Lock Every Door
Author: Riley Sager
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
Publisher: Penguin/Dutton
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, disturbingly 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 dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew 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.
my review
I received a free copy for an honest review. This is probably one of the best books I've read this year - and definitely this month. This book was phenomenally written thanks to its amazing foreshadowing, pacing, and writing style. It had time jumps that not only made logical sense but also dramatically helped to establish the chilling atmosphere needed for a good thriller book. The time jumps to make the book so scary because of how it let us know that not only something bad is going to happen, but also how it didn't end yet even when it seems like it did (if you read the book you know what I am talking about).
Although I described the pacing and writing style as separate factors, they kind of overlap each other and positively highlight each other. The unique time-jumps undoubtedly contribute to the stable yet tense and stressful pacing, which successfully contributes to the writing style fitting for a thriller/horror story. This book also touched me emotionally by conveying the truth about the cruelty of poverty and unfairness of social finance/debt. One of its biggest themes is the serious subject of income inequality and how that may link to the idea of worthiness in society, as well as how these people may be taken advantage of in times of desperation. Lock Every Door is a sensational book that not only did a remarkable job scaring me as a thriller novel but also affected me emotionally as one of the most significant and touching books I've read in a long time. It's truly a book that made me just sit there and think of what I have just read.
Rating: 5/5
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about the author
Riley Sager is the award-winning pseudonym of a former journalist, editor and graphic designer who previously published mysteries under his real name. Now a full-time author, Riley's first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, became a national and international bestseller and was called "the first great thriller of 2017" by Stephen King. Translation rights have been sold in more than two dozen countries and a film version is being developed by Universal Pictures. Riley's second book, THE LAST TIME I LIED, was published in 2018 and became an instant New York Times bestseller. It was inspired by the classic novel and film "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and one horrible week Riley spent at summer camp when he was ten. A television adaptation is being developed by Amazon Studios. His next book, LOCK EVERY DOOR, inspired by a lifelong fascination with the grand apartment buildings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, will be published in July. A native of Pennsylvania, Riley now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is "Rear Window." Or maybe "Jaws." But probably, if he's being honest, "Mary Poppins." Website: www.rileysagerbooks.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/rileysagerbooks Twitter: @Riley_Sager.
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