Printable Book Club Questions for The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

The story starts off with a prologue where cops are called when a security guard hears gunshots in an elevator. And it ends with what seems to be a shootout. Why do you think the author decided to start the story with this prologue? How do you think it helped set the stage for what was to come later?
The four people in the elevator are Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam. What were your first impressions of each of them? Why do you think they all agreed to take on this ‘escape room’ challenge?
The story alternates between ‘the elevator’ and ‘Sara Hall.’ Why was it important for us to read both storylines in alternating chapters?
One of the clues in the elevator says, “Sara Hall. Dead but not forgotten,” which was startling as we are reading in Sara’s perspective from an earlier time period at the same as the elevator escape room. How shocking was that? Did it change how you read the story? When did you start to suspect that she might still be alive?
There’s lots of descriptions about Wall Street life, which sounds exhausting, stressful and morally compromising, at least with this fictional firm. Sara is so busy with work and focusing on making enough money to take care of her parents that she overlooks a lot of shady behavior. Let’s discuss this and the pressure she was under.
Let’s take a closer look at the dynamics between the four of them in the elevator. What are some of the things that were said/actions/behavior that stuck out to you with regards to this complicated foursome?
Sara and Lucy develop a real and authentic friendship. Why do you think Lucy wanted to hide their friendship from their coworkers? On page 129 in talking about Lucy, Sara says: “Lucy was like a tape recorder. She remembered everything. Nothing escaped her. Nothing. In the end, that’s what got her killed.” What did you think when you read that?
When Lucy dies, the police say it was a suicide but her mother starts to suspect the firm was involved. Did you believe right away that it was a murder?
With regards to who came up with this elevator escape room, did you have any idea it was Sara? Or did you think it was Vincent? What were your thoughts on that?
Sara’s romance with Kevin distracts her from looking more into Lucy’s death. Did you think he was a plant for the firm or did you think he was authentic?
Sara eventually starts to look more into Lucy’s death and through Lucy’s writing and drawings, she learns that Lucy was assaulted in the company elevator and that Sylvie was somehow involved. But when she brings the evidence to Vincent, he’s angry at Sara and eventually Sara is fired. Let’s discuss this sequence of events.
So the foursome were not thrown into the elevator by random chance. The four of them (and Lucy) were involved with massive insider trading. After Lucy was assaulted, she decided to come clean, which eventually leads to Sam murdering her—much to Vincent’s surprise. What were your thoughts as this unfolded? Was it significant that Vincent was not part of Lucy’s murder?
It turns out the entire elevator escape room is a big plan by Sara to seek revenge for Lucy and herself. And she wins in the end with draining all their accounts into her own. Let’s talk about Sara’s grand plan and how she succeeded. Do you think she’ll ever find out that Jules, Sylvie and Sam died that night?
It seems Vincent survived. What do you think happens next for him?