“An absolute winner—sharp, suspenseful, and so much fun.” —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
An unforgettable YA murder mystery set in an escape-room themed game show, by Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, and Tamara Moss, rising star and acclaimed author of Lintang series.
It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.
Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.
Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master, and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.
But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.
When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high in this competition, they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of who killed Alicia Angelos?
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss comes a twisty thrill-ride, filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles to die for.
An unforgettable YA murder mystery set in an escape-room themed game show, by Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, and Tamara Moss, rising star and acclaimed author of Lintang series.
It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.
Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.
Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master, and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.
But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.
When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high in this competition, they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of who killed Alicia Angelos?
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss comes a twisty thrill-ride, filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles to die for.
Title: The Escape Game
Author: Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I love Marissa Meyer and will read anything she writes. When I was contacted by the publisher to read an early copy of this, I jumped at the chance. I haven't read anything by Tamara Moss before but I figured Meyer knew what she was getting into when she chose to co-write this book, and I was right. This book was so much fun!
Firmly planted in the YA realm, a group of teens gets picked to star in The Escape Game, a television show centered around teams competing against one another to solve escape room puzzles in order to win a huge cash prize. I have never done an escape room, though I think it would be quite fun. One thing that struck me about this book was how well the authors showed me what theses rooms looked like and how the teams were able to solve the puzzles and escape. Of course you can't have escape rooms and teams competing without drama. And that drama came in the form of a mystery. A contestant from a previous season was found dead on the set of one of the rooms, and her sister has returned to this season to help build the drama. But also, she needs to find out who killed her sister as everyone thinks she did it.
Told in alternating POVS from the four team members, you get great glimpses of what each members strengths, weaknesses, and flaws are. Add to that their diversity and the story really does turn into something special. If I had to pick one character I liked more than the others, I really couldn't. Each one was unique and messy in their own way and this truly made them relatable.
Did I have to suspend my disbelief for this story a bit? Yes, yes I did. To truly think these teens could be solving these puzzles seemed a little out of the realm of a high school aged kid, but maybe I just don't know enough high school aged kids (by the way, I have three). But it was fun to think they could solve the puzzles all while trying to solve the mystery. And I enjoyed the element of found family.
And then at the end, when you think everything has been tied up in a nice, neat bow, the authors throw you a little wrench to wet your appetite for what seems to be a second book. Yeah, I'd definitely read it.
If you're looking for a fun story with game action, a hint of romance, and a group of kids thrown together who become friends when they are truly needing some friends, pick this one up and watch them bond and solve the mystery!
Author:
I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.
Tamara Moss grew up in Perth, Western Australia. She has a BA majoring in Asian Studies and taught primary school for ten years. Inspired by her students’ love of adventure, Tamara wrote a middle-grade series starting with Lintang and the Pirate Queen. Her next novel, The Escape Game, is a YA murder mystery co-authored with NYT-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.
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