I've seen this authors work being talked about a lot recently mainly on tiktok and booktube, so I was excited to finally read something by Freida and wow talk about addictive! This book had me in a chokehold, I couldn't put it down! There's twists and turns galore. I LOVED the Serial Killers daughter kinda vibes, and I found her unreliable narration such a great asset to the plot. Dr Nora is a great surgeon, but is she a great person?
How messed up would you be if your father is out here killing 30 women?
Overall, I did really enjoy this one! There's red herrings thrown in for suspense, and like I said, it's super addictive. My only criticism was that sometimes I thought the characters made decisions that didn't really make sense. But it's a fast-paced, entertaining read, and actually sometimes that's what we all need!

FREIDA HAS DONE IT AGAIN. Just when I think that she has outdone herself, she come out with another hit.
Nora’s father is a terrible man. He was charged with the murder and torture of over 30 women. Behind bars, he try’s to connect with his daughter, who simply wants nothing to do with him. Nora is a surgeon who has decided to rid herself of her fathers legacy by changing her last name. However when crimes resurface with her fathers MO, the police start to look at her for answers. I mean after all, does the apple fall far from the tree?
I enjoyed the duel story lines in the book. We got to really become one with the mind of the child of a serial killer. Really played up the idea of wether we can grow out of the evil taught to us at a young age. In addition, the ending… I would have never guessed that. I love a thriller that can truly make me question how I could have missed that. I just love how descriptive Freida is, she immersed me into this world of Nora’s and I could see every bit of this story. I love that about her writing, it’s so well done that I can create a whole movie in my head.
I want to thank Freida McFadden for allowing me to review this amazing book as an ARC on Netgalley.

Such a great thriller. This one will keep you guessing right up to the end. A bingable book you won't want to put down. I highly suggest to thriller/ mystery readers.

From the first paragraph I was hooked! I was invested in Nora and felt bad for her lot in life and having a murderer for a father. There were just enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat and doubting everyone’s motive and involvement in the storyline; without it being cheesy or outlandish. I’m not a fast reader but I flew through this book. I thought the ending was a little far fetched but this is likely because it wasn’t what I anticipated.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
Another fun thriller from Freida McFadden. This one was fun and fast paced like all her others but it still lacked the depth that I wish her books had. It’s still a very fun book to read, you just have to go into it knowing it’s just a surface level easy read!

The premise sounded so good (someone else mentioned the television show Prodigal Son that was on Fox and I was getting those vibes too) but it all kind of went downhill. There's a lot of red herrings thrown in and I knew one character was going to play a bigger role but it turned out to not be what I thought (though honestly there's no way you could have seen that twist coming anyway so meh). This went really fast (I wonder how many pages this was in real book form). Also (super minor spoiler) but the cat is never harmed. I was so anxious about it the whole time.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A literal locked door psychological thriller at its finest! I devoured The Locked Door over two days.
Dr. Nora Davis, a successful and respected surgeon has a secret from her past. Her father is in jail for life for committing heinous murders. Nora was a child when he was caught from an anonymous tip about his crimes. She has spent much of her life in her new identity, so as no one would recognize her as the daughter of a monster.
But, when murders of women who were her patients start happening, she becomes the suspect because of who she is.
This was such a fast-paced, suspenseful, character driven book. I loved reading Nora’s inner dialogue, and moving between the past and the present was written seamlessly.
The best thriller I’ve read this year!

Good psychological mystery that kept me guessing. This is my first book by Ms. McFadden, I have seen a lot of buzz online about her other books and will likely check those out.

When Nora Davis was eleven-year-old she discovered that her father was killing women in the basement. She turned him in to the police, he and her mom were arrested, and she was sent to live with her grandmother. Her father became infamously known as "The Handyman", since he severed the hands of his victims. Decades later, Nora's father is serving a life sentence in prison with no chance for parole, and Nora is a successful surgeon with a quiet, solitary existence. She changed her last name so that no one will know her father was a notorious serial killer, and she will do everything in her power to keep it that way. Then one of her young female patients is murdered. In the same unique and horrific manner that her father used to kill his victims. Somebody knows who Nora is, and wants her to take the fall for this unthinkable crime. But she's not a killer like her father. The police can't pin anything on her. As long as they don't look in her basement.

This dark & twisty thriller kept me guessing until almost the very end. I think I suspected everyone in the book of being the copycat killer, even Nora. I had a dozen different theories, and they were all wrong. I did feel like Nora was a little bit one-dimensional, so I had trouble connecting with her, but that was my only complaint. I wish she had had more personality, or felt more real, but she was described by her parents as being strange as a child, so maybe she was on the spectrum? That could account for the flatness of some of her answers. When things start happening - letters from her father shoved under her door at home, cars following her, the girl getting murdered in the same fashion as the ones her father murdered, Nora starts spiraling, and you don't know if you are dealing with an unreliable narrator or what. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, then you should definitely check this one out.

Nora Davis escaped her past after her father was convicted of killing over 30 women when she was 11. Now a successful surgeon, Nora’s once quiet, comfortable life is thrown into chaos when two of her patients are found dead. Both women were killed with the infamous signature that her father used in his murders. Police suspect Nora, Nora is terrified somebody has figured out who she is and is trying to pin these copy cat killings on her.

The Locked Door was suspenseful and thrilling, as are most of McFaddens books. I did not predict this ending at all, and loved the breadcrumb trail that was left for the reader throughout the book. While I enjoyed this read, it was not the most amazing book I have ever read. I found myself annoyed with Nora many times throughout the book, like, you really just DIDN’T recognize your college boyfriend at all? Overall, the chapters were short, the book was fast paced, and I felt the suspense throughout the book.

Thank you Netgalley and poisoned pen press for access to this book. This book has been out since 2021 but I do recommend that you read it if you enjoy Freida McFadden!

A thriller about never escaping one's past, _The Locked Door_ will keep you hooked through the very end. Nora Davis is a successful surgeon with a horrific secret--her father is an infamous serial killer. When her patients become victims, killed in the same way her father took lives, her world comes crashing down. It's up to Nora to stop the copycat killer before it's too late.

Well I definitely was not expecting that 😳 Freida McFadden writes some creepy, messed up thrillers and I am here for it 👏🏼 This is the third book of hers I’ve read so far and it certainly won’t be my last! Grab this one now if you want an audiobook that is a quick listen and seriously twisted! 🙌🏼

I didn't know what I expected when I read the title, but a serial killer was far from it! The premise of this storyline was so unexpected and quite frankly, pretty creepy.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and that it was a single POV with a dual timeline. It really kept me guessing on if Nora was actually anything like her father. I especially enjoyed that the author threw Brady in the mix as a way to throw you off your guess of who the killer actually is.

I definitely didn't even suspect who the real killer was because I was so focused on the other possible suspects. So when the twist happened, I actually was truly shocked and really enjoyed it! Definitely would recommend this book to others who want a quick read!

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Press and author Freida McFadden for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

what i love about @fmcfaddenauthor books is how you as a reader are kept off guard the entire book - unsure who's the victim, and who's the villain. there are no clear-cut answers, and while we may get a resolution or two, there's always at least ONE question hanging out there, a "what might happen next".

in #thelockeddoor, we feel for nora as she navigates life through the tight boundaries she's set for herself, staying away from people and places and things who could represent a threat to her hard-won anonymity. but, DID she become a surgeon because she likes cutting human flesh?

the story keeps the pages turning quickly, and the ending was a huge surprise to me. excellent, highly recommend.

p.s. thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Nora has tried to escape her past of being the daughter of a notorious serial killer. She is a surgeon now and focuses on helping people. However, when two of her patients die similar to her dad's MO, she becomes the main suspect. Someone is clearly targeting her, and she must find out who it is before she is arrested.

This one was really engaging! McFadden's writing is so easy to digest, and she does a great job at creating suspense. I did think the whodunit was a little predictable, but maybe that is just me as I do read a lot of thrillers. I'd definitely recommend this if you need an easy to read, suspenseful book!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Freida writes the kind of books that you can’t put down. The stories that are easy to read and suck you into them to the point you forget to eat, can’t sleep, and cannot function until it’s finished. Forever a McFadden fan!!

Nora is the daughter of the “Handyman” serial killer, but she is living her life in anonymity after being adopted by her grandmother and moving out of state and changing her name. She now works as a surgeon and just trying to get by like everyone else. It’s been 26 years since she turned her father in and he got 18 life sentences. Then, 2 of her patients die in the same manner as her father’s killings and the police come knocking on her door. How did they track her down? She starts to investigate the copycat murders on her own as well so she can clear her name but can she, in fact, clear her name?
Many of the childhood flashbacks alluded to Nora having similar tendencies as her father and even the fact that she worked as a surgeon when her dad was known for cutting the hands off his victims (thus the nickname) and yet when she reconciled with her college sweetheart, she acts like he’s the one who has something to hide.
Classic popcorn thriller that I was able to read in one sitting.
Thanks to Hollywood Upstairs Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WOW. WOW WOW WOW. i thought the housemaid was good and then i read THIS. a million times better than the housemaid and an even bigger fucking plot twist. my mind was scrambling the entirety of the story and i wasn’t sure what the fuck was going on. seriously, this book was FANTASTIC. in my top 5 books of the year.

idk if its just me but frieda mcfadden is just the thriller genre's version of colleen hoover...take that how u wish

This was so good!

I find stories by this author hard to put down! The characters are interesting and the pacing is quick! There is an eerie vibe throughout the story and so many red herrings. I didn’t even come close to guessing the plot twist. The final twist, though small, gave me chills 😳.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.