Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss are writing a young adult murder mystery that will be published by Putnam Books for Young Readers in 2026.
The press announced the acquisition of the book, The Escape Game, in a news release, calling it “a twisty, fast-paced murder mystery set on a game show where contestants must break out of escape rooms to win the million-dollar prize.”
Meyer is known for her Lunar Chronicles series of young adult science fiction novels, which kicked off in 2012 with Cinder and continued with Scarlet, Cress, Fairest, Winter, and Stars Above. An animated film based on the series is in the works. Moss is the author of the Lintang series of children’s books, about a 12-year-old girl who joins a pirate crew battling mythical beasts on the high seas.
The Escape Game will follow Sierra Angelos, a contestant on an escape-room game show whose sister was murdered while a contestant on the previous season.
Meyer said the book was inspired by her family’s love of escape rooms. “The idea for The Escape Game first came to me when we were doing a ‘Mona Lisa Heist’ themed room. We were busily working our way through the puzzles when I thought, What if we opened one of these props or doors and found a dead body? And what if we had to solve the clues in the room in order to also solve the murder?”
The Escape Game is scheduled for publication in April 2026.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
