where we are as a society now.