The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Audiobook Review | A Dark, Addictive Locked-Room Thriller

Read time: 4 minutes

🎧 Listened in audio | ⏱ Duration: 12 hours
Narration:Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, Sope Dirisu, Sofia Zervudachi, Charlie Anson
Published by: William Morrow, imprint of Harper Collins
Release Date: 22 Feb 2022
🎁 Gifted by a friend

Book Blurb:

Jess arrives in Paris hoping for a fresh start, only to find her half-brother Ben missing from his upscale apartment. As days pass without word from him, concern turns into suspicion. Ben’s neighbors are a tight-lipped, unsettling group, each hiding secrets behind closed doors. As Jess digs deeper into Ben’s life, she realizes the apartment building itself feels like a locked room filled with motives, lies, and carefully curated façades. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Paris, The Paris Apartment is a tense psychological thriller where everyone is watching, everyone knows something, and no one is telling the truth.

Let’s talk … murder

This was one of those thrillers where I hit play and suddenly I was finding excuses to keep my headphones on. Lucy Foley knows how to hook a reader, and in audio form, this story absolutely thrives. Foley paints a portrait of a building so atmospheric you can practically hear the echo of footsteps in its marble hallways. The Paris setting isn’t romantic here; it’s eerie, like the city’s beauty is hiding something sharp underneath.

The audiobook cast deserves a standing ovation, multi-narrator thrillers can be hit or miss, but this one nails the tension. Each voice fits its character perfectly, adding layers of deceit and desperation. Jess’s determination to find Ben pulled me through the darkest moments (and yes, it does get dark in the middle). But the pacing stays taut, every reveal timed just right to keep your earbuds in long past bedtime.

What lingered for me wasn’t just the mystery, it was the unease. Foley’s characters aren’t just suspicious; they’re fully alive, flawed, and beautifully constructed. My only lingering question: who exactly sent that message to Jess at the start saying, “You can’t escape”? Maybe that’s part of the point, some secrets refuse neat endings.

Would I recommend it?

he Paris Apartment is gripping, moody, and compulsively listenable, with excellent narration that elevates the experience. It’s dark without being gratuitous, twisty without being messy, and emotionally grounded in strong character work. If you love your thrillers tense, atmospheric, and layered with psychological depth, The Paris Apartment is your next listen. Foley once again proves why she’s at the top of her game. Just be prepared to want something light and fluffy afterward.

If You Liked This, Try These Next:

1. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – Another creepy, upscale apartment building where every neighbor is suspect and the walls feel like they’re listening.
   Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
2. The Guest List by Lucy Foley – Same author, same multi-POV tension, this time on a remote island with murder simmering beneath wedding champagne. Perfect if you loved Foley’s pacing and character work.
   Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
3. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – Dark, obsessive, character-driven suspense with unreliable perspectives and that same slow-burn dread that lingers.
   Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
4. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney – A twisty, atmospheric thriller with marriage secrets, isolated setting, and reveals that keep shifting what you think you know.
   Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
5. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris – Domestic thriller meets psychological horror, with a seemingly perfect life hiding something very dark behind locked doors. Great if you want to lean into the unsettling side.
   Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy

Who else got locked in?

That twisty ending has me questioning everything. Did the “you can’t escape” message make sense to you, or do you think Foley left it open on purpose? Let’s discuss down below. No spoilers, just theories.

Book Links:

Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders.
#SupportLocal

Indiebookstores.ca
Bookshop.org
Goodreads | Storybound | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Check out more books from William Morrow