Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Book Summary:

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.

Publication Date:

July 2nd, 2019

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Review:

Lock Every Door was my third Riley Sager book. After loving The Last Time I Lied I had high hopes for Lock Every Door. The beginning of this book really pulled me in and I loved the setting at the Bartholomew. The idea of Jules housesitting in a luxury apartment when little things start to feel very wrong was intriguing.

Unfortunately, after a good start, the pacing just started to feel off and the story ended up dragging for me. There were little twists along the way but I just didn’t feel very connected to the storyline. I will say he did keep me guessing but when we finally did get our answer, it just didn’t work for me.

All of the signs and little things that kept us guessing did not line with how the mystery played out and it just made it feel like a very frustrating ride as the reader. I also was left wanting more. I wanted to know WHY and learn some of the backstories and instead, we just get this mediocre ending but not a lot of answers.

I do think some of this is just me. I get frustrated a lot with the thriller genre and the generalizing that happens, often so they can fit it all the thrills I am sure. I just didn’t really understand the why and it all seemed so far-fetched and out of left-field as a reader. This didn’t work for me but what I struggled with is exactly why so many readers loved it so I think it just depends on your reading preferences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.