A very warm welcome to the blog today and to my review of Lock Every Door by Riley Sager.  Lock Every Door was published by Ebury Publishing on 25th July 2019 and is available in hardcover, audio and ebook formats.  I received a free eARC via NetGalley but that has in no way influenced my review.

I felt anxious about reading Lock Every Door.  Let me give you a little of the backstory.  Riley Sager's Final Girls is one of the most INCREDIBLE books I have EVER read.  Here's my review of Final Girls (https://damppebbles.com/2017/10/19/bookreview-final-girls-by-riley-sager-riley_sager-eburypublishing/) so you can see how much I loved it. I still recommend it to everyone today and it's one of the few books I would pick up and read again (and again!).  So I was excited to read this author's second novel (under his nom de plume), Last Time I Lied (https://damppebbles.com/2018/07/17/bookreview-last-time-i-lied-by-riley-sager-eburypublishing-lasttimeilied-20booksofsummer/).  With hindsight, I think my expectations were too high when I started LTIL which led me to be a *little* harsh in my critique of it. I'm sorry Mr Sager.  There are so many readers out there who prefer Last Time I Lied to Final Girls but isn't that the beauty of reading - it's subjective.  So knowing I was going to be reading the third novel by this author (which I was excited about, by the way, but also a little anxious), I was keen to separate my feelings about the first two novels from Lock Every Door and read it as though it was written by a brand new author to me (does that make sense?).  Anyway, to cut a long, dwindling story short, I really enjoyed Lock Every Door. But I'm not going to compare it to either of this author's first two books.

Jules Larsen has landed on her feet after splitting up with her boyfriend and losing her job.  She's going to be an apartment sitter at an exclusive New York apartment building for 3 months, where the rich and famous spend their days.  Not only will she live the life of luxury, but they are also going to pay her four thousand dollars a month!  It's a win-win situation.  But there are rules she must stick to; no visitors, don't talk to or discuss the other residents and no nights away from the apartment.  Jules understandably feels the rules are a little strict but this is an opportunity not to be missed.  Particularly as her favourite book, which she often shared with her missing sister, Heart of a Dreamer, was set at the Bartholomew.  But the Bartholomew is rumoured to have many dark secrets and the longer Jules spends living there, the more concerned she becomes.  And when a friend and fellow apartment sitter goes missing, Jules knows that not everything is as it first seemed...

This a wonderful gothic thriller which sends shivers down the reader's spine.  Poor Jules.  I really felt for her as she seemed to have the worst luck.  First, you're dumped, then you lose your job and then you move into the apartment from hell thinking it's the answer to your prayers. Oh, and there's a strong chance you won't survive the ordeal.  I was immediately intrigued by the plot and was trying to plan in my own mind where the story was going to go.  The Batholomew is a character all by itself with it's creaky barred elevator and the demonic-looking gargoyles on every corner.  The eeriness of the setting really added to an already creepy story and I found myself totally immersed in the author's tale.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes.  It's a compelling gothic chiller which I struggled to put down.  I strongly suggest you give this author's other books a go too (whoops, wasn't going to mention them!) as they're worth reading.  I loved the ending which was very satisfying and a lot of fun. I would have been disappointed if this book had finished any other way.  Chilling, dark and hard to put down. Recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Lock Every Door The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Your home is no longer safe! Jules’ story is unique and chilling. The juxtaposed life of luxury is twisted with darkness and the ghosts of those before her. A unique and thrilling narrative! It’ll make you think twice about house sitting!

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. Although I am aware that it is an ARC - this one is just a series of repeating paragraphs making it far too confusing for me to give a fair review. A shame as I was really drawn by the premise of this story.

Hands down going to be my favourite thriller of the year, the mystery in this book is just perfection.

I honestly cannot praise Lock Every Door enough, the absolute desperate need to know what is going on in this building and who/which residents if any are involved has you completely on the edge of your seat. I could not put this down. The characters, the setting, the mystery there is just so many layers to this novel that make it such an enjoyable read. The writing and setting are just so gothic and amazing as I said I don't think any mystery thriller i read this year will even come close to being as good as this was, an all time favourite for me I think and one that I will definitely re-read! Highly highly recommend this author if you haven't tried him before, a master of the mystery, thriller genre!


ARC acquired from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I think I'm done with Riley Sager's novels now. I absolutely hated 'The Last Time I Lied' but thought 'Final Girls' was good so was hoping this third book would be more like that one.
Unfortunately, despite that is the type of book I generally love to read (possible haunted house scenario, possible cult, general weirdness), I did not enjoy reading this for the most part. I've come to the realisation that it's Sager's prose I dislike, particularly his characterisations of his female protagonists. As with the female protagonist in the 'The Last Time I Lied', in this book Jules is monumentally stupid. Every decision she makes borders on moronic and her actions make little to no sense. She's irrational, impulsive, borders on maniacial stalking, and does not tell anyone where she is going or what she plans to do. The way Sager portrays Jules and other female characters makes me seriously wonder if he thinks *all* women are this impulsive and fucking stupid.

Things I did enjoy about this book however:
General plot. Thought I had it figured it all out but not completely so that was a nice little surprise.
The Bartholemew itself - the building description is great and there is a lovely sense of menace and intrigue about it. I do love gothic decor, and George is a great name for a stone gargoyle.

Shame I hated every single character in this, because the setting was great and the story could have been plumped up more and made more menacing, but I cannot get past the awful and stupid characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Jules has just lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, which also makes her homeless, so when she sees an advert looking for an apartment sitter for 12 weeks, in the exclusive apartment complex -the Bartholomew, the pay is 1000 per week, Jules feel all her prayers have been answered. The apartment is plush, however there are very strict rules, no visitors at all, no overnight guests she must stay in the apartment every night, she is not to bother or try to befriend any of the other residents.
There are many stories about The Bartholomew, and it’s when Jules’s new friend Ingrid, also an apartment sitter disappears, and she begins to hear strange noises at night, that she begins to wonder if some of the stories might be true.
While searching for Ingrid Jules learns a little more about the Bartholomew and it’s lng term residents. There is some suspense in the story and I was intrigued to keep reading, I did though.think the ending veered off from the first 3 quarters of the book and was a little disappointing. And flat.
3.5 stars

It was a poor ARC every 3 or four paragraphs were repeated so I found I was constantly finding my place.

This was an intriguing read and I haven’t read a story with a plot like this before so was interested to see how it panned out.

Jules becomes an apartment sitter in the famous Bartholomew building, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious building with a lot of history. She couldn’t believe her luck with the apartment she bagged especially after she found her boyfriend was two timing her and she lost her job, the money would come in very handy. There were some rules but she thought she could live with them.

She went shopping for groceries and on her way back into the building carrying her two bulging bags of food, whilst hurrying for the lift, Charlie by her side, there was a girl hurrying down the stairs, the girls collided. The food bags split, sending the food over the foyer floor, a jar of sauce broke with the glass shattering and the sauce oozing over the floor. Jules felt a sharp pain in her elbow and lots of blood oozing down her arm. This was Ingrid, the girl in the apartment below her. Leslie suggested she go to Doctor Nick to have her arm looked at. He was in the apartment next to her. Doctor Nick sorted her arm out and they flirted a little. Jules went back to her apartment and a little later thought she heard a scream coming from Ingrid’s apartment. She went down and knocked on the door. Ingrid finally answered and said she was ok but it was like she was trying to say something else. Jules waited for her the next day at lunch but she didn’t turn up. Then Jules tried to track her down. Learning more about the history and mysteries of the famous Bartholmew building. It appeared there were a few missing apartment sitters if you looked into it further and maybe a killer there too.

The ending for this book was really good and the whole plot had been brilliantly thought out. It took a long time to get there though.

Yet another brilliant thriller from Sager - I honestly don't know how he does it!
As with his other books we are thrown straight in the deep-end in page 1 and I was unable to come up for air until the very end.
This book was chillingly atmospheric, although the descriptions were stunningly gorgeous there was always an unnerving edge that I could not quite pin-point.
I loved the universe within this book, it was so 3 dimensional and felt real; I was convinced that the Bartholemew was a real building and that Heart of a Dreamer was a real book.
The characters were excellent; this book had a large cast and yet every character was still easily distinguishable. I found I was able to relate to most of the characters in a strange way, even the ones with less than kind intentions as they were all so fleshed out and three-dimensional I felt I was able to understand them.
I don't think there is a lot I can say without giving something away but I will say this; Lock Every Door was spine-chillingly creepy, conspiratorial, and had a depth akin to Sager's previous thrillers; to cut a long review short, I loved Lock Every Door, it was a great mix of psychological and physical thriller and I cannot wait to see what Sager does next!

Jules Larsen’s life is in a slump. After being laid off from her job and ending her relationship with her boyfriend, she finds herself living at her best friend’s apartment until she can improve her circumstances.

While searching for another job, she sees an ad for an apartment sitter. The job is temporary - only three months. The compensation, however, is what makes the job so appealing. As her bank account dwindles, she decides to apply for the job. She is offered the position and can hardly believe that she’ll be residing in one of Manhattan’s oldest, most prestigious apartment buildings. She’ll be handsomely compensated and have time to focus on her meaningful job search.

However, after moving in, she soon discovers that the building and its residents are not what they seem to be and that dark, mysterious secrets are hidden there. As time goes by, Jules realises that she must somehow find a way to leave before she falls victim to the dark forces that are contained within.

This is a first rate, suspenseful thriller that I found impossible to put down! The characters are well drawn and the sense of place is real. Tension builds gradually and will hold you spellbound until the very end. Don’t pass this one up!

I am convinced that the more Riley Sager writes the better they get. Because this one book was brilliant.
The mystery will keep you guessing until the end. And the setting was brilliantly unique.
For me this was an easy 5 star read.

**Summer book alert** This is without a doubt one of the most anticipated thrillers of the summer. But does it live up to expectations?

From me it’s a resounding yes. I absolutely devoured Riley Sager’s first two books Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied and this new thriller is on par and doesn’t disappoint.

**No spoilers here** We immediately meet down on her luck Jules Larsen, who has taken more than her fair share of life’s knocks, both her parents are dead, she has a missing sister, who was last seen getting into a Volkswagen Beetle when Jules was a child, a career going nowhere and a cheating boyfriend. Apartment sitting in the glamorous yet secretive Bartholomew apartment building seems to offer her everything she could wish for. But as we all know if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. The book takes place over six days, but boy are they a rollercoaster of a six days and as per his previous books Sager plays with flashbacks to keep you on your toes.

The book is dedicated to Ira Levin author of Rosemary’s Baby and tonally it is bursting with elements that pay homage to this creepy gothic classic. I love all the gothic flourishes from the creepy residents to the majestic old New York apartment building guarded by Gargoyles and a story that leads you in one direction only for the rug to be pulled from under you in a very surprising, straight from the headlines finale. I had some doubts about the finale however in retrospect I can see how clever it was. I do wonder if we may not have seen the last of very modern heroine Jules as her missing sister does seem to be a plot thread waiting to be resolved.

Classy, gothic inspired gripping thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

When someone offers you a place to stay plus pay you money to stay at that place, you immediately know that it smells fishy. But Jules is desperate and she needs to get herself on her feet again, after being laid off at work and an ugly break up with her long-term boyfriend.

«Lock Every Door» is a perfect book to bring on vacation. Thrilling plot and easy-to-read writing style make it the ultimate page-turner for those long hours at the beach or by the pool. I read this during the reading rush week in just over 4 hours.

The plot was structured very well from the very beginning, Riley Sager dropped hints here and there with a big reveal at the end. I didn’t foresee any of the major plot twists, but I wasn’t massively surprised by them either. That’s why I gave this book a three-star rating. While the whole atmosphere created by the story was somewhat chilling, the twists didn’t have that huge impact, as they normally do.

Okay, I’m a huge fan of “now and then” plot style, but in «Lock Every Door» it wasn’t done that well. The “then” points were very scarce. The first “then” chapter got me intrigued and excited to figure out what happened, but as the story progressed there weren’t many of them (maybe 5-6 throughout the whole book), and they were also very short to avoid the spoilers.

Do you know that feeling, when watching horror movies, that you want to scream at the main character for stop being stupid and going outside ALONE. IN THE DARK. WITH KILLERS ROAMING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.? That’s how I often felt while reading «Lock Every Door». This wasn’t solely because of reckless moves the characters decided to pursue, but also because at points, the story felt a little bit too mystical for my liking, which took away the thrills. I can’t be scared of something I don’t believe in, can I?

Overall, I loved my first experience of Riley Sager book, I might not go out of my way to pick up any of his previous works, but I’m definitely staying alert for her new releases!

Having read one of Sager's previous novels, ‘Final Girls', I knew what to expect from ‘Lock Every Door' – a twisty, well-plotted and tense thriller. I was not disappointed and will admit that I could never have predicted the ending!

This novel is about Jules, a twenty-something living in New York whose life isn’t turning out the way she wanted. Having lost a job and a boyfriend in quick succession and finding herself sleeping on her friend’s sofa, she needs a break. When she sees an advertisement for a lucrative job flat-sitting, she jumps at the chance to get paid to put a roof over her head. The apartment is in one of New York’s most exclusive buildings, The Bartholemew, and the whole situation seems too good to be true. Within a day of moving in, Jules starts to realise that flat sitting at the Bartholemew is a pretty dangerous occupation...

As with Sager's previous book, this is one that draws you in and keeps you turning the pages – I read this in one day which is almost unheard of for me! It is fast paced and cleverly plotted, although I did guess a couple of the twists. The denouement is well done and I could never have seen it coming, although there was one strand of the story which was not resolved satisfactorily in my view.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fast-paced, contemporary thrillers. It will keep you reading long into the night and make you think twice about what goes on behind closed doors.

I received a copy of this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The author has created a pacy narrative with great characters and a suspense factor that leaves the reader guessing as to the exact subplot. Small adverts asking for house sitters are used to induce a certain type of person to "The Bartholomhew".. The job seems to good to be true and so it turns out but the ending is no foregone conclusion. The author moves seamlessly backwards and forwards in time.

My only complaint is the quality of the ARC which nobody can have checked Every word was written twice. Chapters started mid paragraph finished mid sentence and was quite simply the worst ARC i have ever received. I understand that an ARC is not proof read but this was appalling and at the beginning where the pace was slightly slower did make me want to give up. I am glad I didn't

Sometimes it’s not only an author’s reputation and his previous books that create high expectations, sometimes it’s the book itself that raises the bar high from the opening chapter, which is exactly what happened when I started reading Lock Every Door. This novel is bound to convince his loyal fans and new-time readers.

I loved Riley Sager’s two previous novels, they were both very atmospheric (one includes a dark and frightening forest, the other a summer camp on the grounds of an old asylum) so I already started this novel – given the rather scary title Lock Every Door – with some trepidation. It didn’t help either that as soon as I opened the novel I was introduced to Jules who was brought into the hospital. She had blood on her and scratches on her arms and body which already raised questions but above all that she BEGS the doctor not to send her back to the Bartholomew. He hooked me right from the start with this! I had to know what had happened to her to make her feel so scared of that building since she set foot in it, which was – hold on cos you’re not going to believe this – only 6 DAYS EARLIER.

What can happen in 6 days, right? Jules Larsden is a very likeable character who had her share of hardships in life even if she’s in her early twenties. She’s quite down to earth and even laughs away all those creepy stories about the building being cursed. The gargoyles even have a charm for her that escapes me entirely. They don’t look like gothic protectors to me at all but little horrifying monsters. If she’s definitely not the type to get scared easily then what on earth unnerved her so much that it made her run out on the street and make her forfait the first paycheck as an apartment sitter?

It’s a slow burn at first but as the days progress, the tension mounts. You know that something is going to happen and the Bartholew felt off all right but I really couldn’t put my finger on it what it was. I could feel the danger around Jules but didn’t know where it was going to come from and I wrecked my brain to explain the disappearances, I came up with a few theories even, but the truth was a real shocker! If you want a novel to surprise you, then you’re always safe reading a Riley Sager novel. There are a number of twists in this novel of course but two that are quite sensational, and I loved that there was much much more to discover after what you think is ‘the big reveal’, I even think I liked the second big twist more than the first!

Now even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, it was atmospheric, eerie and daintily unsettling, I think I still prefer the woodsy areas of his first two novels a tiny bit more :-). I was also a teensy bit disappointed that a small subplot in the novel involving Jules’ family which intrigued me quite a bit, didn’t really give me all I wanted. I can’t help it that I always like everything neatly tied up and solved. This is only a minor detail though so certainly don’t pass up the opportunity to read this very engaging novel!

This book gripped me from the start. The copy I received was horrendous to read with it lee missing words then repeating whole sections but the book itself was so good I persisted and I’m so glad I did. This is the first book by this author I have read but I’ve just ordered their previous books as I loved this one so much.
The story is pretty much summed up by the saying if something seems too good to be true it probably (and in this case definitely) is. There were several twists and whilst I picked out one of the ‘bad guys’ I kept changing my mind over why and who else was involved.
I’ve already recommended this book to friends and family (& pretty much anyone else who will listen).

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Those words, spoken by Jules’s best friend, come back to haunt us as we work out exactly what’s going on.
There’s an interesting time frame to this story that allows us glimpses of the key events, while also showing the build-up to them. Jules has, by any standards, had a tough life. Her sister went missing years ago and her parents died in a house fire. When she loses her job she returns home to find her boyfriend having sex with someone else. So, putting all those things together it’s hardly surprising that she’s keen to respond to the advert she sees.
When Jules sees the advert requesting a house sitter for an apartment she thinks it’s the answer to her prayers. When she hears how much she’ll be paid, she is determined to see it out although the rules that are in place seem draconian.
From the moment Jules moves into The Bartholomew she’s fed crazy stories from her concerned friends, and her own paranoia starts to prey on her mind. She tries to avoid thinking too much about her concerns but as another of the house-sitters disappears, Jules can’t help but try to work out what’s going on.
The truth is far more terrifying than anything she could have imagined.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the other novels by Riley Sager, I am - again - grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Jules has no family and no job and has recently split up with her boyfriend so needs to find somewhere to live. Desperate, she applies to house sit at The Bartholomew, a gorgeous apartment block overlooking Central Park and is accepted. There is, however, no such thing as a free lunch and jules starts to worry about why she's really there. When a fellow apartment sitter disappears and Jules starts to look for her, the stories that she has heard about The Bartholomew might be truer than she thinks.

I quite liked this book but it never really grabbed me until right at the end. It's clear from the start that something peculiar is going on and the story just seems to take an enormous amount of time to get going so rather than feeling like a tense thriller, it just feels like a story taking too long to tell.

It might be because I just didn't feel I got to know Jules, or indeed any of the other residents, enough to care about them one way or another. I do like to feel empathy with the characters I read about and I just didn't feel anything much about her at all.

I wonder if this is a short story rather than a novel and whether it would be more suspenseful written in that genre. Either way, it's perfectly readable but definitely not one of my favourites.

Creepy and unsettling, a slow burner that gets right under skin and makes your question things! I would recommend!

Jules is struggling to hang on to her life as she knows it, she’s lost her job, her boyfriend and has now resorted to crashing on her mates sofas. She really wants to get her life back on track, when she spots the perfect opportunity in a classified ad, Apartment sitter needed, 3
Months and $12000 - during the interview she is hit with the odd rules, no visitors, no bothering the other tenants and no staying away over night. Despite concerned friends trying to change her mind about taking it, Jules doesn’t feel like she’s got any other option!

This is a gripping, super creepy, and outstanding read. I could not put it down, every page left me wanting more. An unpredictable and exciting page turner.

5 stars