THE ESCAPE ROOM is a crazy & claustrophobic thrill ride. Four of the most unlikable investment bankers you’ll ever come across are summoned to a team-building exercise in the elevator of a vacant high rise office building. They’re not inside long before realizing there’s something sinister about this particular escape room challenge…

I went into this book not knowing much about the plot, and I think that’s the best way to read it. The chapters alternate between time in the elevator, and time before, where we get a good look at the four “contestants,” Vincent, Sylvie, Sam, and Jules. Really, their life & work style made me cringe. It’s hard to believe people would live, work, and behave this way for the sake of money, money, money.

It was fun trying to figure out the puzzle as the elevator occupants sweated away & got to learn more about each other than they bargained for. This book is a darkly satisfying thriller that might make you think twice about willingly entering an escape room!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I read the 1st chapter online before my package arrived and was stuck in another book when this one arrived.
But, I picked it up last night and forced myself to go to sleep at a more normal time. But, tonight, I couldn't. So here I am at nearly 3:30 am, just finished. I kept telling myself, just one more chapter, they're short and I wanted very much to see where thos was going. One more turned into, okay next chapter. Then I was done. Oops.

My only dislikes, the abrupt ending. It wrapped up neatly for one character. Fine by me with their ending.
But, the others? I just wanted to savor their outcome.

It was a fun read and a good ride. ( )

What a fun and entertaining rollercoaster of a read [b:The Escape Room|41150380|The Escape Room|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539265141l/41150380._SY75_.jpg|60014954][bc:The Escape Room|41150380|The Escape Room|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539265141l/41150380._SY75_.jpg|60014954] was.

“Welcome to the escape Room, Your goal is simple. Get our alive”

The Escape Room is a dark and twisted psychological thriller with a clever and original plot. From the moment I started listening to this one on audible I was hooked as the author draws you in, keeps the suspense and excitement going all the way through. I struggle with psychological thrillers as some just try too hard to be edgy and twisted but this one works really well and while there are moments where you do find yourself having to suspend belief it didn't effect my enjoyment of the story.

I loved the setting of this one as the author takes the reader to the heart of the finance world and Wall Street where we meet high fliers Vincent, Jules, Sylvia and Sam and view their world of greed and corruption. The story is told from two perspectives and works really well as the reader is kept entertained throughout.
I listened to this one on Audio and the narrators were excellent.

Highly entertaining, well crafted and suspenseful novel which I think readers who enjoyed the [bc:The Chain|42779092|The Chain|Adrian McKinty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543430536l/42779092._SY75_.jpg|66538301] or [bc:Something in the Water|36388243|Something in the Water|Catherine Steadman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528120440l/36388243._SY75_.jpg|58079049] will enjoy this one as well. ( )

I enjoyed the read. It was a slow burn but kept you interested in the solution. It was a little predictable.
I like that the "clues" in the elevator did not give it all away. The captives slowly figured out why they were _targeted. There was one surprise at the end. Vincent survived. What happened to him? The story could have been cut 20% to speed up and an epilogue of what happened to Vincent.
( )

A young woman with an MBA, Sara Hall, takes center stage in Megan Goldin's debut novel, "The Escape Room." Hall's dad has been ill for years and her mother is struggling with her own health problems and mounting medical expenses. While Sara is trying to find a job as an investment banker, she exhausts herself waiting tables. One of her chief problems is that because of an economic downturn, there are far more applicants than positions available for recent graduates. Finally, Sara's luck changes when she meets Senior Vice President of Stanhope and Sons, Vincent DeVries, who takes her résumé and gives her his business card. Subsequently, Vincent's company pays for Hall's flight from Chicago to New York and she stays at a deluxe hotel while waiting to be interviewed. Much to her delight, Sara is hired as an analyst, with an excellent starting salary and a signing bonus.

Unfortunately, there are challenges, as well. The environment at Sara's firm is dog-eat-dog, the hours are punishing, and most of her colleagues are not particularly helpful or friendly. Jules is divorced and an alcoholic; Sam Bradley's wife, Kim, is a spendthrift who is furious that her husband has so little time for his family; Sylvie is pretty and chic, but also bitter and arrogant. Lucy Marshall, who has Asperger's Syndrome, is a genius at making profitable investments. Only Vincent and Sara give Lucy the time of day, while the others make nasty remarks about her or ignore her completely. When catastrophe strikes, Sara senses that something deeply disturbing is going on in her workplace. She comes to the belated realization that to survive in Stanhope, one must ignore the dictates of one's conscience.

Goldin's writing is uneven. She resorts to clichés to describe the backbiting and savage competitiveness that have given Wall Street high-fliers such a negative reputation. The author alternates between past events (narrated by Sara) and the present. Four of Stanhope's employees are trapped in an elevator, whose mechanisms are being controlled by an anonymous individual. The captives wonder if this is supposed to be a team-building exercise or perhaps a challenge to gauge their trust in one another, resourcefulness, and ability to figure out the meaning of obscure clues. The tension escalates as food and water grow scarcer and ugly secrets come to light. Unfortunately, the finale of this fast-paced thrill ride is far-fetched and wildly melodramatic. That being said, "The Escape Room" is worth reading for its compelling and timely message about the corrosive effects of greed, jealousy, and depravity. ( )