Chicky Diaz, the doorman at an exclusive New York City building, has all the info on the famous and wealthy tenants to give him insights into their lives, their prejudices, their penchants. The tenants of each apartment are varied, but in total they show much of current big city culture, lifestyle, prejudices, attitudes, likes and dislikes. We also see society and its levels and their interactions or non-interaction. The exclusive apartment building and its tenants' attitudes and lives show many aspects of modern society as it is.

Not my cup of tea, unfortunately but I did finish though so will watch for more from this author & try again. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

Loved Chris Paine in his two previous books and this one doesn't disappoint! The quirky mix of occupants and Chicky, the doorman, provide another great story..

Not for me, though have enjoyed previous Chris Pavone novels. Will continue following/reading his work.

3.5 rounded to 4 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved Two Nights in Lisbon, so I was looking forward to reading The Doorman. This didn't have the same appeal for me, I was a bit disappointed, although the writing and the story are good - it just didn't grab me.
Chicky is a a doorman at The Bohemia in NYC. It is home to the wealthy and the elite.
One particular night, Chicky brings a gun to work, which is strictly forbidden. But there is turmoil in the streets due to a black man being killed by the police.
In the Bohemia penthouse, Emily seemingly has the perfect marriage and life. But, her husband is involved in some shady business and Emily is unsatisfied. In another apartment, Julian, an artist, provides a distraction for Emily.
When the night erupts in violence, it is surprising who is hurt and how.
I may give this another chance later.

"The Doorman" is a gripping thriller that takes you inside a Manhattan apartment building where a struggling widower named Chicky Diaz, pulls a gun. The story unfolds, weaving tension between tenants, staff, and neighbors, revealing a complex mix of privilege, fear, and simmering tension. "The Doorman" is more than just a suspenseful read, it explores the choices people make when pushed to their limits, offering a smart, fast, and surprisingly emotional journey.

The Doorman pulled me in right away. The setup is simple but so tense: one night in a fancy Manhattan apartment building, with Chicky Diaz on shift. He’s a widower, drowning in debt, and just trying to keep it together. But this night he shows up with a gun, and from there the whole building feels like it’s ready to explode.

What I liked most was how human Chicky felt. He’s not some slick action hero—he’s a guy doing his best, caught between grief, desperation, and a job that puts him face-to-face with people who live in a completely different world than he does. The book jumps between tenants, staff, and neighbors, and you really feel the mix of privilege, fear, and simmering tension.

It’s definitely a thriller—you keep flipping pages to see what’s going to happen—but it also says a lot about class, race, and the way New York has changed since Covid. It’s messy, loud, and alive, just like the city itself.

By the end, I wasn’t just entertained—I was thinking about the choices people make when they’re pushed to the edge. Fast, smart, and surprisingly emotional, this one stuck with me.

I've loved Pavone's previous books where there's lots of action in an overseas espionage setting. This one was completely different, felt political, with not much action. I struggled finishing the story as none of the characters were likable and it felt unreal.

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital ARC of #TheDoorman. Honestly, this is my first book by this author and I didn’t love it. It seemed like a book that was trying to capture the everyday drama of our world and that was not good for me. I read books to escape from the crazy all over social media and this book just felt icky and I didn’t want to finish it. I may try another of his books to see if they are a better fit.

It’s ONLY THE MURDERS IN THE BUILDING except for more thrills and less laughs. Author Pavone deftly follows three major characters who all work or reside in a famous West Side apartment building in New York City: Chicky Diaz, the doorman; art dealer Julian Sonnenberg who lives in modest Apartment 2A; and Emily Longworth, a billionaire’s wife and young mother who lives in the fabulously renovated penthouse. Channeling Tom Wolf’s BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, this page-turner skewers contemporary class divisions and political divides while telling a story, unfolding over a single day, about a variety of Manhattanites dealing with with dreams gone sour, romantic misadventures, and capitalism run amok. While not as thrilling and effective as the author’s previous work (TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON or THE EXPATS), THE DOORMAN still satisfies as an involving late summer crime drama.

Chris Pavone is a writer whose talent has only grown. I enjoyed his earlier books as exciting stories, but The Doorman is in a whole different class in terms of writing and character development. I would compare him to Amor Towles for engagement and readability.
The Doorman uses the setting of a world famous New Your apartment house to give readers a door into the lives of a number of wealthy residents and the people that serve them. And Chicky, the doorman of the title, plays a pivotal role in all their lives.
The stories of the various tenants become more intertwined as the narrative advances, leading to a powerful conclusion.
I must confess, if I had the time, I would reread this story to get the characters better fixed in my mind. Mu suggestions to you as a reader, pay close attention to early exposition to follow the action and complex relations of the characters. This story is definitely worth careful reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy. I thought this book was very slow moving and spent quite a bit of time on background information. Basically, nothing exciting happens until about the last 10% of the book, and I found myself often impatient for the story to move more. However, I did was to read it to the end to find out what happened.

3.3/5 ⭐️ Stars - Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for an ALC of ‘The Doorman’ by Chris Pavone. When I first read the synopsis and a few reviews, I honestly wasn’t sure this book would be for me. In fact, I half-expected to read 10–15% and DNF (something I never do). But I decided to give it a fair chance—and I’m glad I did, because it turned out to be an unexpectedly emotional/polarizing read.

The characters are a tough group to sit with. About half are downright despicable, while the rest aren’t much better—certainly no one here is winning gold stars for their choices. The novel is steeped in politics, which I usually try to avoid, but Pavone weaves in themes of class, privilege, race, and ethics in a way that feels both timely and unsettling. As the book’s own description puts it, this really is “a novel of class, privilege, sex, and murder.”

The first 80% felt overly drawn out, with too many characters introduced along the way. Still, that buildup worked to make certain figures thoroughly loathsome, which gave the story a slight edge once the suspense kicked in. The ending was intriguing, though it left me with a few lingering questions.

In the end, I’m glad I stuck with it—this book wasn’t what I expected, but ultimately, I think it made an impact.

Not the book I thought it was going to be.
I loved the story of chicky in the beginning, but it strayed so far from him.
There were way too many people involved in this book, and way too many opinions on topics going on right now.
Not a huge fan, and probably won’t recommend this to friends

The blurb for this book sounded really interesting so I was excited to pick it up. However, I had a real hard time getting into this book and set it down after getting through 40% of the novel. There is a lot of setup here so very little happens in the beginning. I found most of the characters, other than the doorman, to be obnoxious rich people repeating liberal and MAGA talking points while going about their day. There were a few points of tension but the lack of the promised web of intrigue or characters to care about made me lose interest. I see quite a few positive reviews--this book just wasn't for me but I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.

After reading Two Nights in Lisbon back in June 2022, I knew I’d be picking up Chris Pavone’s next novel—and wow, The Doorman absolutely delivered. 👏🏼

A pulse-pounding thriller set in the heart of New York, this book dives deep into class, privilege, race, and power—all without ever slowing the pace.

Chicky Diaz is the beloved doorman at the Bohemia, a glamorous high-rise filled with the city’s rich and powerful. But tonight, with NYC in chaos and secrets bubbling inside the building, Chicky breaks the rules and carries a gun to work—for the first time.

🗝️ Upstairs: a penthouse wife with a perfect life and a dirty-rich husband she quietly loathes.
🖼️ Downstairs: an aging art dealer feeling irrelevant in a world that’s moved on.
🚨 Outside: protests, police violence, and a city on edge.

Told through multiple perspectives, this is more than just a thriller—it’s a smart, provocative look at who gets to feel safe and why. Chicky is the heart of it all, and his voice gives this story so much soul.

Gritty, timely, and impossible to put down. Highly recommend for fans of suspense with substance.

I've very mixed feelings about this book. I've read the author's other books, which were more thrillers from the get-go, and enjoyed them. This seemed like a modern rehash of Bonfire of Vanities but did not keep me nearly as engaged. The storytelling is good and the author paints a complete picture of his setting. I just felt like it was a very slow start and a bit repetitive with certain facts. I was interested enough to keep reading, but really only became engaged at the 80 percent mark. Maybe I had false expectations going into the book, judging the author by past stories.

I'm tempted to give a 3 for the amount of engagement I felt with the story, but the author is a good writer, and maybe I didn't give the book a fair go, so I'll round it to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chris Pavone, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Doorman
By Chris Pavone

Emily Longworth is the wife of an extremely rich man, who has made his money as an arms dealer. They live in an upscale building called the Bohemia Apartments in New York City. Chicky Diaz is the doorman of the building and has been for 30 years.

Emily has grown to hate her husband – and he her. She finds out that he hires hookers who he chokes when finishing off sex – and that they all look like her. In the meantime, Emily begins an affair with another tenant of their building. What starts as retaliation grow into love for Emily and Julian. This is obviously a recipe for disaster.

But this is just one of multiple story lines. The author is very heavy-handed in expressing his thoughts on everything from racism, LGBTQ+ rights, "bad" cops, conservatives (and to a lesser extent liberals); in short all the things that are blamed somewhat one-sidedly on whites – most notably men – in this country today. The fact that he introduces several Hispanic and black characters who are criminals is somehow also the fault of rich white people!

The core story is intriguing, but the book loses something from the over-arching intrusive political narrative. The author is certainly entitled to his thoughts and beliefs, but readers like me are reading for entertainment – not for proselytizing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Doorman was hard to put down and the ending completely shocked me! Taking place at a prestigious apartment building in New York City, we are introduced to Chicky (the friendly doorman) and multiple tenants at the Bohemia. When a Black man is killed by police, protests break out in the city and the safety of the Bohemia is compromised. As a reader, I felt connected to the characters – they are well written and complex. The pacing of the book was good too – with a number of unexpected twists that left me shocked at times. I also appreciated the social justice lens and how the author covered current issues from varying perspectives. Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Sraus, and Giroux for the eARC.

Part suspense and part social commentary, The Doorman was a slow burn for me in the beginning that took off in the last third. I enjoyed the way the book was written around three characters living and working in the same historic NYC building, with all the stories converging into one at the end.