“One of my favorite books of the year.” –Lee Child “Cancel all your plans and call in sick; once you start reading, you’ll be caught in your own escape room–the only key to freedom is turning the last page!” –Kirkus Reviews (starred) “A sleek, well-crafted ride.” –The New York Times In Megan Goldin’s unforgettable debut, The Escape Room, four young Wall Street rising stars discover the price … The Escape Room, four young Wall Street rising stars discover the price of ambition when an escape room challenge turns into a lethal game of revenge.
Welcome to the escape room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive.
In the lucrative world of finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are at the top of their game. They’ve mastered the art of the deal and celebrate their success in style–but a life of extreme luxury always comes at a cost.
Invited to participate in an escape room challenge as a team-building exercise, the ferociously competitive co-workers crowd into the elevator of a high-rise building, eager to prove themselves. But when the lights go off and the doors stay shut, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary competition: they’re caught in a dangerous game of survival.
Trapped in the dark, the colleagues must put aside their bitter rivalries and work together to solve cryptic clues to break free. But as the game begins to reveal the team’s darkest secrets, they realize there’s a price to be paid for the terrible deeds they committed in their ruthless climb up the corporate ladder. As tempers fray, and the clues turn deadly, they must solve one final chilling puzzle: which one of them will kill in order to survive?
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Fantastic. One of my favorite books of the year.
High wire tension from the first moment to the last. Four ruthless people locked in a deadly game where victory means survival. Gripping and unforgettable!
The Escape Room was a slow building mystery puzzle. The interest level definitely bumps up a couple notches once there’s mention of people who died. This group has many many secrets and no idea what the escape room is for, what the reward will be, or how hard it can be to be cooped up in a small space of like-minded, cut-throat coworkers. The way the story was set up with different perspectives and a mix of past and present kept me intrigued, trying to figure out what was going on. The beginning sets you up to be pulled in right away. I enjoyed the story.
Wow. Just…wow. This is a 350+ page book and I read it in one day. I can’t say that about a lot of books, but this one I can. It’s a gripping suspense story that grabs you at the beginning and holds onto you until the very end.
So… the bad things first. I’m not generally a fan of mixed point of view and I really don’t like omniscient POV that head hops all over the place because I don’t know whose head I’m supposed to be in. This one switches from first person in one chapter to third person omniscient in the next and back and forth depending on who we’re with. It’s told from the point of view of the main character, Sara (1st person), and four of her colleagues (third person omniscient) separated by chapters(which is good). It also flips back and forth between past and present. But, that being said, once you get into the story, it’s not as off-putting as it sounds because the story itself is so good.
And that’s the saving grace and the reason it got five sparklers instead of a lower rating. The story is just that good. Okay, there were a couple of other “editorial” issues that caught my eye, but that’s me. As far as the story goes… my first impression stands. Wow. I could not put this down. I just kept reading, even though I had other things to do. And that’s what makes it a five star. If you’ve grabbed me that strongly that I can’t put it down, that’s worth the top rating.
The story centers around Sara Hall—a young woman who lands a prime job at a top financial corporation in New York—and her four main colleagues. To the sharks at the top, getting rich is all that matters. But when financing takes a downward turn, things get interesting. The four colleagues end up in an elevator escape room where they begin to show their true colors, and it isn’t pretty. Not only do they need to survive, but the biggest mystery to solve is what happened to Sara.
The ending is brilliant and unexpected.
Kudos to the author for making me forget the head-hopping, the POV flip-flopping and draw me so deeply into the story that I couldn’t stop reading. Well done, and definitely recommended.
WOW! This is one of the most memorable psychological thrillers I’ve read this year. Megan Goldin is a new author for me and I was excited to read a book recommended by Lee Child. Needless to say, I couldn’t put it down. Easy to read, this is a rollercoaster ride you can devour in one afternoon.
Sarah Hall’s point of view was fascinating and you can’t help liking her from the outset. In a bid to help her ailing parents, she embarks on an exciting career at Stanhope. After much a laborious job search, she has a chance encounter with a future employer. Too good to be true? You bet it is. As an ambitious MBA graduate breaking into the vicious cut-throat world of Wall Street Finance, she is immediately thrust into a corrupt and hostile environment, where greed and revenge are at the forefront. At the very start, the mood is one of high-wire suspense as millions are at risk and Sarah must navigate a smart route through the tensions and wiles of high-powered investment bankers. At times, I wanted to shake the naivety out of her, and the irritating willingness to trust. Aren’t the collusions and maneuverings of Wall Street life taught to all MBA graduates before embarking on such a career?
Vincent, Sylvie, Sam and Jules are the four game players, served to the reader in an alternate point of view. Summoned on a Friday night for a team building exercise they are expected to play the Escape Room game. But the room is a locked elevator with no cell phone service and no emergency call button to alert security. Nothing can be more frightening than being trapped in an elevator, especially with people you loathe. Clues are found to assist their escape but the longer they are confined, infighting and tension builds, and confrontations are inevitable. When past transgressions are revealed, can one person rectify the abuse that has been dished out to the most vulnerable?
The first three quarters of this book is a steaming read and I particularly enjoyed the resonant backstory set in such a small setting. But at no time did I get the impression Sarah would overcome a bunch of sociopathic analysts in quite this way. Where she suddenly got these additional skills beats me. I gave the book five stars for originality and for the staggering pace.
What the hell kind of awesomeness did I just read? The Escape Room by Megan Goldin is an epic psychological thriller that had me fearing for elevators more so than ever before! But above everything, that bloody ending was f***ing amazing!
What happens when you take four investment bankers and stick them in an elevator together for a team building exercise? I can see how one would think that’s a joke, but let’s just add that they’ve all been lured into the elevator and they have no idea why. This escape room is far more sinister than they thought it would be.
This book is told through two points of views. One is from Sarah Hall, an only child who chose a high paying job at a bank in order to help her parents. After one of her co-workers appears to have committed suicide, Sarah knows something isn’t right. She begins to investigate the dark and ominous secrets her co-workers and what her job holds. There begins Sarah’s mischievous plan of revenge.
The other points of views are told from the four co-workers in the elevator. Not only do we get the glimpses into what would appear as the escape room, but we also get to know the corrupt and evil perspectives of these individuals. Only adding to the suspense of how they got lured into the escape room and by whom.
This book was one hell of a thrilling ride! I honestly couldn’t put it down and finished it in one afternoon. That entire weekend I took the stairs and refused to get into my apartment’s elevator — thank you Goldin! Even though I thought I knew how this was all going to be pulled together, Goldin pulls a fast one with her twists. And don’t even get me on that bloody ending! I literally started applauding at the end it was that good!
I think what really made this book great for me were the characters. I truly thought I’d hate the four investment bankers, but as we got their perspectives and narration, I started to loathe them — it was awesome. Without giving it away, you have to love how everything turns out for everyone!
One aspect that I found negative was the plausibility. I mean, I definitely had nightmares after reading this and stayed clear of elevators for a while, but there is absolutely no way someone could pull off a stunt like this. BUT putting that aside, the validity of this book also makes it so enjoyable. Once I tabled the soundness of the plot, this book turned into one hell of a crazy ride I couldn’t stop reading!
If you’re looking for a claustrophobic, gripping and unforgettable psychological thriller you can’t go wrong with The Escape Room by Megan Goldin. I honestly couldn’t believe this was Goldin’s debut novel either! What seemed to be harmless team building exercise became much darker as the participants struggle to make it out alive! I highly recommend this darkly satisfying thriller, you’ll certainly think twice about stepping into an elevator after!
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Megan Goldin for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2kAYvwA
Amazing…a thriller set in an elevator [that explores] the vast territory of people’s worst natures. A nightmarish look inside ourselves. Simply riveting.
This one was a cool concept and I was entertained throughout even though I saw the ending coming a mile away… It would make a very entertaining movie, and was a quick read. I enjoyed it well enough that I had a tough time putting it down – the pernicious selfishness of the main characters was surprisingly entertaining rather than irritating, as I was afraid it might be – even though ultimately there wasn’t anything particularly novel or original in its execution or resolution. Still, it’s always interesting to me to see how quickly “society” breaks down once people are put in highly stressful situations without the protections of their social expectations (civility, reputation, the armor of “stuff”), and the elevator definitely served as a broken environment!
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
Four Wall Street bankers meet at an office building to enter an escape room. That’s the extent of the information they have, but they suspect this event might be linked to corporate restructuring and potential job losses. In the cut-throat industry of financial investment, everything is a competition with high-stakes.
The POV then shifts to the past where Sara has just joined Stanhope and Sons and is navigating the alien but glamorous lifestyle at the firm. The past and present gradually reveal the story leading to an explosive climax. From Sara’s experience at the firm to the four bankers solving puzzles in an over-heated elevator.
It’s not often that I find myself glued to the pages, but in the case of The Escape Room, I truly was. Between the jaw-dropping extravagance of Wall Street and the tension in the lift, I was hooked. I found the past as interesting as the present and raced between chapters to find out what was going to happen next.
There are no heroes in this book, only flawed human beings, and the extraordinary lengths flawed human beings will go for greed. My only complaint is that the US book cover is so much lovelier than the UK version. I need that gorgeous book on my shelf!
Those of us, often wonder what happens in them world of high finance and take overs. It was haunting and interesting. Good description of the characters and their histories. I zipped through it to get to the ending!
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Read the entire book in one sitting.
OMG…..YES!
This captivating, engrossing book had me transfixed from page one. Waste not one minute wondering if this one is worth the read; jump in and do it. It SO is!
The book covers two storylines, the first is that of Sara Hall, a bright, MBA, up-and-comer, who is fortunate enough, as a result of a chance meeting in an elevator, to get a shot at the dazzling job of her dreams. Speaking of elevators, the second storyline involves four vile individuals who are forced to participate in an escape room type game, in an elevator, for reasons initially unclear to them and us.
As the tension amped up, I could not wait to find out what was going on, how the stories intersected and how it would ultimately be resolved. It didn’t disappoint. Whoooo…..what a ride.
Thank you so much to Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Loved this book! Great read!
This book was hard for me to describe. I love the suspense that runs through this whole story. Each of these characters that are all financial advisers are not very likable. Each of them seems to only be after money. I loved to hate each of these people. There were many twists and turns throughout. I was rooting for the “bad”.guy at times. I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Been along time since I’ve read a book where revenge plotted by a victim ends as it should! This story was very entertaining, a page turner with, for me, a satisfying end! Well done!
We have 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.”. 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.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
The Escape Room by Megan Goldin is so much more than what the title suggests. I have done many an escape room with my family and had an absolutely fantastic time. However, the characters in this book did not enjoy their time in The Escape Room. This is the first book that I have read by Megan Goldin, and I did like her writing style. It took me a little time to get into this book, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down, and it moved quickly.
The book is told alternating between the main character, Sara Hall’s point of view, and the third person point of view which details what happens in The Elevator. This style took a bit to get used to, but I do believe that it was the best way to tell the story.
Sara Hall has recently completed her MBA and is looking for a job in investment banking on Wall Street. She is a very likable, generally admirable person. As luck would have it, she meets Vincent, who works at Stanhope, a hedge fund company, in an elevator after a failed interview. Vincent takes an interest in Sara and later hires her to work on his team as an analyst. Vincent’s team consists of Jules, Sylvie, and Sam. These four people are greed-driven and vile. I think that Goldin took all the negative, despicable attributes that pertain to Wall Street types and superbly applied them to these four characters. They will do anything they need to do to get ahead, their sole purpose in life is to make money. I loved hating them!
This book loosely reminded me of The Firm. With the idea that the investment banking firm that these characters were working for dictated their entire lives. But the similarity ends there. Goldin throws us a curveball and puts these four people in The Escape Room- The Elevator. The real fun begins when the four are summoned to participate in a team-building exercise, that turns the tables on them in the best way possible. There were some sad parts in this book, but that’s all that I am will to say. But don’t worry, you ‘won’t feel sorry for the detestable four.
This is a book that should not be missed. Don’t expect a lot of reality, but you will definitely be entertained. I look forward to reading more of Megan ‘Goldin’s books.
***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***
“The Escape Room” by Megan Goldin is a story of greed, mistrust, and revenge, and opens with a frightening event. A security guard calls 911 on an icy Sunday morning because he hears the unmistakable sound of gunshots. “He’d never seen so much blood in all his life.”
The scene shifts to thirty-four hours earlier. Sylvie, Sam, and Jules are part of Vincent’s crack multi-disciplinary team at a prominent Wall Street firm, and the four are in the elevator on their way to a “mandatory” meeting late Friday. The elevator stops, and the doors do not open despite frantic pushing of every button. Then the message is revealed, “Welcome to the Escape Room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive.”
Vincent calmly asks, “Who here has done an escape-room challenge before? It will take an hour.” Some of the group had done escape room activities with disappointing resists, leading to “fake” deaths, and no one seems ready to play. They are in an elevator, sterile, spotless, and empty. However, they just have to make it for an hour or, in the worst-case scenario, until Monday morning when they will be found cranky but alive and well. After all, how much trouble can four investment bankers get into in a locked elevator?
They find the first clue; “Dead but not forgotten. ASLHARL.”
Chapters alternate between the current scene in the elevator and a first person present-tense narrative by Sarah Hall. Her time reference is not defined, but she is just out of college and applying for Wall Street jobs with little, if any, luck.
In the elevator, the significance of the first clue becomes clear. “If you rearrange those letters,” Jules explains, “It spells out Sara Hall. Dead but not forgotten. Sara Hall. It fits, right?” Sarah now becomes much more interesting to readers. In her narrative, Vincent offers her a job, and she embraces it all with the unbridled enthusiasm of the young and ambitious.
Back in the elevator, the group finds another clue and deciphers the name that goes with it, also someone no longer with the firm. As more and more time passes, tensions mount, secrets are revealed, and nastiness breeds nastiness. In the dark, suffocating world of the stalled elevator, the rules are different. Then, the group makes a frightening discovery, someone has a Glock, and it is loaded.
Goldin’s use of alternating voices enhances the tension and suspense. Those in the elevator are not the only ones with cryptic clues to decipher. Readers know Sara is “Dead but not forgotten,” but are wondering not only what will happen in the elevator, but also how everyone got into that situation, not to mention happened to Sara. Of course, lurking in the background is all that blood in the opening.
“Escape Room” is a non-stop story of power and ambition. To quote Sam, “There are winners and losers in this world…Success is not for the squeamish.” Some participants are smart; some think they are smart, and some are very stupid. Readers are left to sort it all out. I received a copy of “The Escape Room” from Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s Press. Surprising secrets are revealed page by page. Readers will not be able to put this book down until the shocking end.
Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam are powerful and ruthless executives in the world of high finance. They love the power and are used to it. After they accept a mandatory invitation to a team-building exercise in an escape room, they find themselves powerless in a high-rise elevator.
This is a very exciting story! Our author begins by telling us the present-day story of our four ultra-powerful characters. Every other chapter, she interrupts the story to tell us about two characters, Sara and Lucy, lower level employees at the same firm. As we learn the past story of these characters, slowly building toward the present-day, we learn more about the four trapped in the elevator. Little-by-little, we learn why the four executives are trapped and powerless.
The character development in this story is amazing, and Megan Goldin’s method of building tension really works. I’ll bet you can’t put down this book! I couldn’t! This would make an amazing movie!
I received a free copy of this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an unbiased review.
What happens when 4 money hungry greedy co-workers get the word they need to attend a mandatory meeting on a Friday night in a building under construction in the bad part of town?? Sylvie, Jules, Sam and Vincent enter an elevator which takes them 70 stories up and then stops. They are under the impression that this is an “escape room” challenge and they will be out in an hour. Clues turn up in various places in the elevator and on the screen which are supposed to let them solve the puzzle and release them. This is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read. The book hooked me from the first page and had me mesmerized until the very end. The author did an outstanding job meshing all the different threads together to make this a fantastic read with an unforgettable ending. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book which was a real page turner.