The Doorman

LoveReading Says

Heart-poundingly suspenseful, and perfectly-plotted to interweave layers of unexpected twists, Chris Pavone’s The Doorman is that rare kind of page-turning thriller that cuts to the core of contemporary society to create a novel that’s both addictive and provocative. 

Dissecting the intersection between NYC’s super-rich and the people paid to serve them — caretakers, chauffeurs, escorts, and the eponymous doorman at the heart of this novel — it’s a whip-smart story of privilege, prejudice, racism, sex, secrets, desire, greed (and murder) centred on one of New York’s most prestigious and priciest addresses. Namely, the Bohemia, a super-fancy building that houses an assortment of multi-millionaires and billionaires whose lives become intertwined with debt-ridden Chicky, the doorman who witnesses everyone’s comings and goings with tight lips and a polite smile on his face.

Against a backdrop of flaring tensions and protests that rise as a result of yet another Black man being shot by a cop, tensions are also simmering in the Bohemia, not least in the case of billionaire Whit, whose questionable dealings in business and sex are about to come to a head as his wife Emily tries to keep the peace (and her family together), while also harbouring her own secrets, and desires for a different life. 

The characterisation is top-notch — while most of the cast members are pretty unlikeable (though you’ll most likely root for Chicky the whole way through), there’s plenty of meat on their bones and they feel 100% authentic through a story that reveals that while “Life can look like a series of foregone conclusions… you are who are, until you’re not”.

Joanne Owen

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