Every Freida McFadden book I read gets better and better. This one definitely did not disappoint and had me guessing wrong every time from the very beginning. She is such a master of twists on twists on twists. I loved the dual timelines in this book, every time it switched you were left on a cliffhanger which made the book unable to be put down! If you haven't read this one, go get it now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Freida McFadden and Poised Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝐬 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.
𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲! 🧿

Dr. Nora David is a general surgeon at Corey and Davis Surgical Associates, not a Phlebotomist like her father Aaron was or a housewife like her Mom Linda…
She grew up in a home which was quite different from the others in their nieghbourhood as we find out very early on in this Book.
Nora tries to leave her childhood in Oregon behind and live a peaceful life in her home in Calfornia.

These Days Nora works closely with her surgeon partner Philip Corey, medical assistant Sheila and their new secretary Harper and has a weakness for old-fashioneds.
Outside of work she keeps to herself, is lonely and only the new bartender, Brady Mitchell, at her special bar Christopher’s seems familiar to her.

After a little while young women keep missing in the Bay Area and they seem to be connected to Nora in more than one ways. She gets involved with the police, namely Detective Ed Barber, who believes that Nora might continue with her father's hobby after he went to jail for it 26 years ago.

The only real friend she seems to have, might be a stray cat which Nora feeds every night at her backdoor.

Is Aaron Nierling really the Handymanand did Nora know as a Kid what was being so fishy about their Home?
Is a copycat killer out there, stalking girls with black hair and blue eyes?
How are Amber Swanson & Shelby Gillis connected to Nora?
Will Philip be able to leave Harper the F*ck alone? Or is he just a brainless manwhore? 🤣

¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦

So, wow… as soon as I started reading this Book I couldn't put it down.
𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝!

I went though the Chapters like racing through a NASCAR lap after another.
This book was pleasant to read, even though it had a few points here and there, that made me go "𝑁𝑎ℎ… 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦!?".

But there were a few red herrings strewn about, and I have to say that I eagerly went after them… like a good little Puppy.
There were moments I didn't trust anyone, not even the Detective!

At first I wasn't entirely sure if Nora knew or not what her father did back then and I had a hard time empathising.
We see, that the day her parents were taken to prison caused a childhood trauma in Nora.
Her past never leaving her mind, and effectively controling the way she operates as an adult. (Her general distrust and cautiousness towards everyone, close to her or not.)

She and Brady, they both irritated me though. The way they handled their affaire, vay anam... no bueno!
I wanted to slap them more than once… they're lucky this is just a Book.

I genuinely liked the black stray/feral cat Nora kept feeding. It verified some of my assumptions… yet the whole time reading I really was afraid, that something might happen to the four-legged Cutie! 🥰

That Twist at the End!? Magnifique!
This was my first McFadden Book and if the next one is such a scorcher, I might truly get hooked on her works.

It will be released on the 3'rd of October 2023.

𝑴𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑! 𝑺𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕?

Wow! This was good!

The Locked Door is the second book I've read by Freida McFadden. The first one was The Housemaid which my husband and I listened to in the car last summer - nothing spices up a marriage like a thriller where either the husband or the wife is the guilty party and the twists keep on coming while you're stuck inside the same car for hours on end... 😬😄

But back to The Locked Door - reading this book made me realize how much I have missed reading a good mystery novel! I just couldn’t put the book down and the way the writer first led you one way and then the other was absolutely brilliant. A perfect autumn read, when you are inside reading by candlelight and it's raining cats and dogs outside while your cat is snoring on the couch next to you - I'm really happy we don’t have a basement in our house, though!

Nora is the daughter of a serial killer and when girls start being killed in the same signature way over 25 years later, of course all fingers start to point at the daughter of the infamous killer. Now with a name change, Nora has a flourishing surgical practice of her own and lives a somewhat reclusive lifestyle to avoid getting attached to anyone who many discover her true identity. The book rotates back and forth between present day and 26yrs later when her father was captured. The flashbacks definitely help to plant the seed of doubt in Nora and make you wonder, what is she capable of? How much of her father’s “evil” has been passed on to her through genetics.

I wouldn’t say this was one of Freida’s best books. The main character was flawed and the supporting characters weren’t very developed. It is clear to me that Freida rights for shock value and plot only and hopes that she can keep you guessing until the very end. Which she did and I didn’t guess the twist at all! But the Epilogue did giveaway a reveal that I felt was coming through the entire book so that part didn’t shock me at all.

I couldn't have finished a book faster than this .I am now officially addicted to Freida McFadden.
This book was fast paced with interesting plot I just wanted to know what is happening in the story.
There are few stupid decisions protagonist take which has affected my ratings and the ending twist is little overwhelming and seems farfetched but still it was a lot of fun to read.

I love FM books.

I was definitely hooked, throughout the whole book. I am usually pretty good about figuring out the bad guy, but not this time. I was shocked when they were revealed! The ending has me hoping for a book 2!

This is my second time reading this book, and it's just as good as the first time. As always, Freida delivers a heart stopping, hair raising, twisted plot. Full of plot twists that you will NOT see coming, this book will have you on the edge of your seat and unable to put this book down.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of the plot:

Nora Davis is a surgeon who lives alone by herself and has sworn off relationships. Why? Because her father is a serial killer, and she was the one who helped put him away when she was a child. Her father would lock women up in his basement and kill them. His signature move was cutting off their hands. The locked basement always smelled like lavender, a scent that Nora is triggered by every time she smells it. One day, the dead bodies of patients that she served start to pop up--with their hands cut off. Naturally, the police think it's her due to her association with her father. So Nora tries to figure out who is framing her and why.

Thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed how the book flipped between Nora's current life trying to figure out who the serial killer is and Nora's past where she discovers her father's murderous secret. I think the chapters in the past could have used more pages. For example, I wish we got a scene where Nora calls the police to report her father or a scene where Nora goes down into the basement again. But I do like how the past chapters build up Nora's character because she tries very hard to not be like her father, even though she thinks that she has his murderous traits.

The plot twist... Man, I did not enjoy it. If you hate the "surprise, you have a sibling" trope (like me), don't read this book. In hindsight, I can see how the author planted seeds early on that would explain the whole "surprise sibling" thing. However, I didn't quite enjoy it. The surprise sibling claims that they were saved in the womb after their mom committed suicide at like five months into the pregnancy. Is that... possible? (Also, did the mom know what the dad was doing in the basement? I don't think it was clear.) Either way, I don't really think the sibling had a good enough motive to become a serial killer and frame Nora for the murders.

Overall, this was a quick and easy read. There were times that I felt a little on edge. For example: Nora has a habit of saying "Honey, I'm home" when she gets home even though she lives alone. I was waiting for someone to say something back. I just wish we got a little bit more about the father and how it all went down the drain for him.

Such a good book - I flew through it in a few hours because I couldn't put it down. It's Freida McFadden at her creepiest and my favorite of her so far. Definitely will be recommending it!

Okay. Finished this in 4 hours. Literally could not put this down. I was literally in like fight or flight mode. This was perfectly written ! Did not predict the plot twist AT ALL.
The characters all seemed sus and I was driving myself crazy trying to piece it all together !

How come I hadn’t read this book before? Yeah, okay, I know, there are way too many books out there (and I want to read them all), but there is only one me living my life and I don’t have a time machine. Yet. So, I haven’t read EVERYTHING.
This one is not a brand new one – it was self-published by Freida a while ago, and now Sourcebooks are taking over, and it is being re-released. There is a new cover, maybe some minor edits (or so I have heard), but the story is the same one that was published previously.
Either way, it is almost here. The new version of this book.
If you know Freida’s books and enjoy them, and haven’t read this one yet, then I’m telling you that you should read it. It will not disappoint.
It is entertaining, it is twisty, it is engrossing. And, it has a happy ending. A thriller filled with crazies and with a happy ending. It is slightly graphic, and there are some details that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Like, you WILL look suspiciously at anything that smells like lavender, guaranteed.

Originally published in 2021, The Locked Door is being released with Poisoned Pen Press on 3rd October 2023, and I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this edition via NetGalley.
I've had my eye on Freida McFadden for a while and have several of her books downloaded from KU, her books are always highly recommended to me.
Whilst reading The Locked Door, the suspense that has been created in the writing is very immersive. I really felt the paranoia of the main character, Nora. It is very creepy and because of the short chapters, it feels very fast-paced which has your heart racing.
The twists in this book, wow! I can tell this is the appeal for this author's work. I completely didn't see the ending coming.
However, I think my main problem with The Locked Door is there were many plot holes and loose threads that left a lot of questions unanswered. I think the book needed more development and could have been a higher page count to fully tie up the story.
I think if you're the type of reader to read a book in one sitting, this thriller is definitely for you. I enjoyed my time reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading The Housemaid duology soon, which will be my next read of Freida McFadden.
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Freida McFadden for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads and will be rated on Threads and Instagram Stories. Review to be posted on Amazon and Waterstones on publication date.

6/10 - Definitely not my favorite Freida McFadden book, but it was still a fast paced psychological thriller. I didn’t form a liking or bond to the main character, but the ending did come as a surprise. Definitely positive and negatives with this book, but I would ultimately recommend some of her other books over this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been a fan since The Housemaid and my expectations keep getting higher with every book I read. I will say, The Housemaid is still my favorite BUT this one was a really fun ride! I read it in one sitting, a page turner for sure! One of the things I love about her books are the twists and my goodness, did they deliver! If you’re looking for a fun and fast paced thriller-this is your book! Enjoy :)

As always Frieda never disappoints. A real page turner from the start. I stayed up all night to finish this.

Another quick, twisty psych thriller by Freida McFadden! Lots of fun and readable in a day! I think this book must be a re-release, first published in 2021, and set to be published again Oct. 2023.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting read! I enjoyed the dual timeline aspect to gather more background on the main character. The way the story is told, has you second guessing Nora herself. I enjoyed this book, but felt it was a little bit slow at the beginning.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

Nora Davis is now a successful surgeon but no-one knows that she ran away from her past as a daughter of the notorious serial killer. Suddenly a couple of her patients are murdered in her dad's unique manner and Nora starts to suspect someone is trying to set her up. Will Nora be able to preserve her reputation or will past catch with her.

Freida McFadden surprised me again. I love that every book is different and twists are not disappointing me. At the beginning I was a little bit scared to read about serial killer but it wasn't as bloody as I was afraid. It is a fast and easy read. I kept guessing who was to blame almost till the end.

She has done it again! Never a full read with Freida McFadden. I always think I know, but she managers to throw a twist like no other. Cannot wait to read her next one after the sample of The Teacher I also got to read. Every thriller/mystery lover needs these books!

Seriously such a good and thrilling story! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and couldn't get enough of all the twists and turns. Freida McFadden is the queen of suspense thrillers and this one is another hit. It had a lot of great true crime vibes and every time I thought I figured it out something would happen and flip everything around again. A quick read that I literally couldn't put down!