I went into this mostly blind, and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was different yet very entertaining. There were some flaws but overall I felt it to be a good book, that was nicely executed. I would recommend to anyone that enjoys puzzle like mysteries

Danielle Trussoni has created a unique thriller with this page-turning read. I loved the overall idea behind this story and I thought the characters were extremely interesting, but unfortunately, something did not quite connect for me.

I think perhaps it was more because I have read a lot of thrillers recently and I might have judged this one a bit unfairly.

It's a engaging read that I feel most people will absolutely love.

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology

The Puzzle Master is such a great mystery novel. From beginning to end, the fast pace keeps you on the edge of your seat. The relationship between Jess and Mike is so interesting you can't wait to see how it plays out. Throw in a little history and magic and it's just a wonderful book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review.

You will like this book if you like: Kabbalistic thought, Judeo-Christian iconography, doing your daily NYT Games, neurodivergent main characters, maybe too fast a pace 🪆🧮

BOOK: The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni

🚨CW: suicide, depression

This was unlike anything I've read and actually, really enjoyed it. Well written and unique and kept me gripped most of the way, but in the middle it fizzed out a tad til it picked up again til the ending for me.

Some twists I didn't see coming either makes it always a fun read.

DNF at 32%
Unfortunately this one just really wasn't for me. While I loved the concept and the incorporation of puzzles throughout, the writing style really slowed down the pace and level of excitement. And while I understand that thrillers often keep things vague for the reader to set things up for reveals later on, we still knew so little about any of these characters by a third of the way through that I just didn't care.

The Puzzle Master" proves to be an enthralling and addictive read that will satisfy fans of both thrillers and intellectual mysteries. At the heart of the story is Mike Brink, a former football star turned puzzle constructor, whose acquired savant syndrome grants him an unparalleled ability to solve puzzles. As the plot unfolds, the author skillfully weaves together a tapestry of interlocking enigmas, centered around the ancient God Puzzle created by a thirteenth-century Jewish mystic. From an upstate New York women's prison to nineteenth-century Prague and the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, the settings are vividly portrayed. The book's exploration of themes regarding humankind, technology, and the fate of the universe adds a thought-provoking element to this novel.

I wish I could pinpoint exactly why it didn't work better - I think it was my own expectations! I also think part of it for me was the short chapters - normally that is catnip for me. But for some reason, the short chapters made me feel like it dragged a bit. Overall, I do think that this is a solid mystery.

** I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really did not know what to expect going into this book from the excerpt provided, but definitely didn’t think the story would be that complex! The writing is intricate with many interesting characters and locations. I truly didn’t see where it would all end up until the conclusion, and I’m not so sure I believe it now! It definitely is a mystery with some paranormal aspects and a hint of religion.

I wanted to like this book, but it felt like I was reading a middle grade novel. The puzzles were explained right away and felt like it was being explained to a child. It irritated me and as much as I tried, I just couldn't read any further than about 20% before I had to DNF.

I truly appreciate Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book.

This was the first book I've read from this author and it was just okay. It was hard for me to get into and the characters didn't keep my attention.

Mike Brink was a teenage football star when an on-field collision knocked him out and changed his life forever. He woke up from his concussion with a strange ability that nearly drove him to suicide, before his mother intervened and got him to open up to her about the things he had started seeing:

QUOTE
He couldn’t explain it. His brain did it without his permission, the way his heart pumped blood or his lungs infused cells with oxygen. It latched on to patterns and sequences without his consent or, at times, his awareness and filled his head with a deluge of numbers and images. When he wanted to solve a puzzle, visualizing it was enough to call up the solution.
END QUOTE

With his mom’s support and copious specialist consultations, he learns that he has Acquired Savant Syndrome, a very rare medical condition where a relatively ordinary person gains extraordinary cognitive abilities following a traumatic brain injury. Not only does he now see puzzles everywhere, he can also figure out their solutions at seemingly superhuman speed. Helping this is the eidetic memory he's also developed, that allows him to memorize pages of text and details with minimal effort.

So instead of accepting a football scholarship to a university of his choice, Mike aces the SATs and gets into MIT, where he starts hanging out both online and in real life with other puzzle and cryptology buffs. His fellow graduates are somewhat surprised when he subsequently declines job offers both prestigious and lucrative to set puzzles for a living instead. But the fame he gains from becoming a puzzle celebrity is what draws the attention of Jess Price, the author and convicted murderer who’s been confined to the minimum-security New York State Correctional Facility for the past five years.

Since the violent death of her boyfriend, Jess has barely spoken, and has refused to speak at all in her own defence even when accused of murder. It's taken some time, but her psychologist Dr Thessaly Moses is gratified to finally make a breakthrough with her. Jess has constructed a puzzle, and insists to Thessaly that Mike is the only one who can solve it.

Intrigued, Mike drives the five hours from his home in the city to see if he can help these women he's never met before. He’s thrown off guard by the strength of his immediate attraction to Jess, but resolves to do what he can to free her. Little does he realize that meeting her will plunge him into a world of esoterica populated by ultra wealthy people who will stop at nothing to access the secrets locked in her head. Nothing in his life has ever prepared him for the lengths that the truly obsessed and entitled will go to over a puzzle:

QUOTE
Brink had constructed puzzles under extreme deadlines, he’d withstood the pressure of a twelve-hour pi-digit contest, he’d solved puzzles for money and prestige and for his own sanity. But never had he been threatened over one. “Guns aren’t really my thing,” he said. He was numb from head to toe, his limbs tingling and bloodless. “I’m much more a die-peacefully-in-my-sleep-as-a-wrinkly-senile-hundred-and-one-year-old kind of guy.”

[The man] laughed. “So you see, Mr Brink, we aren’t so very different. We both value longevity. There’s no need to die prematurely. Certainly not now. So, let’s have the puzzle.”
END QUOTE

Spanning centuries and continents, what starts out as a murder mystery swiftly becomes a techno-religious thriller in the vein of Dan Brown’s blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. Mike and Jess have to figure a way out of the terrible things that are happening to them, while trying to carve out a path towards each other. There are, of course, puzzles included, and I found the Triangulum very elegantly constructed (if not, perhaps, as challenging as Mike believed.)

The spiritual lesson at the heart of the novel was also welcome, even if I thought that the book's other spiritual theory was far less convincing due to its reliance on, of all things, blockchain technology. The history of binary systems in both mathematics and religion was thought-provoking though, even if some of the characters’ actions throughout the book beggared both logic and belief. Overall, this is a summer thriller for people who enjoy dabbling in lots of interesting subjects and, perhaps, learning a bit more about the serious topics and conundrums many of us don’t usually consider on a day to day basis.

I was given an ARC of this book ✨

This book had a lot going on. Religion, TBI, mental health issues, exorcisms, puzzles, prison, suicides, gods, devils, and more.

At times this book was challenging to read because of the complexity of the material but those times in the book also gave a legitimacy to the writing. Parts definitely felt “Da Vinci Code” esque with the religious undertones and discoveries made throughout the book.

If you are looking for a book that bends genres and leaves you wondering what is fact and what is fiction , this may be the book for you.

3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️

This book really sucked me in for the first third. I could not put it down. I was so invested in what was going to happen with the story.

However, once I hit about two thirds of the way in, I struggled to keep reading. It should be noted that I did not look close enough into the description of this book and did not realize it was Science Fiction... like dolls that come to life. Definitely not my cup of tea.

That said, even though I lost interest in the book, it was still an easy and good read. I think fans of Science Fiction would really enjoy this!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for a positive review.

I love puzzles but I found this one too involved. Although I believe this would make a good movie.
Fans of Dan Brown would enjoy this one and I will not rule this author out. I look foward to trying her next one.

This book is a cross between Bourne, Da Vinci Code, but is completely original. I loved it and see it will be a big hit this summer.

What to call this... theological thriller? It's like DaVinci code, but the religion is cranked all the way up. I'm not saying I felt stupid reading this -- but I did feel like I was reading someone's diatribe on dogma interspersed in this puzzly mystery novel. I can definitely see who this book is for. This book is not for me. This book is going to have so many fans, I am not one, but anyone that likes twisty puzzles, well written dialog and find religious mysteries fun, this is definitely going to be your cup of tea.

This is a competent thriller with a large amount of psychological/religious padding. If you can avoid going down some of the many rabbit holes, it's a fun read.

The premise of this book was so fun, I love trying to figure out puzzles. The book started out great but then the author tried to throw in too many different things that it got ro be too much. I also wasn't a big fan of the romance. I would give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I’m not entirely sure how to describe this book. A man suffers a traumatic head injury that allows him to create and solve any puzzle. He is asked to come to a prison to talk to a convicted murderess who has refused to communicate in any form with any one else. While there, he gets drawn into an incredibly complex puzzle that could change the very fate of humanity.

This was an okay read for me. It’s an interesting concept, but got way too confusing for me. It also felt like the romance was kind of strangely forced. This isn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t a book for me.