The Doorman

This adrenaline-pumping thriller from bestseller Pavone (Two Nights in Lisbon) delivers a lacerating, Tom Wolfe–worthy dissection of Manhattan society in the post-Covid era. The primary setting is the Bohemia, a storied Central Park West co-op where protagonist Chicky Diaz stands watch. A streetwise former Marine who moonlights as a security guard to pay off his late wife’s crushing medical debt, Chicky has seen and done a lot—but nothing approaching the perfect storm of catastrophes that converge during the fraught hours over which the narrative unfolds. The intersecting story lines—which culminate in an armed robbery at the Bohemia—involve some of the building’s highest-profile names. Chief among them are gorgeous former gallerist Emily Longworth and her billionaire husband, Whit, who was recently outed as an arms dealer but is privately known to Chicky as a man with a propensity for hiring call girls who look like his wife. 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. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Co. (May)