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A review by neverlandpages4
The Locked Door by Freida McFadden
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
• This was my second book by Freida McFadden and just like The Housemaid, it did not disappoint!
• I was actually planning on reading The Housemaid’s Secret but I saw this recommended in a YouTube video, then decided to start it on my Kindle just to see what it’s about and I literally couldn’t put this down and binged it in two sittings!!
• That’s the thing about this author’s books, they’re pretty short and will have you hooked from the first chapter and you pretty much have no choice but to binge read them because they’re just that good!
• This had such an interesting premise. For the first 20-30% of the book, we’re kind of unsure of Nora’s moral compass. Her dad is a serial killer and even though she’s convinced that she’s nothing like him, we watch her as she grapples with her morality and I thought that she was such an interesting character. I always love reading from morally questionable characters’ POV, I think part of that has to do with The Tell-Tale Heart. It literally made me love villain POVs 🫢
• Something I didn’t like though was the constant red herrings. Anytime I thought a character might be shady, they were immediately cleared. I felt like there was no chance for the reader to try and guess if their theory was right.
• The big twist at the end took me by surprise, but I did partially guess it. The killer was pretty obvious imo, but the way that they’re related to everything was what shocked me.
• This is a fast-paced, fairly short, twisty thriller that I’d highly recommend to anyone in a reading slump! Or to anyone that loves thrillers. And I’ll definitely be reading more of Freida’s books soon!
• I was actually planning on reading The Housemaid’s Secret but I saw this recommended in a YouTube video, then decided to start it on my Kindle just to see what it’s about and I literally couldn’t put this down and binged it in two sittings!!
• That’s the thing about this author’s books, they’re pretty short and will have you hooked from the first chapter and you pretty much have no choice but to binge read them because they’re just that good!
• This had such an interesting premise. For the first 20-30% of the book, we’re kind of unsure of Nora’s moral compass. Her dad is a serial killer and even though she’s convinced that she’s nothing like him, we watch her as she grapples with her morality and I thought that she was such an interesting character. I always love reading from morally questionable characters’ POV, I think part of that has to do with The Tell-Tale Heart. It literally made me love villain POVs 🫢
• Something I didn’t like though was the constant red herrings. Anytime I thought a character might be shady, they were immediately cleared. I felt like there was no chance for the reader to try and guess if their theory was right.
• The big twist at the end took me by surprise, but I did partially guess it. The killer was pretty obvious imo, but the way that they’re related to everything was what shocked me.
• This is a fast-paced, fairly short, twisty thriller that I’d highly recommend to anyone in a reading slump! Or to anyone that loves thrillers. And I’ll definitely be reading more of Freida’s books soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting