BOOK REVIEW: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager @riley_sager @duttonbooks #bookreview #lockeverydoor #rileysager

Riley Sager continues to dominate the thriller genre with each new book, and Lock Every Door is certainly no exception!!! I am bubbling with excitement over this sinister and twisty read—he is a master of suspense!

Before I even read much about the new Riley Sager book, I pre-ordered my hardcopy. His last book The Last Time I Lied was my favorite book of 2018. I love the way he builds suspense, and the spooky atmosphere he creates.

There’s always this perfect balance of something a bit evil or ghostly with the potential for a rational explanation as well. But he doesn’t fully give you the answer (at least not at first), which does the service of pulling you into the story. It really showcases the psychology of his characters, who are so well-developed and distinct. Jules is no exception!

About the Book

Jules is in a low spot in life when the perfect opportunity arises. Maybe too perfect…

Jules lost her job and found out her boyfriend (whom she lived with) was cheating on her the same day. Living on her friend’s couch, Jules has never felt so low. Her older sister went missing four years ago, and her parents died two years later leaving Jules with no family and very few friends. So when she comes across an ad for an apartment sitter promising a place to live and a stipend, she thinks her luck has finally turned around.

But when she arrives at the interview she is stunned to discover that it isn’t any apartment she is being hired to care for, it is a penthouse apartment in The Bartholomew. This historic building is as beautiful as it is mysterious. It has a reputation of extreme privacy and exclusivity, and now Jules finds herself behind it’s walls. And there’s another reason Jules is so excited to be here—The Bartholomew is the setting of a favorite romance novel she and her older sister read as young teens, Heart of a Dreamer.

But there are rules… No visitors whatsoever. No nights spent away from the apartment. Don’t socialize with the other residents. Be discreet. Jules can accept these rules though. Sure, they are a bit odd, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime. But Jules’ best friend thinks it is too good to be true. She sends Jules an article about the sordid history and rumors about The Bartholomew. Jules takes no notice, until she meets another apartment sitter Ingrid who mentions the same concerns. And then Ingrid disappears, and Jules thinks there may be something wrong with The Bartholomew after all.

So Jules starts to look a bit deeper into the building and it’s residents. And something is definitely wrong. But it may be too late for Jules to escape it…

Reflection

I read Lock Every Door in a single day—a very RARE occurrence for me. Another incredible thriller that I promise you will be a best seller this summer. It should be on EVERY must-read summer thriller list, in my opinion. It is THAT good. And it is so unique—I can’t think of another thriller I’ve read like it.

One hallmark I’ve come to notice in Riley Sager’s writing that is SO effective is that his leading characters are often coming into the story somewhat isolated. They may not have much to speak of in terms of friends and family, they are often at a crossroads with what to do next. And this makes them the perfect target for the situation they find themselves in. Sager is an expert with these characters, because though they are often at a low in their lives, they are not victims. They are smart, and resourceful. They haven’t given up.

I also love the settings in his books. Just as the camp and the forest became characters themselves in The Last Time I Lied, The Bartholomew is such a presence in Lock Every Door that it became a character. There was the feeling that perhaps the residents weren’t controlling the building, perhaps the building is controlling them. I loved it!

Well I can’t say any more about this because I don’t want to spoil even a moment of this book! Enjoy this one, readers—I can’t wait to read it again!