Doormen(and women) do so much more than stay at the door. They know any and everything that goes on in the building in which they work. The good, the joy, the celebrations and everyone's secrets, Thy are vaults, but know it all no matter how people try to hide it. In this story, it is so much more than marriage troubles or an out of control children. The building is filled with entitled, spoiled out of touch people who if they ever had to survive on less than they have would melt down. It’s an interesting and well written cast of characters that are all either hiding something or in some form of turmoil. Suspenseful, sad, depressing, a bit scary and creepy and dark. Chicky is fabulous. Good read, but took quite some time to get to the heart of the story.

Unlike Chris Pavone’s other novels, this one is not a thriller but a social and political satire centered around one building on the Upper West Side of NYC. It’s primarily about three characters - the rich society wife of an unsavory businessman, a less fancy guy who co-owns a gallery, and the doorman of their building.

I’m torn on how to rate this one - the writing was good, but I really wasn’t feeling the satire, the characters were kinda unlikable, and for the first half I literally had to force myself to pick the book up. But showing why I’m always afraid to DNF, the last 25% or so of the book was so good and I couldn’t put it down. So I think I’m going to average it out to 3.5 stars.

I'm a fan of Pavone's tales of spies and people in the wrong place at the wrong time; he is trying something different here with this tale of a NYC doorman. Chicky Diaz is the doorman at the Bohemia, a fictional building in Manhattan where the rich and elite live. Along with Chicky, we meet Emily, the wife of a wealthy but cruel man named Whit and Julian, a sensitive art dealer who lives in the same building. As we learn about the backstories of these characters we find out some very bad people are hatching a plan, a plan which will directly affect the Bohemia and the residents inside.

The story itself is very interesting, but it became bogged down with too much politics and pontificating about social, racial, economic and climate issues. As we go between the three main characters, each new section provides yet another mini essay on wokeness, inequality, poverty, protests and every other hot button topic that is in the news today. The result was a book that was too long and the author sacrificed tension for basically writing an essay on his views. Doormen see it all and having more of Chicky and less of the daily lives of the wealthy would have improved the story for me.

Others have compared this book to "The Bonfire of the Vanities" but I just didn't have the same reaction. The idea of someone planning a possible heist in a big, secure building like the Bohemia should have been exciting but instead the action came to a halt with each speech. Towards the end of the book the tension picked up and I was on pins and needles wondering what would happen to our main characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC for review.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

Wow! I loved this book and will highly recommend it.

I love a book about rich people and what they do, but this book also has the other side, the people who work for the rich people like the doorman.

The book was written very well and had the right amount of background to excitement. The characters were well thought out and interesting.

Thank you Netgalley for the is book in exchange for an honest review. I always love Chris Pavone books and this one did not disappoint. Chicky Diaz is a doorman at the Bohemia in NYC (I kept picturing Only Murders in the Building). Right away we know that Julian, and art dealer, sold a picture that may or may not have a sketchy provenance to Emily Longworth. Emily doesn’t seem to mind. She seems quite comfortable spending her husband Whit’s money. Until she finds out that he is selling arms. And the money starts to not mean as much. Through all of the book, we have no doubt that the Bohemia will be robbed. We just don’t know who is playing what part. Pavone weaves in racial tensions nicely as well as a health scare, the comfort we find in familiar things, the way we can’t go back to what was, what it means to lose, and what it means to give up more than you ever thought you could. This book would be brilliant for book club. It’s a fairly fast paced read and you won’t go wrong throwing it on top of your TBR pile. Get this and thank me later

The Doorman by Chris Pavone caught my attention with its intriguing blurb and the fact that he's a New York Times bestselling author. Set in New York City, the story revolves around the wealthy residents of the Bohemia building, like Emily and Julian, and their doorman, Chicky Diaz. While I appreciated the setting and concept, I found most of the book focused too much on the lifestyles of the rich and commentary on American politics and class. It felt overdone and slowed the pace considerably. The real mystery doesn’t come in until the final third of the book, and while it was a nice twist, it felt rushed after such a long buildup.

As a fan of Pavone’s Two Nights in Lisbon, which was action-packed from start to finish, this one was a bit of a letdown. Overall, it was an average read for me, and I’m hoping his next book delivers more of the suspense I’ve come to expect from him.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, and Chris Pavone for the opportunity to read and review The Doorman!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an advanced copy of The Doorman. I requested this book because the description sounded right up my alley. Turns out it was only about halfway up my alley.

Look, I’m all for setting the scene and providing background, but this one took a little too long to get into the meat of the story. I often find that to be the case when a book tries to be both literary fiction and a thriller. It’s possible, but very difficult, and to go back to the roadway metaphors, it’s normally best to just pick a lane.

The book really picked up for me about 1/4 of the way through and then it became a page-turner.

The story was good here but honestly all the character perspectives just felt off. Which starts to rub the reader the wrong way for sure. Interesting setting and plot. Predictable ending.

This was a really good read and I think it had a decent writing style and story! Would recommend to anyone looking for next read

I typically enjoy this author's books because they are just a little bit different from typical thrillers. They are interesting and well plotted and this book is no exception. That said, I struggled so much to make headway and put it down a number of times. The second part of the novel was great and I flew through the final third. I loved the descriptions of the characters and their complexity and personally liked the political commentary, though it was at times unnecessarily heavy handed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Great book, by a new found author, I will need to see his other book. I live in New York, and boy did his descriptions tell a great story. Chicky Diaz, who’s been a doorman for years and the upper class of people who lives in these apartments and their stories. And the store of the city itself. A lot of twists and turns. And the ins and outs of the families. I’m sure that this book will be on list for one of the best books in 2025.

This book was a lot! So many stereotypical and political view points made in the book, I just didn't love it.

The Bohemia is an exclusive and famous building in NYC. Chicky, the doorman, is going through a rough patch financially. Resident Emily has all of the money in the world, but her husband is the worst and a horrible human being contributing to the downfall of society. Julian also lives in the building, and his art dealing business has hit a snag. The lives of these people are intertwined and further enmeshed in one fatal night.

I won’t lie, this book is really slow. It takes forever to get to the action, which is in about the last 100 pages. It was a slog getting through the beginning, but I did enjoy the ending. I was fully intending to give this book 2 stars until it picked up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for a copy of this book.

I can see why The Doorman has generated so much attention. While marketed as a thriller, it leans much more towards a sharp examination of class, privilege, and racism in modern America. The story unfolds in a tense New York City, simmering with anger after the police killing of another unarmed POC citizen. Beneath the polished exterior of Manhattan, the novel delivers a biting social critique.

Chris Pavone does an excellent job portraying the complexities of the city and weaving in the cultural and political realities of the moment. The characters feel authentic, and the setting is vivid and alive.

At times, I felt a little worn down by reading fiction that so closely mirrors today’s political atmosphere, there’s already so much of that in the news. But in a way, it also became a form of escapism, since my frustration could shift from real-world figures to certain characters in the book. And that is not a bad thing, as there are definitely characters here to care about too.

The book combines elements of suspense and subtle humor with a deeper reflection on the pressing issues in society: inequality, racism, political extremism, and more.

That said, I was not completely satisfied. I had expected more of a focus on the actual role of the doorman, but the book takes a broader look at American life in early 2025. Pavone has written a fictionalized version of a reality Americans are already living, and it is not one I particularly enjoy revisiting.

This is not a fast-paced, plot-driven thriller. It is more suited to readers who enjoy deep character work and a slow-building mystery that really picks up towards the end.

The Bohemia is a world famous elegant building on The Upper West Side of NYC and Chucky Diaz is everyone's favorite doorman in the building. Things are heating up in the city. A black man has been killed uptown, and anger is at an all-time high. Protests threaten to become violent and Chicky as well as the other working class black and Hispanic employees of the building are on edge. In the meantime, the elite residents are also facing their demons. Emily Longworth is hiding secrets that can threaten her perfect looking world. Julian Sonnenberg who made a name for himself in NY's art world is facing turmoil in his business and personal life and Chicky - everyone's favorite doorman, is nervously waiting retribution for a favor he needed from an unsavory character. This was a page-turner, stay up late, cannot put down thriller. It was the first book I have read by Chris Pavone but certainly will not be the last. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher to giving me the opportunity to read this advance reader's copy. Loved it.

Thank you to the author, Farrar, Straus and Giroux | MCD and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I have had continuing familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

This novel captures a cross-section of life in a large historic apartment building in New York, focusing on three main characters: a long-time doorman and two residents, an art gallery owner strapped for money, and the wife of an obnoxiously rich and noxious finance bro. Their lives intersect in normal and in unforeseen ways, against the backdrop of rising tensions in the city. We are in the period of the rise of BLM and the book takes place in the space of one day before a protests taking place in front of the building. There is a lot of backstory, character development and flashbacks, and that made this a bit long-winded, even if extremely well-written. The last third started moving more rapidly, and overall this was a fascinating read with depth and threw up many salient questions - but you do need to hang in there.

Set in a prestigious hotel in NYC, The Doorman is like watching a kaleidoscope of urban wealth, politics and power on steroids. A lot is packed in this suspenseful thriller and it is busy and brilliant. As the residents of the famous Bohemian Hotel unravel and the streets get mean, only the doorman stands between the two. Filled with secrets, action and incredibly developed characters, this is a perfect summer read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read The Doorman for my honest review and for introducing me to an author I will be reading again.

Another fabulous read from this author. This is probably one of the slowest burns I have read recently. I kept thinking, wow, what a nice story, about a Doorman and the people he took care of. Welp, I was wrong. That Doorman and those people were a bunch of cons and stealthy planners.

Without giving anything away, never judge a building by its Doorman! They know everything and can do anything!

Can't wait for the next one from this author.

Once I realized that The Doorman is not a thriller primarily about a doorman but a panoramic social commentary about the upper and lower echelons of the upper west side of NYC I immersed myself in The Doorman. The Doorman drags when it dwells on the highly sexual relationship between 2 of its major players primarily because these 2 are very unlikable people..... But, the novel surges and pulsates when it deals with the doorman and NYC. Yes, I am conflicted , but, kept reading. The ending is thrilling although in my opinion not plausible. But, how many endings are plausible.

This was a slow burn. It was not like the author's previous books. The first 25% is a lot of supposition exploring all the characters. The editing seems choppy at times switching time periods. I enjoyed it the most when Emily was on screen. There was some foreshadowing that a part of me wishes maybe was not there. The story has a lot of commentary on current social issues. The end does have a surprising reveal. The suspense was well done in part 4 Tonight. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Emily, Julian, and Chicky.