Reviews with content warning for Murder - Lock Every Door

Holy mother-forking shirtballs. Lock Every Door took me on a wild ride that I definitely wasn’t expecting. This has to be my favorite of Riley Sager’s books that I’ve read.

Jules is down on her luck. She just lost her job and caught her boyfriend cheating on her. While living on her friend’s couch, she finds and help wanted ad for an apartment sitter. It sounds too good to be true—$12,000 to stay in the famous apartment building, the Bartholomew, for 3 months. What’s the catch? At first, it doesn’t seem like there is one, despite all the weird “rules” assigned to her. But after Jules learns more about the Bartholomew and its residents’ dark past, Jules breaks one of the rules and starts trying to figure out what’s really going on within the building and why apartment sitters keep disappearing.

Once you think you know what’s going on, you probably don’t. This novel draws on themes such as family ties and class to make a poignant point about people having worth no matter how much is in their bank account. Everyone has their own motivations, and exploiting people who have less is never okay.

I loved Jules and her determination to keep pushing no matter what, or who, gets in her way. She’s a great FMC who won’t let her past determine her future.

If you’re looking for a chilling and thrilling novel, you’ve found it in Lock Every Door. It truly did not disappoint.

Content Warnings

d0505's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Content Warnings

amyparsons's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

mylangibson's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

markieh's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I actually enjoyed this book. Riley Sager has his flaws when it comes to writing female protagonists, and I have a lot of complaints about it in some of his other books. He definitely wants to make sure the main character is damaged in the worst way before the story starts.
This one at least, had such a good atmosphere, and the twist was kind of bait and switch, which I really enjoyed.

I roll my eyes when most books (that weren't written in the 90s) introduce a satanist human sacrifice cult. Satanic panic is getting old. But this one took you down that road then veered way off the path.

The book was also a pretty biting social commentary about class difference and exploiting the desperation of the poor.
This was my third Sager book, and it's my favorite so far.

Content Warnings