Freida McFaddenThriller · Mystery·b. 1980
The Locked Door
Synopsis
When Nora Davis was eleven years old, she had no idea what her father was doing to women in the basement of their home — until the day the police came to the door.
Decades later, he is serving a life sentence as a notorious serial killer, and Nora has built a careful, solitary life as a respected surgeon under a name no one connects to him. Then one of her young female patients is found murdered in the exact, distinctive way her father once killed.
Someone knows who Nora really is, and seems intent on making her take the blame — or on finishing what her father started. As suspicion closes in and the killings continue, Nora is forced back toward the past she spent her whole life burying, and toward the unbearable question of how much of her father lives in her.
How it reads
- Writing3.0
- Characters4.0
- Plot4.0
- Atmosphere3.0
Prose complexity 3/10
Content warnings (6)
Graphic ViolenceGoreViolenceTraumaAbuseDeath Of A Parent
Readers say (1)Fast · Dense · Creepy · Tense · Dark
- No hay blanco o negroEn efecto, este libro me gustó (como casi toda la obra que he leído de Freida McFadden). No obstante, ya empiezo a sentir todos sus libros muy similares: no hay buenos ni malos, solo escalas de grises que siguen una trama donde el lector debe quedar impactado. Estos libros son como una droga: no puedo parar de leerlos.
- I thought it was ok but really I found it to be underwhelming. I expected more. I did not like when they revealed the killer. I found the whole thing very meh. There was a lot of allusion to a certain person being the killer, only for the killer to come out of left field. I also still had a lot of questions that were not answered. Could the story have been improved without the flashbacks? I mean, really, what did they add? Was Nora on the spectrum? What was the point of the slashed tires? What was the point of having the whole part about a patient pursuing legal action when it went nowhere and added nothing to the story? Did the cops not have someone tailing her? Did they not keep an eye on who was visiting a serial killer... whose crimes were being copied?? That info should have immediately went to the investigators! Why didn't they talk to him? Did they not track where he mailed all his letters? Why were they so weak with investigating and questions? They had her fingerprints, why not officially bring her in and really question her? Why did the killer take so long to act? Why didn't the mom of the victim reveal what she knew? Did I miss why she decided to Not go to the news with her info?? Why didn't Nora do a better job with name changing and blending in? Where was her support group? She had no friends and no life. She needed counseling and a good friend or two. Huge spoiler so please don't read if you don't want it spoiled! One thing that really bothered me and is so unbelievable: the killer is revealed to be her younger sister. That's fine. Then it's revealed that the mom had her at 5 months pregnant....! First of all, she was not on bed rest when she went into labor, nor was she in a hospital. The mother hung herself in her cell. The doctors apparently were not able to save her but were able to save the 5 month old fetus who was likely deprived of oxygen for a long while?? At 20 weeks? She was awaiting trial so she would have been in jail, so it would've have taken some time to get to the hospital. I could not wrap my head around that part.
- I did enjoy it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. That whole “everything works out in the end” vibe was kinda ?? — though, weirdly enough, I still liked it. The plot itself surprised me, but… I don’t know, it just didn’t feel Freida McFadden–level good. I keep chasing that Never Lie high, but honestly, that one’s hard to top. Still, I’ve got plenty of Freida’s books left to read, so I’m hopeful.
- Frieda McFadden definitely writes the type of thriller im looking for when I just want something quick and don't have to put too much thought into. I enjoyed this book for what it was, leave it to Frieda to throw something you're not expecting. Truly, thrown off the track of what I thought was going to happen. Overall a quick and fast paced read that I was able to listen to as an audiobook.
- Holy s••• pt2