The Doorman
by Chis Pavone
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 22 May 2025 | Archive Date 22 May 2025
Head of Zeus | Aries Fiction
Talking about this book? Use #TheDoorman #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
A pulse-pounding novel of class, privilege, sex, and murder, from the New York Times bestselling author of Two Nights in Lisbon and The Expats.
Chicky Diaz is everyone’s favourite doorman at the Bohemia, New York City’s world-famous home of celebrities, financiers, and the cultural elite.
Gathered in the Bohemia’s basement, the almost entirely Black and Hispanic staff is reeling. Just a few miles away, a Black man has been killed by the police, leading to a long night of violence across the city.
But the rising tensions aren’t what most concern Chicky. He knows that there’s more going on within the rooms of the Bohemia than anyone’s aware of. In fact, ahead of tonight’s shift, he bought a gun even before he knew of the rising pandemonium.
Tonight, enemies will clash, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be revealed – and lives will be lost.
New York City is a tinderbox – just one more spark and it will go up in flames…
Advance Praise
'Chris Pavone has always been good, but this novel is way better than good. The kind of novel that wins book awards. Cynical, tender, sharp, dense, funny, and loaded with inside dope about how New York works (and how it doesn't). The Doorman is a Bonfire of the Vanities for the 21st century. He gives it to both sides of the culture wars, and with both smoking barrels' Stephen King
'Sensationally good, wise, wry and perceptive - this era's great state-of-the-city novel, up there with the very best of Tom Wolfe and Jay McInerney' Lee Child
'Smart, twisty, and sharply written, The Doorman is hard to put down and harder to forget. A delight' Karin Slaughter
'Like the New York City subway, Chris Pavone's novel moves at breakneck speed, twisting and turning, jostling together those who might otherwise live worlds apart, intertwining their secrets, their private heartaches, and their fates as The Doorman hurdles to its shocking conclusion' Jenny Jackson
'Delivers a lacerating, Tom Wolfe-worthy dissection of Manhattan society in the post-Covid era... Page-turning from the opening paragraph to its killer finals' Publishers Weekly, starred review
'A near perfect blend of clever plotting, wicked social commentary, irresistible setting, truly memorable characters, and old-fashioned page-turning fun' John Grisham
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781803287362 |
| PRICE | £18.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 400 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Yana K, Reviewer
This was an incredible and fast-paced thriller by Chris Pavone. He does a remarkable job describing a crazy and scary night downtown while perfectly shaping his characters. A superb tale!
Stacey P, Reviewer
Fantastic! This is my first book by Chris Pavone. It will not be last. Without giving anything away, or repeating the about blurb, I’ll tell you what I loved. The setting, first of all is one of my favorites. I lived in NY back in the early 2000’s and loved it. I especially loved the old style buildings (the one in the book is made up) he was always describing. (Think the Dakota, my favorite) This story has three main narrators, all very likable, all with flaws. Pretty big ones and still good. The book is basically set within a day but goes back to show us their lives leading up to this day. I really enjoyed the suspenseful aspects of the book and wanted to find out more, so I rushed through this one. The writing is exceptional, I can’t believe I’ve never read any of his other books. I will be correcting that soon.
The_Secret_Bookreview ., Reviewer
Chicky Diaz has spent decades standing at the entrance of the Bohemia Apartments, greeting the rich and powerful with a smile. But tonight, on the streets of New York City, tensions are rising, secrets are unravelling and for the first time in thirty years, Chicky is carrying a gun.
Because before the night is over, someone is going to die.
Inside the Bohemia, the elite live in their own world. Emily Longworth is trapped in a marriage she cannot escape. Julian Sonnenberg is facing his own mortality.
Meanwhile, below stairs, the staff – Black, Latino, unseen – have their struggles, their fears, their fight for justice. As protests rage outside and the city teeters on the edge, Chicky stands at the intersection of it all, caught in a web of intrigue, corruption and murder.
A tense and timely thriller exploring:
✔️ Power and privilege – The stark divide between wealth and survival
✔️ Justice and morality – Who gets to live safely, and who does not?
✔️ Secrets and suspense – A high-stakes story with a ticking clock
Fast-paced, razor-sharp and utterly unputdownable, The Doorman is Chris Pavone’s most ambitious book yet.
A must-read for thriller lovers and anyone fascinated by the unseen forces shaping the city that never sleeps.
Read more at The Secret Book Review.
Shirley S, Reviewer
A fast-paced thriller set in New York. Full of suspense, the tension leaps off the page. An exciting read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Sylvia B, Reviewer
This thriller had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Highly recommended
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Clarisa B, Educator
After reading Two Nights in Lisbon, I became a fan of Pavone and have read all of his wonderful thrillers. I like his intelligent plots and brilliant women characters. The Doorman felt like a departure in the sense that the thrilling element was restrained yet present in a rather understated and suspenseful manner that finally (of course!) explodes. I loved the setting of this very political, topical and extremely witty novel which marries the personal and individual stories with the greater picture in a most convincing way. There are three main characters and I was invested in all three. I have only been once personally to New York but my virtual knowledge of this great city has been (despite the myriad films and novels I love set there) been further widened in a delightful way. I found myself visualising and exploring further via my tablet, other princely residential buildings, art venues, bed linen companies!!!
The story line does not disappoint... how does it feel being married to an arms manufacturer? how do inequalities (racial, sexual, medical) feel at and feed action at different levels in the city? who is taking advantage of whom?
I totally recommend this fun, intelligent, slow-burner of a very urban thriller. Memorable too. I finished reading it three weeks ago but only now can I put fingers to keyboard (injury!) and I still remember all elements of plot and character. No spoilers from me: judge by yourself.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
