Jules is desperate. After being laid off, she returned home to find her boyfriend in bed with another woman. Taking only the essentials, she set up on her best friend Chloe's couch, an offer Chloe says is good as long as Jules needs it. But Jules feels like a burden and is anxious to be gainfully employed again. Which is why she answers a Craigslist ad for an apartment sitter.

When the apartment turns out to be in the expensive and exclusive Bartholomew, a building featured in Jules's own favorite book, she's sure the offer is too good to be true.

All she has to do is stay in the apartment for three months. She can't have visitors and she has to spend every night there. Other than that and being warned about the other tenants' need for privacy, it seems altogether too easy for $12,000 cash! But then a fellow apartment sitter goes missing. The official story is that she left, tired of the job. But Jules isn't buying it. And as she digs deeper into the history of the Bartholomew, Jules becomes certain things aren't right at the lofty building.

With just three books under his belt, Riley Sager has made a name for himself as a master of suspense. And it's undeniably true that every one of his books is an absolute page turner. But I do have to say that I think Lock Every Door is his best to date.

The book is dedicated to Ira Levin, which, if you're literarily savvy is kind of a spoiler as far as a book about a mysterious apartment is concerned. But not really. All it did was set me up for what's pretty obvious from the start, there's something hinky going on at this apartment building!

Even our heroine knows it. But Sager's made her so desperate and in dire straits that she's willing to overlook the odd rules and the cash under the table because it means a roof over her head and money in the bank. And not wearing out her welcome with her best and only friend. So while you can imagine that reading the first pages is akin to yelling at a character in a horror movie not to go up the stairs, you can also easily sympathize with Jules!

Lock Every Door is twisted and suspenseful fun. I ripped through it as fast as I could, even delving into the audio so I could listen when I couldn't sit down and read. And Sager has some tricks up his sleeve as the story progresses. I'd almost guarantee you won't figure out what's really going on at the Bartholomew before Jules does.

This book well and truly creeped me out! Like I was reading it at night in bed and had to stop because it was making me anxious type of creepy. It has this feeling of dread from almost the very first page that I absolutely loved. I found myself reading in short bursts and then setting it down because I just knew bad things were going to happen (and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it yet). It was just so darn creepy! I'm going to get into slightly spoiler-ey territory so if you aren't here for that skip on ahead to the next paragraph and my final thoughts on this one. I feel like I went into this book knowing that bad things were happening at the Bartholomew. The reader is probably meant to guess more on if bad things are happening or if it was all in Jules' mind. I just was certain that there were dark things going on and was intent on figuring out what. I spent a lot of the beginning half of the book just trying to guess what was going on. Let me tell you that we hit that second half though and the danger Jules was in got real! By this point in the book I was already thoroughly creeped out by this book in general. And then something that happened that I didn't see coming from a mile away. I honestly have no idea if I should have seen this coming or not but I definitely didn't! I finished this book while my youngest was practicing basketball, in a noisy gym, with the threat of being hit with a basketball in the head present the entire time. Do you think I looked up once to ensure my safety because of this ending? Heck no! Also, who knew that you could be terrified while reading a book in a gym full of nine and ten year olds? Lesson learned there because this book and that ending was truly terrifying! Holy cow! This author is officially on my must read everything he writes list! What a book! If you've read this one, let's discuss because I am truly curious if I'm the only one who was blown away by this book and the answers behind everything or if other readers were able to guess the answers beforehand.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and will be reading everything this author writes at this point! It was just so darn good! I loved the horror type vibes that Sager uses in his books. They were present in Final Girls and they were definitely present in this one as well! I love a dark and creepy thriller which is exactly what this book is! I'm so glad that I listened to the hype on this one because it deserves every single word of praise in my opinion. I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense! Highly recommended!

Bottom Line: One of the creepiest books I have read this year! Five stars!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book originally from NetGalley but ended up checking out a copy from my local library. Honest thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book! It was definitely different from the other books I’ve read. I had to stay up some nights reading to find out more. The book took some turns that I did not see coming! In the end I’m happy I read it. I will be going back to read the other books by this author! Thank you again to NetGalley!!

This book definitely was a page turner but a lot of the end part seemed like a stretch- the end was a little far fetched but kind of reasonable. I didn’t understand a lot of decisions of the main character and that was my main grouse.

If you've visited my blog before, you know I'm not usually one to give in to the hype. But like Jules with the Bartholomew, I couldn’t resist this book. And to be honest, I never expected to pick it up, as the first book from this author wasn’t a hit for me. But let’s be honest - Lock Every Door was so good and so gripping, I want to pick Final Girls up again and give it another go. Once the reviews for this book started rolling in and they were so stellar, I knew I had to read it. And I was surprised to see that it was still up for request on Netgalley, and thrilled when I was approved! This may only be Riley Sager’s third Mystery/Thriller, but already the author has solidified himself as a reader favorite, and after reading this book, it’s obvious why.

When down on her luck Jules reads an ad in the paper for an apartment sitter at New York City’s infamous Bartholomew, it almost seems too good to be true. But the pay is impossible to resist, and it’s just what she needs to get back on her feet after losing her job and a recent break up. It’s not long before she meets a fellow apartment sitter, Ingrid, and her new friend is quick to whisk her away from the Bartholomew and tell her there’s more going on in the building than meets the eye. It’s not long before Jules embarks on the adventure of finding out just what it is about the Bartholomew that has everyone on high alert. The atmosphere the author created in this book was amazing. The Bartholomew was a character all its own, and its residents were an interesting bunch. Like Jules, I never knew who I could trust or who was telling the truth, and I was suspicious of everyone in the building. This book had me in its thrall from beginning to end, and I couldn’t put it down. I never could have imagined the wickedness inside these walls, and it was so delicious to discover. I think the funnest part of this book was the way it plays on youth; it takes the idea of Urban Legends and puts an adult spin on them, and the things I thought were long past have reared their ugly heads and have me wondering once again. And I love it.

Lock Every Door is a book that’s going to stay with me for a long time. I never stopped wanting more, and even now, I’m thrilled that even if I can’t discover more about The Bartholomew, I can at least read Riley Sager’s back list. If you’re a fan of Mystery/Thriller and have spent any time in the book community at all, you already know this is a book you don’t want to miss out on!

**** Huge thank you to Dutton for providing me with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ****

**** Trigger Warnings: Murder (Violence), Mention of Suicide, Mention and Description of Medical Procedures, & Self-Harm ****

While I enjoyed myself well enough with Sager’s fist novel “Final Girls”, I wasn’t blown away by it and I was expecting a bit more from it. However, after reading the synopsis for “Lock Every Door” I figured I HAD to give it a shot because it sounded so good. And I’m happy to say I was definitely impressed with this book and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!


I won’t reveal too much about the plot because you want to go in knowing next to nothing, in fact you almost don’t even want to read the synopsis! There are a few back and forth time skips between “Now” and a week prior, I think this definitely kept things really lively and the story does eventually catch up to itself. While I was pulled in and interested in the story right away it just keeps building and building until you can’t help but read until the very last page. Very fast paced and very addictive!

I really loved the setting and the overall atmosphere Sager created with this book. It’s set in an old apartment building, the Bartholomew, in New York where the elite and wealthy live. It had an almost Gothic feel to it and I love old buildings and reading about the character exploring it was so FUN. And as the story progresses the building gets creepier and creepier and I was LIVING for it! The history of the building, the tenants, the people who have gone missing there, and the strange rules they make you abide by. I think this was probably my favorite part of the story, just the setting and how it affected the atmosphere and feel of the book was just amazing.

Also those plot twists? Did not see those coming! I was completely thrown for a loop towards the end! It’s completely unlike anything else I’ve read and I don’t think there was any way I was going to predict that. I’m happy to say this book will most definitely keep you guessing!


I enjoyed reading this story from Jules’ POV and found her to be quite relatable. She’s down on her luck recently and getting paid to “apartment sit” in one of the most luxurious buildings in New York is almost too good to be true. While she doesn’t think this through as much as she should have, she really needed the money and I understood that desperation. It made her oversights more believable. Also fangirling over your favorite author living in the same building as you? Definitely relatable.

The rest of the Bartholomew’s tenants were also interesting and eccentric in their own ways. The young, strange girl living directly below Jules, the handsome doctor who lives across from her, the aging starlet, the author, the kind bellhop. The list goes on and they all add so much to the story and it was fun having this cast of characters.

I usually do a section for romance but there wasn’t enough here for me to really justify that this time around. There is a sort of fling with Jules and another resident but saying anymore will get us into spoiler territory so I won’t but it is there!


What I Loved:

Fast pacing and addictive writing style
Gothic atmosphere (I mean a Gothic Thriller is just awesome, period)
Old, creepy, awesome apartment building setting
Unique story
The plot twists were amazing!
Interesting cast of characters

What I Didn’t Love:

While I was intrigued with the story from the start I will admit that the beginning was slower than the rest of the book.

I would absolutely recommend this book! In fact I talked my sister-in-law into a copy already because I just loved the story so much. I would say if your’e into thrillers look no further because this one will keep you guessing and turning pages all night!

Riley Sager is great at capturing desperation. This book tells the story of a young girl who is facing adversity when she decides to accept a too-good-to-be-true job offer. She becomes an apartment sitter in a famous New York apartment building. Things begin to get creepy when a girl from a neighboring apartment disappears.

If you can overlook some over-the-top storylines and convenient plot aides you can enjoy this book as a thriller. Recommended for fans of Lisa Jewell.

OMG I LOVED THIS :)! All the hype was right. Suspenseful and kept me engaged. Great read - highly recommended

Review coming soon on highfeverbooks.com

You’ve heard of the classic novel and celebrated film Rosemary’s Baby? You may also be familiar with The Sentinel or even a specific season of American Horror Story? If you’re familiar with horror tales like these, Riley Sager’s newest novel will feel very familiar to you. Riley even pays tribute to Ira Levin in the Dedication! It’s clear that the author loves the urban Gothic, and wanted to write a novel in the same mold. Homage is a wonderful thing! But here’s the problem: if it’s done poorly, it can end up feeling derivative and stale.
As much as I enjoy this kind of Gothic story, Lock Every Door misses the mark. Granted, while it’s always entertaining to see this kind of story set in the modern day, the story just isn’t meaty enough to support itself. The novel starts with Jules Larsen, a young woman with a past (of course) and nowhere to go (yep). When she receives an offer to move into a swanky apartment building called The Bartholomew (in Manhattan!), she jumps at the chance! All she has to do is housesit, and she gets paid a fat check. It’s almost too good to be true (it is). For starters, there are just a few house rules. No one can visit her. She’s not allowed to talk to any of the other guests. Oh! And other house sitters have been going missing.
I don’t mean to say that a formulaic plot can’t be interesting. That’s one of the best parts about the horror genre. But it’s important to find innovation and new angles within the tropes. Unfortunately, this plot never finds either. The only thing interesting about our protagonist is in her past, and even that’s something you’ve seen a million times before.
The Bartholomew itself is an interesting location, but that’s only because of a couple of the characters within its historic walls. An elderly author and a friendly doorman stand out to me. They are two of many characters that play a part in the plot to come. For a moment, there is a mystery here. Who can Jules trust? What’s happening at The Bartholomew? It won’t take you long to figure it out, and when you do, you may find it hard to care.
I wanted to like Lock Every Door. Riley Sager’s debut novel, Final Girls, was a brisk exploration of the slasher genre. It went places. It had interesting characters. I requested this book for review because I wanted to see how the author would play around in the cob-webbed playground that is the literary Gothic. But Lock Every Door never comes together. The plot is bare bones, the characters are mostly dull, and the protagonist is a bit plain. It never shakes off the chains of the urban Gothics that came before. If you want this kind of story, go to the classics. Lock Every Door isn’t what you’re looking for.

Wow! What a wild ride. A bit slow to get started. I put this one down for awhile wondering if anything interesting was ever going to happen. When I finally finished the second half, it flew right by and totally sucked me in. The characters were a bit one dimensional but that didn't take too much away from the book as I was just in it for the thrill ride.

I really enjoyed this new offering by Riley Sager - he is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Lock Every Door was dark and twisty - the perfect read for Winter.

This is such a solid thriller. Great, compelling protagonist with an intriguing backstory, great setup, an absolute pageturner (I read this in like two sittings!), and a truly FANTASTIC ending with a lot of weight behind it. This is my first Riley Sager but I'm looking forward to reading his other two books!

Okay, as I read this I was stuck with a repeating thought, “I need to know what’s going on.” And usually I’m good at figuring out plots! But with this one I kept struggling to have any clue whatsoever. I didn’t trust a lot of the characters automatically, but I never once guessed or even came close to guessing out what was happening in this building. Once it all started coming together I was like AW FK! And I found the main character pretty smart for the most part then an.... event happened later on that made me feel like she was a complete moron and I was very unhappy with her choices. It just felt very out of place but also part of me understood it. I didn’t much care for the +*+twist+*+ but it was fine. This was my first Riley Sager book and I honestly don’t know if I’ll read the others unless someone comes and tells me they’re better than this one was. He does have an easy to read writing style so... maybe. Comment and let me know your favorite of his work.

I love Riley Sager and couldn't wait for this book to come out! Overall it was ok but I feel like this whole "haunted house" theme was super overdone this year. I didn't love it but enjoyed reading it so ultimately it was a three star book for me.

Wow! This one was a real page-turner. Love that it was set in NYC in a building comparable to The Dakota, since I used to live on the UWS of Manhattan. Walking by those building you'd always wonder what's behind those doors. This book serves to peak your wildest imagination. Loved it!!

Jules Larsen seemingly has the deal of a lifetime when she gets a $1000 a week job of apartment sitting in one of NYC’s most prestigious and exclusive buildings, the Bartholomew. But she soon learns that there are rules not meant to be broken and severe consequences. In addition, the rumors that she’s heard about the building’s unsettling past soon begin to ring true when another apartment sitter disappears suddenly. As Jules searches for answers regarding her friends disappearance, she uncovers shocking secrets that put her life in peril.

Lock Every Door had my pulse pounding and me on the edge of my seat throughout. I read it in a day. I loved that at the beginning Jule’s situation seems ideal. I mean, what can honestly go wrong in this scenario? Apparently everything. Jules is no stranger to adversity: both her parents are dead and her sister disappeared without a trace several years ago, and she is all alone in the world. Her character shows determination, strength and ingenuity, all sought-after characteristics of a successful female protagonist. I recommend this to anyone looking for a fast, fun thriller.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Dutton Books and Riley Sager for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Interesting story. Not sure where it's going at first, satanism, body swapping, etc. Fast paced. Spotlight on the Dew on 11.5.19

When someone offers you a job that only requires you to stay in a luxury apartment for three months, it’s probably too good to be true. I really liked this book, reading it in one day. The twists were good and the ending satisfying.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this one. It’s definitely not my favorite from the author, but still a solid thriller. It just didn’t work for me. I know thrillers are not generally the most believable tales to tell, but this one really seemed far-fetched to me. A little too out there. 3.5/5 stars from me.

I really adored both of Riley Sager's other books, Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied. I knew I was going to love this one as well, and I was right. Riley Sager's books are always BOTM picks, so I'm excited to have added this third one to my collection. Lock Every Door is Riley Sager's newest release, and it follows Jules after she moves into The Bartholomew in NYC as an apartment sitter.

Jules has basically hit rock bottom. She was laid off, she caught her boyfriend cheating, and she only has about $500 to her name. But when she sees an ad for a high-paying apartment sitter position in the posh Bartholomew and gets the job, she thinks fate has blessed her tremendously.

Then come the rules: No guests. No spending the night away from the building. No engaging with the building's residents. But it's all worth it for that paycheck, right? Then Ingrid, Jules' new friend and fellow apartment sitter goes missing, and Jules realizes that things at the Bartholomew might not be so perfect after all.

Oh man this plot was good! There was absolutely no way to predict how this was all going to turn out! Honestly, this may be one of the most unique thrillers I've ever read. It was so easy to imagine the glamorous Bartholomew with its gargoyle statues and dark past. This story got better and better with every page and I enjoyed every minute of it. The elements using the old apartment dumbwaiter were so clever and added to the authenticity of the old building. The stories of the Bartholomew's sordid past were fascinating, and I loved the story behind Heart of a Dreamer, the fictional novel mentioned frequently in this book.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager was engaging, twisted, and suspenseful. Just read it.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars