Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

It’s funny how I got tired of contemporary thrillers and yet the only thrillers I actually find myself enjoying are Young Adult Thrillers (eg 13 Minutes) . I’ve had my share with Ruth Ware books, and as I tried to keep up with their novels like Turn of The Key and give them a second chance I just found myself bored as hell while reading them.

Riley Sager, on the other hand, has killed it so far. With Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, he came back this year with Lock Every Door and I enjoyed every single bit of it.

I love a good old story around a mysterious house and that’s the main plot of Lock Every Door. The Bartholomew, a century old apartment building in Manhattan that is covered in gargoyles and filled with secrets needs an apartment sitter. Jules as a main character is extremely relatable, the struggles she’s going through and the questions she has.

Throughout the novel, she’ll meet different acquaintances who each have a very strange secret. I had the vibes of Agatha Christie where we have a bunch of people spending time in a closed space. There’s something about it that always get me excited while reading a thriller. As if you pass by their lifestyles but not really know about them.

“Never take anything you haven’t earned, my father used to say. You always end up paying for it one way or another.”

The author’s main strength is setting the atmosphere: mix horror, mix suspense but very enjoyable to read. From the descriptions of venues and scenarios, to his back and forth timeline while making it very clear to the readers how the past completes the present.

Hype or not?

I’ve read a few negative reviews as well as positive reviews on this book so I’d say it’s mixed reviews, and whether hype or not, you’d have to experience it to really make your own opinion. And if you didn’t like it, remember your opinion is not that unpopular either and too bad you can always jump on to the next read!

All pictures are taken by me (c) Trang – Bookidote