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I heard about Riley Sager from a BookTuber I loved (She has long stopped making content and I couldn’t be more upset about it). She didn’t love his books much but she still wouldn’t stop recommending them whenever someone asked about thrillers she had read. The book she didn’t like much and gave two stars was ‘The House Across the Lake’. I picked it up because though she gave it two stars she still said it wasn’t a bad read if you hadn’t read Sager before. I really enjoyed it. I think she gave ‘Survive the Night’ one star because she couldn’t give it a zero star rating but I still enjoyed that as well. Sager tells predictable stories especially if you read a lot of thrillers but they are compulsive and hard to put down while they last. 

The one book that she did highly recommend was ‘Lock Every Door’ and I was excited to get my hands on a copy. My reasoning was if I had enjoyed books that she hadn’t been particularly thrilled about, then I was sure to love one that she was raving about. I stumbled upon a copy of Lock Every Door at Books Mandala in Baluwatar, Kathmandu, and though the font wasn’t eye-friendly, I bought it. I like thrillers that are based in apartments or closed spaces. They have a claustrophobic feel to them that I really enjoy, despite giving me goosebumps and making me feel uncomfortable. Isn’t that the best feeling when you are reading mysteries and thrillers? 

Lock Every Door is about a woman named Jules Larson who lands a new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high profile buildings and home to the rich and famous. Jules finds out that her boyfriend, Andrew, has been cheating on her and she moves out of their shared flat. This leaves her practically homeless as she has little money in her bank account. So she takes up the job at the Bartholomew despite her friend Chloe warning her about its dark history. The job comes with a few rules. She can’t have visitors over. She must not spend nights away from the apartment. And she shouldn’t disturb the other residents. 

These seem like simple rules to Jules especially since she will be making about $4000 a month for the next three months and getting to stay at a really luxurious apartment. She makes a new friend, Ingrid, who is another apartment sitter in the same building. Ingrid confesses to Jules that the building scares her but Jules dismisses it. That night, Jules hears a scream from Ingrid’s apartment and the next day Ingrid is gone. The girl who hired Jules, Lesley, tells her Ingrid left without notice but Jules thinks something sinister is going on and that Lesley, along with the building’s other residents, is trying to hide it. She starts searching for Ingrid and looking for clues behind her disappearance and in the process uncovers a dark and deadly secret. Ingrid isn’t the first apartment sitter to have disappeared. 

Lock Every Door has a nice plot. There are elements of suspense and tension. You keep turning the pages. But it’s also predictable, especially if you read or watch a lot of mysteries. I could guess what was happening when I was less than halfway into the book. A character entered and what was going on became clear to me. I wasn’t wrong despite hoping there was another ending than the one I was guessing. But I can understand why the BookTuber couldn’t stop talking about Sager’s books. They are gripping stories that are enjoyable to read. Sager is also known for plot twists that you don’t see coming. All in all, I would say you don’t want to miss out on his books that are good distractions from whatever is going on in your life. 

Fun fact: Riley Sager is actually the pen name of American author Todd Ritter.

Fiction

Lock Every Door

Riley Sager

Published: 2019

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 368, Paperback

The Janak Education Materials Center Limited has so far printed 12.3 million ballot papers for the March 5 elections. 

The state-owned company has been entrusted with the responsibility of printing ballot papers for the upcoming House of Representatives elections.

According to the details provided by the center, 1.313 million ballot papers have been printed in the last 24 hours alone. 

A total of 28.3 million ballot papers for the proportional representation (PR) system of the election have been printed. The center has so far printed 50 percent of the ballot papers.

The center has provided a total of 1.098 million ballot papers to the Election Commission.

The Janak Education Materials Center has stated that the printing of the ballot papers for the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system will begin after the process of filing of nomination by candidates is completed and the final list is published, and the election symbols are given to the candidates.

The waterbird census carried out this year shows that there are 42 species of birds in the Narayani River area. 

The bird census the previous year had found 41 species of birds and it was 42 species this year in the Narayani River area, said DB Chaudhary, Bird Census Coordinator of Chitwan National Park West Sector.

More birds have been found in the Narayani River and the surrounding wetlands of the western sector of Chitwan National Park than last year. 

According to the integrated data of the bird census conducted by a group of experts in the Narayani River and surrounding areas, 12,887 birds of 42 species have been found in the Narayani area this year

In 2024, 9,548 birds of 41 species were counted and in 2023, 10,257 birds of 41 species were counted. This year, one more species of bird has been found compared to the past few years and the number has also increased.

It may be noted that a total of 903 species of birds have been listed in Nepal. Of these, 162 species of birds are found in the aquatic area. 

The birds were counted in five groups, from Sighrauli to Amaltari, from Sighrauli to Pithauli, from Pithauli to Amaltari, and from Amaltari to Triveni Gandak Barrage. Coordinator Chaudhary shared that the initial estimate is that the overall number of birds has increased by 3,339 this year compared to last year. 

According to him, the largest number of migratory birds that come here are from Siberia and other northern hemispheres to escape the cold.

The Election Commission has stated that citizenship certificates are mandatory for the filling of nominations by candidates contesting the March 5 House of Representatives elections.

As per the election calendar set by the commission, nomination of candidates is being held across the country today. 

A copy of the citizenship certificate or a copy of the voter ID card is mandatory for registration of candidacy. Similarly, proof that the name is included in the final voter list of any rural municipality or municipality of the country is also required.

If the candidate is holding a position in the Government of Nepal, Provincial Government or local level or is receiving remuneration from an organization that receives grants from the Government, proof of resignation from such position is also required. 

The nomination papers submitted need to be signed by one who has proposed and one who seconded the candidacy, by those whose names are included in the final voter list of the same constituency.

If a party has filed a candidacy, a formal letter of nomination for a candidate for the House of Representatives issued by the party’s central executive committee or a similar committee authorized to issue a formal letter of nomination for the candidate will be required.

Similarly, in the case of parties participating in the election jointly by taking a single election symbol, a formal letter of nomination for the candidate as per the House of Representatives Election Guidelines, 2082 BS, will also be required.

Candidates also need to submit a receipt of a deposit of Rs. 10,000 at the office of the concerned election officer. In the case of women, Dalits, minority communities, or economically disadvantaged candidates, a 50 percent discount on the deposit amount has been provided.

Similarly, the candidate must also provide a sealed property statement stating the details of his movable and immovable properties, accounts in banks and financial institutions, securities, shares, bonds, and loans given to or taken from anyone.