Eight strangers arrive at The Fortress ready to compete in a reality television competition, which is in the style of an escape room, where they must answer complex puzzles. Soon it becomes clear that not all is as it seems and true intent is much more sinister than they could ever imagine. Who will survive and what is the true purpose?

This is a debut standalone for L.D. Smithson and was a good one; managing to be dark, claustrophobic and complex. I found out while reading that she has published a series under a different name, which I have also read a few of and enjoyed. I was originally attracted to the cover and the plot, as I have read a few books recently based on reality TV shoes and find these really intriguing. The Escape Room offers a unique spin on this idea, which manages to stand out in a crowded area and be entertaining.

As I enjoy escape rooms I knew I would enjoy the overall premise and although it hasn’t fully put me off doing escape rooms in the future, it has definitely made me wary! The book is focused on aspects of psychology and due to the author’s background this has been done well, helping add an extra layer to the overall story and I learnt some interesting things. I really loved the puzzles involved and found myself trying to solve the clues myself and was proud when I got a few right! This helped to engage the reader in the story and create an intriguing narrative. The characters, although not all likeable, were well written and easily identifiable. The story may have been slightly unbelievable but this helped make it intense and entertaining. Overall this is a chilling, clever, atmospheric thriller, which I will tell others to try and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.