The Doorman

A Novel

De: Chris Pavone

Narrado por: Edoardo Ballerini

"The many characters, who come from a variety of socioeconomic, racial and ethnic scales, are all captured convincingly by narrator Edoardo Ballerini."—The Washington Post

"This novel is way better than good...Cynical, tender, sharp, dense, funny, and loaded with inside dope about how New York works (and how it doesn’t)."—Stephen King

A pulse-pounding novel of class, privilege, sex, and murder, from the New York Times bestselling author of Two Nights in Lisbon and The Expats.

Chicky Diaz is everyone’s favorite doorman at the Bohemia, the most famous apartment house in the world, home of celebrities, financiers, and New York’s cultural elite.

Up in the penthouse, Emily Longworth has the perfect-looking everything, all except her husband, whom she’d quietly loathed even before the recent revelations about where all the money comes from. But his wealth is immense, their prenup is iron-clad, and Emily can’t bring herself to leave him. Yet.

And downstairs in 2a, Julian Sonnenberg—who has carved himself a successful niche in the art world, and led a good half-century of a full and satisfying, cosmopolitan life—has just received a devastating phone call that does nothing at all to alleviate his sense that, probably for better and worse, he has aged out and he’s just not that useful to anyone any more.

Meanwhile, gathered in the Bohemia’s bowels, the building’s almost entirely Black and Hispanic, working-class staff is taking in the news that that just a few miles uptown, a Black man has been killed by the police, leading to a demonstration, a counterdemonstration, and a long night of violence across the tinderbox city.

As Chicky changes into his uniform for tonight’s shift, he finds himself breaking a cardinal rule of the job: tonight, he’ll be carrying a gun, bought only hours earlier, but before he knew of the pandemonium taking over the city. Chicky knows that there’s more going on in his patch of sidewalk in front of the Bohemia than anyone’s aware of. Tonight in the city, enemies will clash, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be revealed—and lives will be lost.

This program is read by award-winning narrator Edoardo Ballerini, called "a master in his field" (The New York Times) and "in a class by himself" (Oprah Daily).

“Edoardo Ballerini’s masterful performance highlights growing tension in Chris Pavone’s The Doorman, a tense portrait of New York City’s social and economic divisions.”— BookPage

"Narrator [Edoardo] Ballerini skillfully offers varied voices, accents, and emotions in the outstanding audio production." — Library Journal

A Macmillan Audio production from MCD Books.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This adrenaline-pumping thriller from bestseller Pavone delivers a lacerating, Tom Wolfe–worthy dissection of Manhattan society in the post-Covid era. . . Page-turning from the opening paragraph to its killer finale, the narrative combines noirish atmosphere with a sharp attunement to the particular depravities of ultrawealthy urbanites. Pavone’s provocative look at the city that never sleeps will keep readers up well into the wee hours."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Chris Pavone has always been good, but this novel is way better than good. The kind of novel that wins book awards. Cynical, tender, sharp, dense, funny, and loaded with inside dope about how New York works (and how it doesn’t). The Doorman is a Bonfire of the Vanities for the 21st century. He gives it to both sides of the culture wars, and with both smoking barrels."
—Stephen King

"The Doorman is a near-perfect blend of clever plotting, wicked social commentary, irresistible setting, truly memorable characters, and old-fashioned, page-turning fun. What a romp!"
—John Grisham

"A tense, pulse-pounding thriller!"
—S. A. Cosby, author of King of Ashes

"Sensationally good, wise, wry, and perceptive—this era's great state-of-the-city novel, up there with the very best of Tom Wolfe and Jay McInerney."
—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels

“Smart, twisty, and sharply written, The Doorman is hard to put down and harder to forget. A delight.”
—Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of This Is Why We Lied

“Like the New York City subway, Chris Pavone’s novel moves at breakneck speed, twisting and turning, jostling together those who might otherwise live worlds apart, intertwining their secrets, their private heartaches, and their fates as The Doorman hurtles to its shocking conclusion.”
–Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

"Chris Pavone swings big with The Doorman, a wise, expansive, and extravagantly readable thriller that keeps us guessing until the last page. A searing and hilarious social satire, The Doorman unflinchingly takes on New York in this moment—class, race, social justice—with an eye as wicked as it is compassionate."
—Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette

"In this superb novel, Chris Pavone artfully blends the murk and glitter of Manhattan, both rich and poor, into one combustible tale of greed, lust, and crime. An irresistible read that captures, in personal terms, this terribly fraught moment in our nation's cultural politics."
—Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton

A bit long and formulaic for my taste

Tedious detail. Stereotypical characters. I thought it would never get to an interesting point. I only halfway listened and sped through the final part where the action finally occurred. Perhaps I didn’t do it justice.

Good story, great narrator

Didn’t grab me like his earlier books, but still good. Interesting insights into the world of the Uber-wealthy.

Accurate picture of Upper West Side life

Great story and enjoyable local details that ring true to me. I immediately reread it.

A real drama

Just terrific. It touched on so many things: moneyed people, their servants, race relations, love and hate.

Clash of the Classes!

I loved this well-written book, a kind of an upstairs/downstairs take on life in a fancy NYC condo/co-op building. The story touches about race relations, class, status, and ethics. It doesn't get preachy because the author skillfully adds some humor into it. The characters felt real, especially Chicky. In addition, it was satisfying to see some of the bad guys get what was coming to them. Overall, one of the most enjoyable books I've listened to in 2025. Not a literary masterpiece but an entertaining, well crafted tale.