Lock Every Door

Riley Sager

Crime Thriller

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew’s dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3 / 5) Jules is not only down on her luck but it seems nothing in her life is going well. Until one day, she answers an ad for the need of an apartment sitter. It’s in the Bartholomew, the building in Manhattan that began her New York dreams so many years ago. She will be paid more than enough money to live in an empty apartment while she is able to then find a job and get back on her feet.

It seems all too good to be true. Even if the rules are very strict such as not having people over and always being in the apartment at night. She’s willing to make it work as long as she can get the money. But when she starts finding clues to a dark history and possibly present, she begins to second guess everything.

I questioned every action from the start and felt like I was watching a horror movie while yelling at the characters to not do something so obviously stupid. I can’t say this is a favorite Sager of mine, but I have to give it to him for coming up with that unique ending. I never would have guessed that!

AUDIO REVIEW: Dylan Moore did a great job at creating suspense and giving voices to the many side characters that were differentiated well.

General content summary: F words= 21

Person hit by car (hospital, some details)

Intimacy (someone walks in on a couple, few details)

Infidelity (brief mention)

Parents and sibling deaths (no details)

Missing people (previous, present, multiple)

Self harm (fire)

Many deaths (few details, a fall, sickness etc)

Suicide (previous, few details, pills, fall, 5x)

Murder (details of body, 2x with gun)

Nightmares (vivid, unsettling)

Building fire (2x)

House fire (previous, deaths)

Alcohol (multiple)

M/F kisses (closed door intimacy, nakedness with no details)

Sedative given unwillingly (multiple)

Medical procedures 

Physical violence (kicks, knife threat, stabbing with details)

Talk of satanic rituals 

Thank you to PRH Audio for the copy!

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