The Contest
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
"Set in a world where Willy Wonka made escape rooms rather than chocolate bars, The Contest is my favorite thing I’ve read this year."
– PETER CLINES, NYT Bestselling author
Gillian Charles, a puzzle-solving prodigy, was just a child when she lost Miscellany's Contest. Now an adult, she is invited to compete again... but this time there is more than just her pride at stake.
Gillian has left puzzles entirely behind and barely ekes out a living while trying to support her sick mother. Until her childhood nemesis appears with an offer she can't refuse – fifty thousand dollars to return to Miscellany and investigate a cheating scandal in The Contest sequel, Season Two.
Gillian soon discovers things aren't so straightforward. Former Contestants run Season Two and with investment and expansion in the cards, they'll do anything to avoid a scandal. Meanwhile Sebastian Luna, head of Miscellany, still spins his webs of confusion, offering Gillian the future she always wanted – but only if she plays by his rules.
With her mother's circumstances growing more dire, and mounting pressure to sweep the accusations under the rug, Gillian finds childhood games can be all the more treacherous for adults.
A thoughtful light-noir mystery, perfect for fans of The Queen's Gambit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Macfee's underwhelming sophomore effort (after Nine Tenths) centers on Gillian Charles, a 30-year-old former logic puzzle prodigy struggling to make ends meet as a personal shopper in Los Angeles. When Gillian's former rival, Tommy Kundojjala, offers her $50,000 to investigate Miscellany, the puzzle-themed amusement park where he works, she reluctantly accepts. Eighteen years earlier, a 12-year-old Tommy narrowly defeated Gillian in a national tournament at Miscellany; now, Tommy suspects someone is leaking answers to prospective contestants before a new staging of that competition. Returning to Miscellany after nearly two decades, Gillian navigates a complex web of relationships with her former friend Martin Ellsberg, now in charge of security; Tommy's estranged wife, Evelina; and Sebastian Luna, the park's single-minded founder, who offers Gillian financial security if she turns her attentions elsewhere. As she digs deeper and uncovers significant financial misconduct, Gillian confronts thorny questions of loyalty and ambition. Despite an intriguing premise, Macfee generates little tension or suspense in the narrative's middle stretch before ushering the proceedings to a lukewarm conclusion. It's a case of unrealized potential.
