11 year old Nora had no idea that her father was a notorious serial killer, mutilating women behind a locked door in their house. Decades later, Nora is a somewhat reclusive surgeon, keeping her past hidden. Until her patients begin dying in the same manner as Nora's incarcerated father.

I liked the overall premise of the book. However, early on I said "I'll be pissed if the killer ends up being ___ because ____." Even though my exact prediction came true, I still found the book enjoyable.

This is the 3rd book I've read by Freida McFadden, and if you like her writing, this book is for you. The book draws you in quickly in her typical style, and it's a fast read because of it. I didn't see the big twist coming - I probably should have, but McFadden is good at what she does for a reason!

As usually happens with Freida McFadden's thrillers, this book lasted me less than 24 hours. I highlight the plot, between the past and the present, with an accelerated pace, which makes you want to know what will happen next. As a psychological thriller it works very well. The only thing I could say that I didn't particularly like is the similarity of some of the important details with other works of hers. But even so, I find it a very recommendable book.
I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with the copy.

Wasn’t a huge fan of this book. The plot twist seemed like a stretch to me. I will still check out more of this author’s books though!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my opinion.

Thus book was so so god. In true Frieda fashion, you never see the twists and turns coming. If you’re looking for a thriller with unexpected twists, this book is for you.

Flew through this one! You were invested in the story immediately and spent pretty much the whole book determining if you should trust the narrator or not. I tried to guess the ending but was thoroughly surprised!

The locked door by Freida MCfadden
Is a very interesting thriller, suspense and mystery, it keeps you guessing and when you know you got it right, you’re wrong lol this happens a lot of Freida’s books, you think you know who done it but it is always wrong, I like how the locked door book is very fast paced and it is straight to the point, there was not a chapter of the book that got me bored or daydreaming, this is how is so good, you get very invested into the story, I just could not put it down the chapters are nice and short, the overall story is amazing, something new and different, I don’t wan to give away how the story unfolds but just know this is a really good book

The story begins with the revelation from Nora's POV that her seemingly very normal and law abiding father was revealed to be a serial killer and arrested for killing 30 women, in the basement of the home where their family lived and to the door that was always locked while Nora was growing up.
Nora changed her last name as soon as her parents were arrested but 26 years later, the scars of the trauma is yet to heal.
26 years later, she is a surgeon and her father is still in prison, but the murders seem to have started again. Not only are the victims her fathers type, the murders her father MO, but the victims are both her patients. So its only a matter of time before the suspicions turn to her. And someone is out to frame her.
She has worked hard to not be like her father and she realizes that the only way to prove her innocence is by finding the killer herself.
Whoa McFadden books! I literally could not put this one down and finished it within hours. I did not see the twists coming and could not have guessed the ending in my wildest dreams. So good!!
5 stars from me!
Thanks to Netgalley and PoisonPress for an arc of this book for my honest opinion!

The Locked Door Review

-- Read if you want:
Serial Killer's Daughter
Copycat Killer
Who is framing me?
Unreliable Narrator Vibes
Dual Timelines

--
I was very excited to get into my first Freida McFadden book. I will say when all is said and done I won't not try this author's work again, but this one was not for me. I can tell she has the pacing of a thriller down, and is able to craft and very believable world, but everything else was missing for me with this read.

Overall I was very disappointed by this book. I did not feel surprised by the story nor was I ever particularly interested in the main character. As the daughter of a serial killer I expected our FMC to be a bit sharper when suspicious things start to happen, but she is a bit complacent until it's too late.

The dual timeline was also underwhelming to me, as the narrative never commits to our FMC as a truly morally grey character who struggles with being like her father and because of that it flounders. I was also waiting for a jumpscare and it never came, because of this the read felt lackluster and dull.

The narrative holds a lot back to reveal later, especially about how much the FMC knows about her dad and the part she may or may not have played in his crimes, but it doesn't assist the narrative well. It makes it drag, there is very little action and long moments in between.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Every now and then, I stop reading thrillers for some unknown reason. And then I pick one up, and it reminds me why I love this genre so much. This book was one of those.

This was my first book by this author, so I was both hesitant and excited going into it. I will say that it’s not the most unique or mindblowing thing out there, but I will also say that I didn’t need it to be. I was hooked from page one, and even though not much really happens until the end of the book, I was super invested.

So, what’s it about? The Locked Door follows Nora, whose father is a notorious serial killer. But that’s okay. He’s in prison, and she’s moved on. She’s a successful surgeon with a new name, and she’s made a decent life for herself where no one knows who she is. Until girls start showing up dead, and they just so happen to be killed the exact same way that her father used to kill back in his days. Also, someone seems to be trying to frame Nora. And then there are the flashbacks to her childhood that make you think she’s not so different from her father than she seems . . .

I think the author did a great job of keeping me on my toes. Throughout the story, I kept changing my mind about whether Nora is actually innocent or not. And then there’s the big reveal at the end, and I genuinely didn’t see it coming. What I appreciate is that it didn’t come out of left field or feel far-fetched – it actually made sense, and there were lots of hints sprinkled throughout the book that came together at the end.

This wasn’t a five-star read for me though, because I did have some issues with it. The writing was a bit repetitive at times, and I do feel like there are a few loose threads that could have been tied up neater. There’s also a romance sub-plot that was nice but just felt a bit out of place. Still, despite all of that, I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it and I’ll definitely be picking up more by this author in the future.

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.
I read a lot of thrillers and suspense stories, and this one definitely kept me on my toes. I feel that the storyline was different, and I appreciated that it wasn’t similar to the majority of the thrillers that I’ve been reading lately. The only thing I would have liked more of is to learn of Nora’s childhood. I have too many questions about Nora’s childhood that I needed answers to. I felt that part was cut too short

Freida does it again!!! The Locked Door was amazing! From start to finish it held my attention and kept me guessing! And right when I thought I had the ending figured out, nope…I was thrown for a loop! I love that anytime I read a Freida McFadden book, I’m always surprised and utterly shocked at the twist! Way to go, Freida!!

3.75 stars

I'm so hard on thrillers, I'm sorry, I just am not usually wowed by them. This one did make me go "oh" at the end but it still wasn't 5 stars for me personally. The beginning had such promise, I was all in!, then when the romance popped up a little I just didn't feel the connection and it took me out of the story a bit.

This is quintessential Freida!! I absolutely loved this book and read it in one day!

The twists and turns were great and I did not see the ending coming at all! Highly recommend!

Let me start by saying that I love a thriller that keeps me guessing. Every time I thought I knew where this one was going I was proven wrong. The characters kept me pulled into the story and the short chapters were perfect bites to keep me reading all night long.

The premise of the story along with the first few chapters had me feeling confident that I knew where the story was headed-thankfully I was wrong. Dark and twisty & sometimes unreliable narrators are my favorite kind and Nora gave me all of those things. I was rooting for her and scared of her all at the same time.

With all that being said I do feel like the story was a little rushed and left me with a few untidied ends. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and a perfect thriller for this time of year!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book!

Holy! Freida does it again!! This book is absolutely amazing! It’s thrilling, terrifying, and it kept me guessing until the very end!

Nora’s character was very well written and she had amazing depth! And the side characters were amazing as well!!

I truly had no idea who did it until the end and even when I got to the very end there were still new things to find out!!

Freida writes the best thrillers I have ever read and this was the first time I was ever truly scared of a book but I couldn’t put it down either!!

5 stars definitely!!

This story is creepy good!
Nora has spent most of her adult life trying not to be like her serial killer father. She's a respected surgeon with a non-existent social life. She's changed her name and moved to another state just to be safe and keep her relationship with her father a secret. Then one of her patients is found dead with the same MO as her father used, and then another, but he's in prison for 18 lifetimes. This thriller keeps you guessing until the end, and I did not see it coming! Strongly recommend.

I had been seeing this book everywhere! What could be more intriguing than a locked door???! As always Freida has twists and turns I almost had this one figured out! Very good story line

This novel started well. The story centres on Nora, the daughter of a serial killer. She has made a new life under a new name as a successful surgeon although her personal life is somewhat devoid of relationships. Her carefully crafted life is about to be turned upside down as her identity is threatened and her true background exposed. Unfortunately, as her adversary is exposed, the narrative sort of fizzles out and the somewhat predictable ending is a bit weak.

Freida is the quick of suspense - I pick up one her books and I know that I am locked in for the night and my do not disturb mode is on. Another cover to cover in one sitting that was incredible.