Getting Away with Murder

By Author / Illustrator

Kathryn Foxfield

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9780702312847

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

06-07-2023

Synopsis

The bestselling author of Good Girls Die First, It's Behind You and Tag, You're Dead is back with an entertaining, high-octane and read-in-a-single-sitting new thriller. Walking disaster Saffron and her perfectionist twin sister Georgia have only one thing in common - they are both obsessed with battle royale video game Sole Survivor. While working at a brand new, high tech escape room complex, Saffron poses a question to the resident AI: which high school stereotype would survive the longest in a real life version of Sole Survivor? She is convinced a rebel like her would beat a know-it-all like Georgia.

Unbeknown to her, the AI decides to determine the answer to her question by testing it out for real. It invites Saffron and Georgia's gamer friends to a preview of the escape rooms, but then it locks the doors and turns the rooms into a life-or-death battle to be the last player standing. The rebel, the know-it-all, the princess, the jock, the geek, the weirdo, the star, the artist and the criminal. Just like in Sole Survivor, only one can survive the night...

It's Cabin in the Woods meets Squid Game Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus. Knife-edge tension and twists you won't see coming. Praise for Kathryn Foxfield's previous books: Good Girls Die First "Deliciously dark and unsettling in the best possible way. Trust me, you don't want to miss this one!"- Fantastic Book Dragon. "Stephen King-esque...with a fast-paced plot" - Irish Times. " . . . the most gripping thriller of the year; hugely entertaining, high-octane and read-in-a-single-sitting." - ReadingZone. It's Behind You "addictive, easy to get lost in, and utterly compelling to read" - And On She Reads. "Keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing who did it until the very last pages" - ReadingZone. Tag, You're Dead "The characters are addictive, the ending satisfying and the reveals at the end pack a punch. If you love your twisty thrillers, then Tag, You're Dead is a must read!" - Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls. "Full of tension and twists, readers will be unsure who to trust as the book heads to an explosive conclusion." - ReadingZone. "A smart and calculated read with a killer storyline that shows the dark side of fame." - Pretty Little Memoirs.

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Reviews

Getting Away with Murder is a gripping page turner. It is set in a high-tech escape room experience in an abandoned bunker. The contestants must solve the games and complete the rooms to escape in what turns out to be a fight for survival. Not only has the AI taken over and trapped the contestants inside, where they fight amongst themselves, it has also altered the game rooms to make them even deadlier. Oh, and one of the players is a murderer!

Getting Away with Murder is told from the perspective of the two sisters Saffron (the rebel) and Georgia (the know it all). Saffron is doing her work experience placement at 'Play a Game', the new escape room experience, and Georgia has a placement with a journalist and has been sent along to get a story. Play a Game is owned by the infamous Atlas Love who had lost his nightclub following a drugs raid. The escape rooms are billed as a fully immersive experience like no other, guided by an artificial intelligence that knows you better than you know yourself. The gamers invited have all been selected based on their high school stereotype. The rebel, the know it all, the princess, the jock, the geek, the weirdo, the star, the artist and the criminal. Lightman, the AI, has taken over and is conducting a psychological test to see which one of them will make it out alive.

I found myself racing through this book, enjoying the twists and turns along the way. It is a dark, twisting thriller that will appeal to fans of Holly Jackson and One of us is lying. A must read for those that enjoy murder mystery and computer gaming. I liked the moral of the story, that we shouldn't judge by first impressions and that people can have many different aspects to their character. The back stories are also explained, which demonstrates why they acted as they did.

I liked the ending but for me there were some loose ends which weren’t tied up. For instance were the murders investigated and what happened to the AI in the end… I had always wanted to try an escape room experience but I’m not sure that I would want to now! Content of note: Swearing, mention of drug dealing, serious injuries and, of course, murder.

368 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian