A review by kathywadolowski
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

dark 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

3.0

I very recently finished Riley Sager's "The Only One Left," and I think it spoiled me a little bit because I found this one to be just ok. I was really excited for the setting as an Upper West Side dweller myself, and I love a niche claustrophobic apartment complex setting. But despite that intriguing setting—as well as the intriguing set up of apartment sitters going missing—there were definitely a few problems.

First, I found the protagonist Jules to be on the annoying side. Her troubles were tough for sure, but her inner monologues got a bit preachy at times and that's just not what I'm looking for in a thriller. She also, in pretty classic thriller fashion, made some dumb decisions that made it kind of hard to root for her the whole time.

Second, I felt like the actual mystery took a whileeee to really get going! Even as the page count kept going up, the plot throughout the middle just stalled out and spun in circles rather than progressing in meaningful or helpful directions.

And my third and final gripe is actually a very particular one to me, and probably shouldn't be counted against the book generally. Though the twist ending was a solid surprise and the time jumps turned out to be pretty effectively crafted, the reveal was of a nature that freaks me out so much that it unfortunately wrecked the story for me. I'll put a spoiler in a second if you're itching to know, but I want to reiterate that this likely wouldn't be a problem for every reader and definitely isn't an inhibitor to others enjoying the book! But
body horror (specifically medical horror), which in this case takes the form of a secret organ harvesting operation run out of the Bartholomew, is just one of those things that I cannot stomach in any form. It might even be a stretch to call this body horror actually? But it feels like that to me so I'm counting it because I'M SQUEAMISH ABOUT IT OK.


So this wasn't a favorite of my or even my favorite Riley Sager read, but it's a well-constructed book with a satisfying ending. I see why others enjoy it, and if you're a thriller lover without my specific squeamishness you'll probably have fun with it too!

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