First published 2026
Sierra Angelos steps back onto the set of The Escape Game, the reality show where her sister Alicia died six months ago. Everyone believes Sierra killed Alicia and somehow escaped justice. They're wrong. Sierra joins three other contestants for season five: Adi the cryptographer, Carter the math expert, and Beck the aspiring game master. Together they must solve elaborate escape rooms filled with puzzles and traps. But Sierra has a different goal than winning prize money. She wants to find Alicia's real killer. As the team works through each challenge, they uncover clues pointing to the murderer's identity. The other contestants don't realize the danger they're in. Someone on set wants to keep the truth buried, and they'll kill again to protect their secret. Sierra must solve the deadliest puzzle of all before the killer strikes.
Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: The Escape Game
Period: 6 months ago
416 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: murder, violence