In the words of June Diane Raphael, I do love a thriller. I found this book at my local thrift store after seeing posted on Book of the Month Club’s Instagram a few months ago. Decided to pick it up and give it a read. I’ll be up front here and say it was fine. Same predictable beats as other books of the genre. Same troubled, single, female protagonist with a dead family, this one comes without a drinking problem though (I’m looking at you, Woman in the Window).
We meet our main character, Jules, recently single after breaking up with her cheating boyfriend living on her best friends couch and newly unemployed. Oh, also, she’s an orphan with a missing sister who was never found. What a hand life has dealt this woman.
After trying and failing to find work, Jules stumbles across a mysterious ad for an apartment sitter to reside in the Bartholomew, a luxury building. Think the Arconia from Only Murders in the Building, but way creepier. She goes to the interview, meets with the chic real estate agent, sees the apartment, and is approved on the spot. Job pays $20,000 for 3 months of work. The catch? No visitors, no breaking curfew, no sleeping away from the apartment.
Jules is desperate for money and ignores these blatant red flags, much to her best friends chagrin, who warns her of the mysterious deaths and happenings at the Bartholomew. What ensues after she moves into her new home are strange interactions with guests, a tenant’s disappearance, gaslighting, gate keeping and girl bossing. Everything is not what it seems in this landmark residence.
I wish this book was better. It had potential, but as I said above, fell victim to many tropes I have read over and over again. If you don’t read thrillers too often, I’d say this is a good beach read with a cool glass of wine in hand.