Lock Every Door: A Novel

Very good book, well written with a good flow with twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and perhaps two that I did. Enjoy!

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.

Some of author Riley Sager's books are amazing and some not so much, however, this one fell into the amazing category! This one kept my attention, had me on the edge of my seat and caused me to lose sleep because I didn't want the story to end!! The plot was fast moving, the character's compelling and the writing style was smooth and easy to read. The reader found themselves immersed in the story and they didn't want it to end, but they also needed to know what was going to happen next! This book will show the reader that even though they lock their door, there is still a way in... Don't hesitate to add this one to your TBR list and move it straight to the top! It's a must read and a must read now!!

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…

LOCK EVERY DOOR was my first Riley Sager novel and I had huge expectations for it because most everyone has expressed how much they love his books with FINAL GIRLS being their favorite. Some people gave LOCK EVERY DOOR a very high rating while some gave it a good rating, but claimed it wasn’t their favorite Riley novel. SYNOPSIS: “No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, when Ingrid disappears. Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's sordid past and into the secrets kept within its walls. What she discovers pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.” RATING: When I first started reading this book, I thought I was going to cruise my way through it in a matter of a couple days, but it took me longer than that. It’s a slow burner with a lot of character development (which I do like, but sometimes I thought it was a bit too much) and I found some things to be predictable within the first 100 or so pages. Even though it was a slow burn, which is usually a lot harder for me to get into, the chapters were short and there was enough mystery building that it kept my interest enough to continue reading. Overall, as I said, I found some things to be predictable, but the ending was great with lots of twists and never-before-read pages (at least for me), which is why I ended up giving it a four-skull rating despite it starting out as a three-skull rating. That being said, I am still looking forward to reading Riley’s other three books that I have.

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.

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.