DeAnn's Reviews > The Escape Room

4 heart-stopping stars

Who hasn’t dreamed of living the high life as a Wall Street finance banker? Raking in mega-bucks, huge bonuses, beautiful clothes, and high-stakes business deals. This book gives an insider peek into what that world is like and it’s frankly disturbing! The highly competitive world creates distrust and greed.

The action alternates between the elevator where a team of bankers is facing the ultimate challenge of an escape room activity. What could possibly go wrong as they solve the clues to get out?

We learn more about the four Stanhope employees and newcomer Sara Hall who desperately wants to join the ranks. There are alternating chapters chronicling Sara’s rough road to Stanhope, caring for two aging and ailing parents, and her efforts to land the perfect job on Wall Street.

Vincent is the leader of the team and he is a mysterious Dutch man who finally gives Sara a break with a job at Stanhope. We follow her path as she joins the team as a finance wizard. The others on the team have all been there longer than Sara and competition is fierce. There’s beautiful but ruthless Sylvie and Jules and Sam who are living well beyond their means. Lucy is another team member and is the brains behind the group, but she’s on the autism spectrum, and keeps to herself.

As the book progresses, things go desperately wrong for both Lucy and Sara. There are several other twists and turns that I don’t want to give away. I’d say that this makes the perfect beach read and was definitely a page-turning thriller. I did enjoy the ultimate outcome of this one and I’m awfully glad I lead a boring life, not on Wall Street, and not in this highly competitive world.

Thank you to St. Martin's for the early copy of the book to read and review. As they put it "There will be no escaping this summer's blockbuster thriller."