Riley Sager is one of the most polarizing authors I’ve ever experienced. People either love his books or hate them. Even amongst readers who love him as an author, they’re divided on individual books. However, I have seen almost everyone say good things about Lock Every Door. I finally put in my library hold, and will now be buying a copy for my house. #iykyk

The Story

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 Thoughts

Note to everyone reading Lock Every Door: Do not under any circumstances peek at the ending. I peeked just the wrong amount and it ruined it for me. I can’t even fathom how I would have reacted if I had read it “fresh”.

Now, let’s talk about Jules. Talk about bad luck. She gets fired and then returns home early to find her live-in boyfriend actively cheating on her. This felt like a very weird and unnecessary part of the story, except to establish that Jules was definitely down on her luck. (I could have done without the later interactions with the ex-boyfriend. That was definitely unnecessary.)

Unfortunately, if this book teaches anyone anything, it’s that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. $12,000 to apartment sit for 3 months?

Honestly, I feel like I can’t talk about this book too much without giving things away. I will, however, proactively let you know that it did feel slow in places. There were times where it felt like it was drama for the sake of just having another bullet point in the outline. (Not going to lie, this also includes any mention of her missing sister. Just a plot point left unanswered that meant absolutely nothing.)

All of this to say, I highly recommend Lock Every Door. I’m only talking about books I would definitely recommend here now, so you can take my word for it.

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