The Escape Room by Megan Goldin ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

An escape room, also known as an "escape game", is a live‐action team‐based game where players cooperatively discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to progress and accomplish a specific goal in a limited amount of time.  Many companies use the escape room challenge as a team-building exercise to help build trust between employees on the same team.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2019; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250219657
audio, ebook, print (368 pages); thriller

Now - picture this:  Four high-level members from a prestigious financial company who have worked on the same team for years but remain in competition with each other.  They aren't really friends and will do anything to get a better bonus or a promotion even if they have to make their fellow team members look bad.  All four are ruthless and cruel.  They all received an email to meet in a new building for a mandatory team-building exercise and after they got into the elevator, the elevator suddenly stops and these words show up on the panel:  "WELCOME TO THE ESCAPE ROOM. YOUR GOAL IS SIMPLE. GET OUT ALIVE." (loc 327).  They aren't really excited about a team-building exercise but they know that it's almost time for bonuses so they want to do their best to succeed at the game - after all, it will only be an hour out of their lives.  But things don't turn out like they'd all thought that it would and as the hours pass and each person's secrets are revealed, they realize that this is more than a game.

In alternating chapters, we get the story of Sara Hall. She joined the team as a new member years before, eager to work with her new MBA degree in her hand. Her starting salary amazes her but the 90 plus hours a week are difficult to get used to.  She tries to work with the team but is always treated as an outsider. The only person that Sara becomes friendly with is Lucy, a very intelligent analyst who is also on the autism spectrum, lacking in social skills and often made fun of by the rest of the team. After a tragedy occurs and Sara begins to question what really happened, she becomes even more ostracized by the rest of the team.

I can't really tell you much more because I don't want to give away any plot points. What I will tell you is that this is an exciting book to read and it kept me up way past bedtime to find out how it would all end and who was responsible for setting up the escape game.

This is an exciting book that will keep you turning pages to see the outcome of office politics at their worst.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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