THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROne of . . . Parade’s “Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2019” • PureWow’s “The Best Beach Reads of Summer 2019” • BookBub’s “Books That Will Make the Perfect Addition to Your Beach Bag This Summer”The next heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest … next heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest and most glamorous buildings may cost more than it pays
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.
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If there was ever a time that I would stand up and give a congratulatory slow clap to an author, it would be when I finished Lock Every Door. Well done Mr. Sager. Well done. I am in absolute awe of the immeasurable amount of talent it takes to craft stories such as Final Girls, The Last Time I Lied, and Lock Every Door. Let me start off by explaining something that I think is very important to this review. I do not like reading electronically. In fact, if I had to rank my book preferences, they would be 1. Hardbacks, 2. Paperbacks, 3. Audiobooks, and 4. E-Books. I just don’t like reading on a screen, which is probably why my Netgalley requests are always denied. However, when Dutton Books announced on Instagram that for the next 24 hours they would be granting all wishes for Lock Every Door, I immediately requested it despite my loathing of E-Books.
I began reading it on my iPad this morning and was finished by 5 p.m.
It was that good.
Sager does a remarkable job of creating strong female leads for each of his novels and this new book is no different. I found Jules to be such a powerful protagonist. Flawed and broken in the beginning, her determination and strength emerges with each turn of the page. She’s relatable to readers on so many different levels, which makes the book even more appealing. You can’t help but want to follow Jules through the rollercoaster that is The Bartholomew. I also enjoyed the structure of the narration, which coupled with Sager’s short chapters, set the tone and pace of the book. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. One of my favorite things about Sager’s writing is that there is always a hint of the creepy and paranormal, yet when you reach the climax the twists are always situations that could very well take place in real life. In this instance, I really hope that what was going on in The Bartholomew is not going on elsewhere, but again – you never know what’s behind the facade.
I don’t know if I can say that this is Sager’s best one yet (I might just go back and re-read the other two), but it’s worth the purchase when it comes out July 2. You will not be disappointed.
Look Every Door had me hooked from the first page. The book starts right in the middle of the action and sends you back in time leading up to the peak – which makes it impossible to put down until you’re able to find out what happened! The story was unsettling and eerie with startling twists that engage you the whole way! Really enjoyed this read and planning on reading Riley Sager’s other two thrillers!
I’m not a Riley Sager fan but I have to give it up this time.
Rosemary’s Baby on an acid trip, this was one hell of a read!!
Riley Sager is the pseudonym adopted by Todd Ritter, the journalist, editor and graphic designer turned author of two previous bestsellers, Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied. With Lock Every Door, Sager further cements his reputation for delivering character-driven mysteries that move at a rapid-fire pace and deliver jaw-dropping conclusions in spite of the numerous clues contained in his prose.
Jules is an immediately sympathetic protagonist. At the story opens, she has been laid off from her mediocre, uninspiring job and broken up with her two-timing boyfriend. She is sleeping on her best friend Chloe’s couch and having no luck finding another job. But she notes an advertisement for a an apartment sitter — a three-month assignment in the Bartholomew, an iconic building in the heart of Manhattan with panoramic views of Central Park and a murky history of tragedy. The old building features numerous gargoyles and was the setting for Heart of a Dreamer, the novel that Jules and her older sister, Jane, used to read together. When Jules interviews for the position, she learns she will be living in a sumptuous apartment on the twelfth floor featuring the same view that the lead character in the novel enjoyed. She is informed that the apartment’s owner died recently and the building management want it occupied while the estate is sorted out. Jules finds herself “slightly breathless” as she takes in the view and the opportunity, feeling that after all she has endured, fate has somehow intervened, “even as I’m again struck by that all-consuming thought — I do not belong here.” But being paid to live in her dream apartment is an offer too tempting to turn down, even though Chloe warns her “that it’s all probably too good to be true.”
Sager relates the story through a first-person narrative from Jules that alternates between the present and six successive earlier days until the two timelines merge. When Jules takes up residence in the Bartholomew, she immediately encounters some of the permanent residents, including an aging former soap opera star and the grumpy and stand-offish author of Heart of a Dream. She literally collides with Ingrid, the apartment sitter in the unit directly below the one she is inhabiting, resulting in a visit to her next-door neighbor, Dr. Nike, a surgeon. He’s attractive, reassuring, and well-acquainted with the building, revealing that his great-grandparents were the original owners of the apartment in which he resides. That apartment boasts an odd painting of a snake in the shape of a figure eight biting its own tale — an ouroboros. But Jules is attracted to Nick and trusts him.
When Ingrid begins sending messages to Jules via the dumbwaiter, but suddenly disappears, Jules does not accept the explanation provided. She thought she heard a scream the prior night, and immediately ran to Ingrid’s door to check on her. Ingrid’s odd behavior and cryptic warning, coupled with her shocking departure, compel Jules on a search for the truth about why Ingrid left, as well as the true history of the Bartholomew. She soon discovers that Ingrid is not the only apartment sitter to have abruptly disappeared without a trace. Moreover, she learns that the building long history includes numerous tragedies, suspicious deaths, and unresolved questions about the activities of its tenants.
As Jules’ quest for knowledge proceeds, Sager reveals the heartbreaking family history that inspires her. Jane, her beloved older sister, was last seen getting into a vehicle no one recognized. She never came home. Jules also lost both of her parents, their demise hastened by the loss of their oldest daughter. Jules is determined that Ingrid’s story should have an ending different from Jane’s. At one point, Jules also finds herself faced with a choice about her own story. She realizes that history is not doomed to repeat itself and she can make a different choice than her parents did, regardless of the eventual outcome. But she is required to summon strength and resilience that she never knew for certain she possessed.
Skillfully inserted clues, as well as misdirection feature largely in Sager’s deftly-constructed thriller. He surrounds Jules with an eclectic and interesting cast of supporting players, each with his or her own backstory and motivations for participating in what is actually transpiring at the Bartholomew. Some of those characters are empathetic, even if their ethical leanings are not ambiguous.
Sager keeps readers guessing until nearly the end of the story. Once the truth is revealed, the book’s pace accelerates as Jules must act quickly in order to survive. Because Lock Every Door features an inventive plot, along with compelling characters, it is highly entertaining. Sager delivers a satisfying, if incomplete, resolution to his riveting, gothic mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Truthfully, I couldn’t put it down. There were a couple of points where I thought I had it figured out but then new things would happen and I’d be stumped. It was quite the page turner and definitely had me on the edge of my seat.
What a wonderful read!!
Lock Every Door is a fun thriller full of suspenseful moments. Its backdrop of a storied and mysterious apartment building in New York City feels evocative of Rosemary’s Baby without being overly referential. I found Jules (the protagonist) to be a compelling character, and you really feel like you’re inside her head, experiencing everything with her.
Though I did predict some of the plot line (which tends to happen a lot with me) I still found the novel to be wholly satisfying and entertaining. I love a book where you’re not sure who is good and who is bad, and what their motivations are. And, for most of you, this book will keep you guessing until the very end.
Oh. My fucking. God.
*Returning to author professionalism.*
This is one of those perfect mystery/thrillers that could serve as a tutorial for the rest of us in the genre. Clues are woven so masterfully throughout this book, making the resolution so intensely satisfying–I literally could not stop reading.
Come for the gothic Manhattan setting, stay for the ever-increasing, creeping dread, cling on for dear life once you finally realize how much deeper the intrigue runs.
I don’t want to ruin anything. Read this book, and get ready, because it’s an even wilder ride than you’re expecting.
I want to give Riley Sager a thousand extra points for digging into the realities of poverty and the desperation people face as they snake from paycheck to paycheck. I don’t see this in our genre very often, and the deeper messaging of the book hit home in a major way for me. What a well-done thriller–what a well-written book.
Boy oh boy. This book. Holy buckets. This was my very fist Riley Sager book and let me tell you, I am hooked. He has such a way of writing. I swear it’s like there’s someone that knows what’s going on but its not you or the narrator. Man, its a ride. I think I had about 3 different theories by the time that I reached the end of the book and NOT ONE was right. I can’t say enough just how impressed I am with Mr Sager as an author.
Have you ever been offered a job that is too good to be true? Yeah. Well me neither. But Jules was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Live in an apartment in high class Manhattan for 3 mos and you’ll be paid 12 grand. Now of course, there are some rules. No visitors, no nights spent away from the apartment, and in summary mind your own business and don’t talk to the famous residents. These are the rules at the Bartholomew for the apartment sitters. It seems like a pretty perfect gig. There are even other apartment sitters! Jules befriends one, Ingrid, and they hit it off. They make plans to hang out but then Ingrid disappears. Jules starts trying to find answers, even breaking some of the rules in order to help find her friend. Unfortunately she keeps coming up with more questions and no one is necessarily taking her seriously. The more that Jules investigates the more she sees discrepancies and things that just don’t make sense. What happened to Ingrid? Where is she? What is really going on at the Bartholomew? What is the truth?
I’m telling you guys. I have no explanation as to why I didn’t read this sooner. I’m frustrated but I’m fixing my mistake. I’m now going on a spending spree and buying his books. Sorry Hubby. I need them.
An interesting blend of the classic and the contemporary, LOCK EVERY DOOR pretty much has it all – including surprises you won’t see coming. Part Rosemary’s Baby, part The Sentinel (I even detected a hint of The Shining), LOCK EVERY DOOR follows Jules, an unemployed young woman who’s down on her luck. When she answers an ad and lands a job as an apartment sitter at the prestigious “Bartholomew” in New York City, it seems too good to be true. The Bartholomew adds that spooky gothic vibe I love and is supported by an unusual cast of characters that will (for the most part, anyway) keep you guessing.
I say ‘for the most part’ because the truth is, I found the majority of characters to be thin and transparent; I couldn’t help thinking the book could have been a lot stronger with some better character development. Also, things did get a little over the top regarding Jules’ history and personal hardships. Basically, whatever happened to her was always the absolute worst possible thing and after a while, it started to feel a bit contrived and Jules started sounding a little whiny.
My only other complaint would be that LOCK EVERY DOOR tries to be too many things at once. I can’t help thinking the author was working super hard to please every kind of reader out there: we have the strong female lead to satisfy lovers of women’s fiction, a little whodunit for the mystery readers, a dash of romance for those who love love, a whisper of the supernatural for ghost story connoisseurs, criminal behavior for the crime buffs, the spooky old building for the gothic enthusiasts, and much more. I’m all for genre-blending but at times, this one just tried a little too hard.
But at its heart LOCK EVERY DOOR is horror – in my opinion, anyway – and that’s why I liked it. Despite spreading itself a little too thin, I’d recommend it. This won’t be the last Riley Sager book I read.
Wow! This is one of those books that I truly needed some time to digest before I could even begin my review. I kept hearing about this author, had yet to read one of his titles and am SO glad I did.
This book was a thrilling journey following Jules, a broke, newly single, heartbroken young woman who is struggling and truly down to her last bit of cash with no hopes for work in sight. When she responds to an ad for a job as an apartment sitter, the deal is too good to be true and she wonders how she managed to find such an incredible offer. A massive, beautiful apartment in the Bartholomew, a famous apartment building in Manhattan whose current residents are of elite status and incredibly wealthy. It also has a history and some truly disturbing stories to go along with it… and her new “job” consists of living in the apartment, with some major stipulations.
After befriending a fellow apartment sitter, the building’s dark history starts to come out, leaving Jules scared and searching for answers. With the help of some curious residents and a search into the building’s history, Jules is left with an even bigger fear… getting out alive.
This book was absolutely incredible and I did not want to put it down! Also left me researching the history of many similar buildings in the city (an interesting little research rabbit hole it has sent me down!) Can’t recommend this book or author enough! The characters were so incredibly interesting, the history drew me in and Riley expertly kept me on the edge of my seat with his incredible writing and a deviously clever plot. I’ll surely be back for more!!
This seemed to be headed towards a horror story, but towards the end it took a hard left into more mystery/thriller type. This is the first book I have read by the author, and it made me a new fan. Those who enjoy high suspense and a tautly written plot will enjoy this book.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked this book out from my local library using the Overdrive App. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
I wasn’t able to sleep last night because I had to finish it.
This was actually the first Riley Sager book I read. I know. That’s odd, right? Everyone knows and loves his first book, Final Girls, but I didn’t read it until after discovering this book. Needless to say, when I finished this one, I was upset. The big twist (there are many in all Riley books I’ve come to understand) made me angry and I felt cheated because it went so far away from where I thought I was being led.
That said, I kept talking about this damn book to everyone. The more I talked about what I didn’t like the more it dawned on me how clever the twist was. Hoe brilliant the strange, new concept had been.
If a book stays with you, it can’t be bad. In fact, that resonating power may be what makes Sager’s books so powerful. It’s not just the emotion or the twist or the characters, but it’s the beauty in twisting them all in a new way.
I have read all of Riley Sager’s books and love them. Her third one is no different. It’s unrelentingly eerie, fast paced and full of twists. A job as an apartment sitter in one of NYC’S iconic buildings. An amount of money to do the job. A few rules. What could possibly be wrong with that? Lock Every Door is a book you want want to put down. An apartment building full of terrifying secrets. Once you’re inside it’s too late to lock the doors.
If you have never read Riley Sager, and like thrillers, you need to give her a try. I doubt you will be disappointed.
From the first page to the last I was spell bound, turning pages as fast as I could read them. So many questions came about as the plot and characters developed that this book was an all night read. Well worth the lack of sleep. This was my first experience with this author…it will not be my last.
This is a new author for me. This book didn’t disappoint. Twisted and unpredictable. Even when I was sure I figured it out…wrong. A good read.
According to main character Jules in Lock Every Door, “Fiction can be an escape.” Sometimes readers need a book that allows them to set aside realism and venture into some unexplored places. Sometimes that escape is into a fictional landscape where everyone lives happily ever after. Other times, readers can delve into a dark, seedy world in the safety of their own surroundings.
Lock Every Door takes readers on a disturbing and haunting journey into a world (or perhaps more specifically, the Bartholomew hotel) where things are not quite what they seem. Jules, in between jobs, apartments, and recently single is looking to start anew. When she responds to a job posting for an apartment sitter that pays $1,000 a week, her newfound luck seems too good to be true. The only caveat is that there are some strict rules that sitters have to abide by. No visitors, no disturbing the residents, and every night must be spent in the apartment. While the rules seem a bit severe, Jules is in no position to argue because she desperately needs the money. When a scream in the night culminates in the abrupt disappearance of another sitter that Jules recently befriended, she decides to seek answers.
I thought this book was a page turner. Some might argue that it’s not realistic and improbable. Perhaps, but it’s fiction. I say, suspend your beliefs and enjoy the ride.
An interesting twisty thriller! Very enjoyable story. Highly recommended if you like this genre of books.
Nice twist that was hard to predict.