A Spooky Season Book Review: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

The end of October is near and so it’s time to start reading thrillers! One of the most popular thriller/mystery authors of our time is Riley Sager. He is known for his books’ creepy vibes and last page twists. He has seven books out as of now and this is the first book I’ve read by him. The one that made me a fan.

Lock Every Door

The book follows Jules, a 25 year old who lost her job, her boyfriend and her apartment in one day. After spending two weeks on her best friend’s couch, she finally finds a job as an apartment sitter in the building of her dreams; the Bartholomew. She is ecstatic that she gets to live in this luxurious apartment and get paid while doing it. But soon she realizes that something is terribly wrong with this place. On her first night she hears a scream from the apartment below, where another apartment sitter stays. The next day, the girl is gone. Jules is told that she has quit her job and disappeared but she knows there is more to that. So she starts digging around and what she finds is more than she ever expected from her fairytale building.

To say I loved this book would be a huge understatement. This book single handedly made Rylie Sager my favorite thriller writer. After I finished it I spent the next two days raving about it to my mother and aunt and telling them the whole story. They loved it too. I also picked up his debut next and although I enjoyed it a lot, it didn’t even compare to this book.Do you read thrillers? If so give me some suggestions because this definitely brought me back to my thriller phase.

Alternative Cover

  Non spoiler review

Let me just preface this by saying that it is usually very hard for me to thoroughly enjoy a thriller. I find most of them either:

a)  Too easy to guess very early on which makes for a satisfying if not memorable read, (the guest list)

b) Filled with plot holes which leaves me frustrated and feeling cheated, or (the turn of the key)

c) Simply too slow with no plot in the first two thirds then a sudden danger in act three, (the death of Mrs. Westaway ) which makes the reading process very slow and boring for most of the book.

So for me to give this book five stars you should know that it was absolutely perfect for me. I did guess a few things but most of it I did not but it made perfect sense once I looked back at all the obvious yet easy to miss clues. The villain was perfect for me. They certainly earned their place as one of my most hated villains of all time. I’ve seen some people call it too unbelievable or farfetched but to me, it was the perfect balance of “this is so crazy” and “this actually makes sense.” The main character’s motives were understandable. Even the side characters were very well crafted and three-dimensional. It made me feel for a lot of these people, hate some, want to hug others and certainly frustrated (in the best way) by certain.

This book also has a few social commentary about classes about failure and how people are quick to judge lower classes for their positions in the social hierarchy and how they’re quick to assume that everyone got a fair chance and a good starting point just because they did. It was perfectly well woven with the themes and plot. It didn’t stand out or seem preachy. Instead, it made me think about it unconsciously throughout and after I finished the book.

Honestly, I’ve been avoiding reading this book for months because I was scared I wouldn’t like it. Now I’ve finished all of Riley Sager’s books and am very sad I have no more left to read.