The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

Sylvie, Sam, and Jules are summoned, along with their boss Vincent, to a meeting in a remote office still under construction, with no explanation, and no knowledge of who the summoner might be. Following directions, they ride the elevator up, but it stops and the display gives clues to the summoner and instructions in riddle format to escape the elevator. The anonymous summoner has no idea the volatile emotions these four feel for each other. Goldin starts the story off a bit slowly, but builds tension quickly with integrated flashbacks in this scathing take on how corporate Wall Street destroys people. Filling in Dear Reader on their backgrounds invokes sympathy for these unlikable characters, and the end is a gasping surprise. Fans of Liane Moriarty will appreciate this story. I was fortunate to receive a copy from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.