Excerpt from the Book
The corridor took a ninety-degree turn into another pitch-black passageway. She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and pressed on. Every nerve and muscle coiled tight. What if something jumped out at her? Or the floor dropped open beneath her feet? Both legitimate possibilities.
“Do you have that whole twintuition telepathy thing people talk about?”
His laugh, soft and genuine, soothed her like a healing balm. “I don’t know about that, but we’ve always been close. We shared a womb, after all.”
“What’s she like?”
A beat passed.
“Alexis is … brilliant. She’s a genius with numbers, but as far as everything else in life, she’s rather naïve. But I love her to death, and I’d trade my life for hers in a second.”
The passage cut left, and Demi hesitated, peering around the dogleg turn. It looked safe enough. Her lamp flickered. She held her breath. Don’t you dare go out on me.
It steadied, and she exhaled.
“Your turn. Tell me how you found Archimedes.”
“Last fall, I heard this pathetic chirp coming from my backyard. I went out to investigate and found a little yellow warbler flopping about, its wings shredded by a neighborhood cat. I brought him inside and nursed him back to health.”
What would happen to him if she didn’t escape this place? Who would take care of him? Maddie would have to set him free. What if he got hurt again?
“When do you plan to release him into the wild?”
She stumbled over nothing. Why did everyone keep asking her that?
She clenched her jaw and knotted her fists. “He’s not ready.”
Her words came out forceful and thorny.
“Are you sure he’s the one who’s not ready?”
The soft question hit her with the weight of a wrecking ball.
Maddie had asked her the same thing, but it had been easy to ignore in the safety of home. Here, in this place—lost, alone, and vulnerable—she was forced to face reality.
Her shoulders sagged. “I don’t know.”
“I think you do.”
She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, the lantern beside her. She leaned her head back. “When I was a girl, I had a canary named Einstein. One day, I left a window open when I went to feed him, and he flew away.”
“That must have been hard.”
“I spent all afternoon looking for him. When I got home, the house was empty. When Mom came through the front door, I hugged her like she would fly away too.”
“I know it’s hard to let go, but if you don’t release Archimedes, he’ll die. He’s a wild animal—they aren’t meant to be caged. It’s not like he was raised in an avian sanctuary. You have to let him go.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Warm tears ran down her cheeks, and she wiped them on her sleeve. What if he never returned? She’d truly be alone.
Want to know more about the book?
Twenty years ago, the world’s leading enigmatologist disappeared, leaving behind a cipher no one could solve… not without his journal.
Puzzle shop owner Demi Kayne has spent twenty years hoping her father would return home. When she discovers his hidden journal, she finally uncovers the clue she’s been waiting for—but it leads somewhere far more dangerous than she imagined.
Liam Shepherd, a missionary and escape-room enthusiast, is searching for answers of his own. His sister has vanished without a trace, and the trail of clues leads him straight to Demi—and the secrets hidden in her father’s journal.
Their search brings them to the eerie Ives Mansion, where its brilliant and reclusive owner has designed a deadly challenge. Once inside, Demi and Liam realize they’re no longer guests.
They’re players.
Trapped inside a twisted real-life mystery game, they must solve a series of lethal riddles before time runs out. Each puzzle brings them closer to the truth about Demi’s missing father and Liam’s sister —but also deeper into a carefully crafted game where the stakes are far higher than they’re ready to face.
With the clock ticking and lives hanging in the balance, Demi and Liam must confront their fears, their pasts, and the faith that may be their only hope of escape.
In this gripping Christian suspense novel, every clue matters—and every mistake could be fatal.
Can Demi and Liam solve the final puzzle before the game ends…or will the escape room become their tomb?
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About the Author
Gina Holder is a Christian award-winning author of romantic suspense and cozy mysteries filled with faith, intrigue, danger, romance, and epic twists you’ll never see coming.
She’s had an infatuation with books for as long as she can remember. She loves sharing uplifting messages from God’s Word and introducing readers to new and new-to-them authors on her blog. When she’s not writing, Gina enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, watching Hallmark mysteries, and solving “escape room” puzzles. She loves growing in her craft as an author. She published her debut novel in 2017. Gina lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.
Scavenger Hunt Word Four: many
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