Lock Every Door

Lock Every Door

by Riley Sager

Blurb:

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.

My Reaction:

(I listened to the audiobook version.)

I mean... It's very silly, but if you can deal with that, it's a passable bit of escapist fiction for fans of fairly mindless thrillers.  Just don't think too hard (listening to the audiobook while you're doing other things at the same time is great for that) and don't expect too much.  

This novel isn't remotely believable, but given that the other two books I've listened to by this author had supernatural elements, that wasn't something I was counting on, anyway.  I came to be entertained, and I guess it this did the trick.  

The moral of the story is a bit obnoxious, absolutely absent of nuance, and the bad guys are hilariously over-the-top evil villains, but oh well.  It kept my mind occupied while I did housework, so I'm satisfied.  

This next bit is a SPOILER, so continue at your own risk!  

I did find it funny that in the first book of this author's that I listened to, the story felt like a straightforward crime thriller, then took a sudden (unexpected, at least by me) paranormal twist—whereas this one was practically the complete opposite:  It felt like we were headed in the old, familiar direction of "swanky NYC apartment building occupied by a coven", only to have the rug pulled out from under us near the end, replaced with a more realistic... well, let's say a "non-paranormal" explanation.  

SPOILERS over.

There are some plot holes, many things either don't make sense or are disappointingly predictable, and the main character isn't the most memorable—but I already know I'll listen to more of this author's books, because they're "interesting enough".  This is a silly thriller, not a mind-expanding masterpiece, but for what it is, it works.