'Lock Every Door' Review (Spoilers!)

October Vibes

Everything pumpkin and Riley Sager. To date I have read four of his books. The Last Time I Lied, Survive the Night, The House Across the Lake, and Lock Every Door. I really enjoy his writing, most of his characters (sorry Charlie Jordan, not you), and the way he creates an air of suspense and uneasiness. ‘Lock Every Door’ was exactly what I wanted for a good thriller. The thing I appreciate most about Sager’s writing is that he can create a suspenseful story that doesn’t inadvertently lead to nightmares. I love a good thriller. However, I’d rather not carry that unsettled feeling with me after I turn the lights off. Sager rides that line perfectly.

Review

This story revolves around the life of Jules Larsen who has, to put it mildly, been beat up by life. She has no family, recently lost her job, walked in on her boyfriend with another woman, and is desperate for a fresh start. Enter the Bartholomew. A cool gothic building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York City. Jules is offered the chance to become an apartment sitter at this luxurious and historic building. In exchange for a generous paycheck, all she has to do is live in one of the vacant apartments and follow a few strict rules. It doesn’t take her long before she learns some strange things about the Batholomews past. As she delves deeper into the history of the gothic building and its eccentric and secretive residents she begins to uncover the sinister truth hidden within its walls.

Most of the novel’s suspense and mystery revolves around the secrets and eerie happenings within the building. At first I thought that the building was haunted and the residents had to offer some kind of payment for living there (young men/women with no family connections). Nope! After she found evidence that Nick was involved in the shenanigans I wanted to throw my book through the wall. I was so dang hopeful that the hot surgeon she hooked up with was not a complete psycho. To no avail. Seriously though, why couldn’t he have just been the hot doctor neighbor? Sigh.

Then the book took a turn down the satanic cult rabbit hole. I wasn’t all that convinced that was the explanation for what was going on, and it wasn’t! The Bartholomew family are just elitist pigs who look down on people who are less fortunate and harvest their organs for sick wealthy people who don’t want to wait on a donor list.

I liked the ending even though it was a bit bizarre. I do think the ending fits with the story, but I would have really liked had it gone with the cult direction. Honestly the most satisfying part for me was when Jules flipped off Marianne and stole her dog. Good for you JuJu.