Lock Every Door

Lock Every Door is a 2019 thriller novel by American author Todd Ritter, writing under the penname of Riley Sager. The novel made the New York Times Bestseller List for July 21, 2019.[1]

Lock Every Door
AuthorRiley Sager
Audio read byDylan Moore
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreThriller
PublisherDutton
Publication date
2019
Media typePrint (hardback, paperback)
ebook
audiobook
Pages384 pages
ISBN1524745146 First edition hardcover
Preceded byThe Last Time I Lied 
Followed byHome Before Dark 

The novel is set primarily during Jules's time in the apartment building and is interspersed with portions set during current day, when Jules has attempted to flee the building for reasons that become apparent as the plot progresses.

Synopsis

This synopsis is in chronological order as opposed to book order.

Having lost both her job and her boyfriend, Jules Larsen answers a job posting for an apartment sitter for an upscale apartment in The Bartholomew after the death of its occupant. It is explained to her that tenants cannot let an apartment sit empty for more than a month's time, so as to deter burglars, and that she will live in the apartment until the family determines what they want to do with the unit.

While staying in the building Jules learns that other people, predominantly sitters, have gone missing in The Bartholomew and that the sitter before her was very likely abducted for unknown reasons. She finds evidence to support this and grows even more suspicious after a sitter for another apartment, Ingrid, goes missing. This leads her to believe that the building owners are part of a satanic group called the Golden Chalice and that the missing people were used as sacrifices to lengthen their lifespans. Terrified, Jules flees The Bartholomew, upon which point she is hit by a car and hospitalized. She initially tries to explain what has happened to the hospital staff, only to discover that she is once again in the clutches of the group.

One of the members, Nick, explains that the group is not satanic. He further states that while the apartment building was initially built in order to protect its inhabitants from outside diseases and contaminants, it now serves as a black market for the wealthy to obtain organs from unwitting donors, typically sitters or other people with no place to go and no one to turn to. Jules manages to escape from the clinic, which is located in The Bartholomew, and the building as a whole. In the process she stabs Nick and sets fire to his apartment, as he had tried to stop her from leaving. After the fire has been extinguished the police investigate the building and uncover the scheme. As a result many celebrities and former residents of the building are either arrested or commit suicide and the building itself is demolished.

Release

Lock Every Door was first published in the United States in hardback and ebook format on July 2, 2019 through Dutton Publishing.[2] An audiobook adaptation narrated by Dylan Moore was released on the same day through Penguin Audio.[3] Dutton also released a paperback edition of Lock Every Door on May 5, 2020.[4]

Television series

In July 2019 Paramount Television, Sugar 23, and Anonymous Content announced plans to adapt Lock Every Door into a television series. Brian Buckner will serve as an executive producer and writer for the series while Angela Robinson has been announced as director.[5]

Reception

Lock Every Door received reviews from outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and NY Journal of Books, the former of which stated that Sager "relates ominous events and spooky developments with skill, adding an element of social commentary and a surprise twist ending—elevating this exercise in terror above the ordinary shocker."[6][7] Oline Cogdill, writing for the Associated Press, drew favorable comparisons between the novel and Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, noting that Sager dedicated the book to Levin.[8] The Virginia-Pilot also wrote a favorable review.[9]

References
  1. "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - July 21, 2019 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  2. Sager, Riley (2019). Lock every door : a novel (First ed.). [New York]. ISBN 978-1-5247-4514-1. OCLC 1056479011.
  3. Sager, Riley. Lock every door : a novel. Moore, Dylan (Dylan Christina),, Penguin Audio (Firm) (Unabridged ed.). [New York]. ISBN 978-1-9848-9105-1. OCLC 1091127593.
  4. SAGER, RILEY. (2020). LOCK EVERY DOOR. [Place of publication not identified]: DUTTON. ISBN 978-1-5247-4516-5. OCLC 1123819963.
  5. Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (2019-07-02). "'Lock Every Door' Series Based On Novel In Works At Paramount TV & Anonymous Content With 'True Blood' Duo". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  6. "a book review by Emily Ross: Lock Every Door: A Novel". NY Journal of Books. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  7. Nolan, Tom (2019-06-28). "Mysteries: The Sudden Vacancies Down the Hall". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  8. COGDILL, OLINE H. (July 8, 2019). "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE". Concord Monitor/Associated Press.
  9. "Book review: 'Lock Every Door' a fast-paced thriller". Virginia Pilot Online. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
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