When your father is a serial killer, will you turn out the same way?

When Nora was 11 years old, her father got imprisoned for killing thirty women in their basement. Decades later, Nora is a successful surgeon while her father is still in prison. And yet, the killings start again in her father’s signature style. Moreso, they’re all patients of Nora. Nora is a prime suspect, but she’s sure she’s nothing like her father. Or is she?

This is the first Freida McFadden book I read, and I enjoyed it a lot! It’s easy to read and full of twists and turns at the end - I didn’t guess who the killer was. The author is really good at revealing details at the exact appropriate time, without the reader noticing something was withheld early on. Though there were some illogical parts, I was able to suspend my disbelief because of how good she wrote it. I’ll surely read her other books, she’s a great storyteller.

Thank you poisoned pen press and netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I want to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This was my very first book by Freida McFadden and I guarantee you it won’t be my last. Her other books are already loaded to my kindle since reading this one.

Nora Davis was born Nora Nierling, but no one knows that or so she thinks. Nora is a successful surgeon alongside Dr. Philip Corey who is entirely too flirtatious with women he encounters, especially Harper the secretary at their practice. Nora lectured him on sexual harassment and he’s behaved himself.

Nora, like her father, loves a good old-fashioned and frequents a bar named Christopher’s where she runs into an old boyfriend, Brady, from college. Brady is a nice guy who wants nothing more than for Nora to be in his life again.

Nora’s life flips upside down when two of her former female patients are murdered with their hands cut off and a detective suspects she has something to do with it all because her father killed 30 women the same way. Nora has nothing to do with their murders, but someone is trying to frame her and she has to figure out who it is.

I never saw it coming and never suspected the person that did it. The end left my jaw on the floor. This is one that I’d read again knowing who did it just to see if I could catch anything that might’ve pointed to them. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the kindle copy in exchange for a honest review. Nora is a successful surgeon who saves lives. She is hiding a massive secret. Her father was a notorious serial killer. When copy cat murders start to happen Nora is interviewed by the police as there is a link between the victims and Nora. Another brilliant psychological thriller from Freida McFadden.

This was so good!
It's the first book I've read by this author but it won't be the last!
The character of Nora is so likeable in the present day, when it drops back to her childhood you don't know what to think of her and leaves the reader feeling a little uneasy. The other characters in the story are well thought out and loads of red herrings in which you think you know who the murderer is then keep changing your mind. I was guessing right up until the reveal.
This author is an incredible writer, easy reading, short chapters, everything I like about a thriller.

I don't think this was an advanced reader copy, as I realized I had already read it after a few pages. Still, yet another great book by my favorite author! Thank you Frieda!

My first MCFadden book. I've seen a lot of hype about this author and she did not disappoint. An enthralling mystery that quickly draws you in. Won't be my last from this author.

Any book by this author is amazing. She has this way of captivating her audience with a brilliant story and characters that draw you in. I am never disappointed when reading a novel written by this marvellous woman!

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It was a real page turner. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Freida McFadden does it again with The Locked Door.
Nora is not only a successful surgeon, but also the daughter of an infamous serial killer. Nora has spent her adult life reinventing herself and attempting to distance herself physically and mentally from her father's crimes.
When Nora's patient is murdered with the same MO as her father's killings, Nora realizes she needs to confront her past before it overcomes her.
The Locked Door takes the reader on an adventure that delves into childhood trauma, loss, family, crime, and suspense. The POV of Nora and her own confusion with her patient's murder leave the reader in the same mindset and anxieties as our main character.
A true "thriller", this novel was exciting and fun to read at night in the dark. Four bright and shiny stars for The Locked Door.

This was my first meeting with author’s work. She’s someone I’ve been excited and looking forward to trying and she exceeded my expectations!
I loved her fantastic doctor banter - it felt so authentic that by second chapter I had to look her up. The author is, in fact, a doctor!

I love a convoluted tale. And this one was just set in all the right tones!

The feels in this book are very sharp. In fact, after this book I can’t place lavender in my oil diffuser anymore. It makes me nauseous. So yes very strong feels over here.

The labyrinth of plot twists done very well and I know will be reading more from this author!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for many reasons! First, I loved the short, quick chapters. Secondly, I loved the fast pacing of this story. Third, I loved the character development of each of the characters, and I especially loved that of Nora.

4 stars

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for accepting my request to read and review The Locked Door on NetGalley.

Stars: 2.5

Strong start. I wanted this to be creepy, more thriller than mystery. The setup worked for me; stay out of the basement. Then the creepy became 'not another one.'

I'm guessing statistically the ending is one of the top three for mystery/thrillers.

While the cover is remarkable, the story is not. I will have to read the synopsis to remember the story. The author started strong creatively and slowly lost steam.

I passed bored with this ending and am now frustrated with established authors.

This one started off strong but by half way I was bored and was waiting for something to finally happen. It wasn’t hard to guess who was being the copy cat killer. I found Nora to be an annoying character.

I really enjoyed Frieda’s more popular books but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me. The last 100 pages I skim read.

What a thriller! I loved how you never really knew how much you could trust the main character. I appreciate how McFadden once again just pulls the rug out from you just when you think you have it all figured out. Would recommend.

Excellent book! Fast paced and I still could not guess what exactly was going on. Perfect read to suck you in and forget about day to day life!

Nora’s father is a serial killer who kept and killed women in their home’s basement. Nora remembers hearing strange sounds coming from the locked basement door while growing up. Now as an adult, Nora has changed her last name and has become a successful surgeon and her father is spending his life behind bars. Nora escapes her lonely life going to a local bar after work where she sees a new bartender who looks familiar., but how does she know him and what does he know about her? One night she hears about one of her former patients who was found murdered exactly in the same way her father murdered women, with their hands severed. Soon after, another woman is found murdered in the same manner. This second woman was also one of her former patients. Nora suddenly finds herself the prime suspect in the police investigation. The detective shows up one night asking to search her basement and wanting to know where she was the nights her former patients were murdered. Who knows who she really is and who knows what her father had done?

Freida is always an instant read for me & I never read the synopsis beforehand so I really never know what to expect. As always, Freida did her Frieda thing & there were twists and turns til the very end. This was a fast fun read with dual timelines that leave you guessing til the very end. Even though this isn’t my first Mcfadden book & I have kind of learned what to expect this one caught me by surprise.

As always thank you to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

I'm a huge Freida McFadden fan, and this one did not disappoint! I did not even begin to see the twists and turns that came from this book! It was quite the thriller and I couldn't put it down! If you love a good thriller, you need this one in your life!

I really enjoyed this book! The writing style drew me right in and the storyline was great. I love me some Frieda books so it wasn’t surprising I loved this one as well!

This book was wild! Grabbed me from page one and I couldn't put it down. One of my favorites of Freida McFadden!