The Escape Room by Megan Goldin - 3 1/2 rounded up to 4 stars

[Ellen]

In the world of high finance there could be no team as astute and devious as Stanhope's foursome: Vincent, Sylvie, Jules and Sam. They are the elite in their company, brokering multi-million dollar deals and reaping the profits that fund their extravagant lifestyles. Vincent, the head of the team, recruits up-and-coming financial wiz kid Sara Hall. Sara is mesmerized by the other members of her group but they pay her very little attention. After all, they are the important ones and she is a neophyte. One Friday evening the four original members of the team are told to present themselves for a team building project: an escape room. What seems to be nothing more than a tedious exercise of deciphering clues soon shows itself to be something quite different. Vincent, Sylvie, Jules and Sam realize that they just may not escape alive.

This story is quite well plotted and character driven but I found it to be over the top. The four members of the team are despicable and there is not one redeeming quality among them so it is difficult for the reader to feel one ounce of regret that they find themselves in such dire circumstances. Which, I am sure, is the whole point. As they find themselves unable to escape from an elevator, truths hidden deep within them come pouring out and it is astounding that these four people are even more horrible than I originally thought. It is an imaginative story with some satisfying moments of revenge and justice served.