Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted e-arc.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t work for me. It might work for someone that likes thrillers with a bit of romance. Not for me.

It takes a real talent to write a book that can fall under many genres and have it work but The Puzzle Master is definitely one of those books. There a secret agencies that have eyes everywhere there is a Secret conspiracy, Supernatural events and this is all just in the first two chapters Mike Brink after a football accident in high school have the kind of good luck head injury that caused him to be able to solve puzzles most of us don’t even know the name of but what he realizes his great talent he eventually goes to MIT and he also writes puzzles for the New York Times but when he gets a call from the prison psychiatrist Dr. Thessaly telling him she counts as a prisoner who she’s never had a conversation with because she doesn’t talk but she gave the doctor a puzzle and the psychiatrist thinks he can solve it when he arrives at the prison to view the puzzle he is perplexed there is too much missing and so when the doctor asked him to meet with Jess in person, he is reluctant at first but eventually gives in. This will begin an instant attraction to the in prison woman who he doesn’t have a conversation with the communicates through puzzles in some kind of way she visit him in his dreams. She knows she can’t say anything in the prison because there are those who are watching her and on his second day there when his visitation is revoked by the governor of Michigan and someone in a Tesla Chases him through the mountains he knows there was more to this streams happening then just the murdered Doctor Who Jess alluded to on his first visit there is so much more to the plot of this book that I couldn’t do justice even if I wanted to I love to his relationship with conundrum his weenie dog and I do believe it ended to set up a second book and if they did then definitely signed me up I thought this was a brilliant well put together story in a few love intricately told horror stories with paranormal aspects in ancient religious references including the mystic the you’ll definitely love this book. I have never read a book by this author and I am blown away by this one. What a great book I received it from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Let’s talk about how fun this book was. I felt like I was immediately sucked into the job of being a code breaker, puzzle master and spy all at once. I don’t know why but I got a bit of silent patient vibes mixed with Da Vinci Code and I was here for it all! I could not put this book down! I know I’ve said it before but I am in love with books that have games or riddles to solve and this one certainly takes the cake!

Mike Brink had a sports accident that completely changed his life when he was younger. He was a normal person and the suddenly after the incident he realized quickly that his brain was not functioning the way it should. He sees the world in puzzles to be solved and enjoyed making cryptic ones for an online following of anonymous users. His puzzles caught the eye of someone and has sucked him into this odd situation. He was called in to speak to Jess Price, a woman serving time for a murder she says she didn’t commit. The interesting thing…she will not talk to anyone but Mike Brink. He certainly doesn’t know who she is. Is it chance their paths are crossing now?

I loved how the formatting of this book! It had pictures of the puzzles, it had diary entries, letters, mysterious dreams, live action, escape routes, biblical references and a wee bit of romance. It was very enthralling and I loved every minute of it! I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!

The Puzzle Master is Dan Brown meets Annabelle in this literary thriller. I will admit that this one was over my head at times. It was very intelligently written and so thoroughly researched. I loved the differing timelines and perspectives from the dollmaker, to the imprisoned Jess to Michael Brink, the letters and what actually happened at Sedge House. The story was a puzzle in and of itself.

A tiny letdown at the end of an unputdownable read! It truly is reminiscent of Dan Brown! Between the sci-fi, the horror, and the suspense, this one kept me up on more than one night. The ending was a bit underwhelming, but it was still a great read!

I really, really enjoyed this book! The Puzzle Master tells the story of Mike Brink, who is requested by Jess Price, who is in prison after being accused of murdering her boyfriend in a bizarre and unexplainable incident in Sedge House. She shows him a partially completed puzzle, which leads to an investigation, exploring history and religion,

It felt reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, which I also loved. I found the characters likeable (except Jameson Sedge, but every sorry needs a bad guy).

There were parts that were a bit too outlandish for me, but overall this was a solidly enjoyable read.

I began reading this book as a break from horror. I am glad I did. I am always fascinated with any book that breaks the whole Christian ideology. I was involved in a cult as a young child and I disagreed with many of the teachings presented. We were told to worship “God” by watching terrible movies of what would happen if we did not give ourselves to the Lord. I have always questioned if the higher power was really a man. This book made me think about so many other possibilities. Through many puzzles, the author provides an alternative to the reigning religion of Christianity. If the premise was true in this book then the world would go into a tailspin. It is only fiction but what if the outcome was true?

The premise of the book sounded interesting. The blurb talks about an ancient mystery, puzzles and the supernatural. It all sounded great. But the actual execution of the story was not good. The first half was ok but the second half devolved into a mess of ideas. The story read like a text book about mathematics, religion and philosophy that made me lose what little interest I had left in the book.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Outstanding. This book was an equal blend of The Da Vinci Code, Annabelle, a world religions class I took in college, and more but I don't want to spoil anything. Kudos to Trussoni for writing something so complicated but in a way that this dumb-dumb could follow. A modern, smart take on the metaphysical, existential, philosophical and scientific realms and how they all relate to one another. Beautifully done, and un-put-downable!

Mike Brink, after suffering a life altering brain injury, went from a football star to an introverted puzzle master who can see patterns and shapes before him. He gets called into a prison to help a psychologist understand the puzzle her patient left for her. In a DaVinci Code way, Mike Brink gets pulled into a morally scientific mathematical puzzle that could change all of humanity.

What a thriller. It got bogged down a bit with details, but otherwise a really well written thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Hang on, you're in for a wild ride with The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni. Although quite complex at times, I enjoyed the mix of genres- historical fiction, suspense, horror, religion, and science fiction. This book has been described as The DaVinci Code meets the Silent Patient, and I think if you enjoyed those books, you'll love this one. Put it on you summer TBR now and get it when it comes out on June 13, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had many things that made it great but it also tried to do too much. Drew me in right away. After a high school injury leaves Mike Brink with a traumatic brain injury, he is left with acquired savant syndrome.. He becomes a renowned puzzle mater. When he is summoned to meet a prisoner Jess Price.he is drawn into a mysterious and dangerous situation. Most of this story is fast paced. Plenty of puzzle along the way. I loved the inclusion of Connie aka Conundrum the dog. Mike was a character I cared about and rooted for. As parts of the story unfold, there are creepy dolls and some supernatural elements. Some of these pieces felt dropped and unfinished. When we get the backstory of Jess staying in the house with the doll, weird things happen to her. The doll disappears and we never really found out how. I wish more of this element had been included. I loved the supernatural bits including the Golem storyline. Where this lost me was the last 25-30% when more and more got added to the plot including computers and technology and art. Way too many big plot pieces mish-mashed together. There were some sex dreams/scenes that were weird. If the author had stuck to the puzzle and mystical aspects this would have been fantastic. LIked it enough to give the author’s next book a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A traumatic brain injury left Mike, a once promising football star, with rare mental abilities that confuse him and isolate him. His mind is always working, he can solve puzzles like no other person, plus he can read at an amazing speed and instantly recall what he has read. But all these mental skills leave him feeling isolated. He graduates from MIT and although many want to hire him for his skills, he becomes a puzzle master, creating and solving complex puzzles.

The story begins with Mike visiting a prison after being contacted by the head psychologist, showing him a puzzle unlike any he’d seen before. The prisoner who’d drawn the puzzle hadn’t spoken in the five years she’d been in prison, and when Mike meets Jess, he feels a connection, and after she kisses him, his brain slips into a puzzle, a labyrinth with Jess trapped in the middle of it. Soon everything in his life is changed, and the story jumps around to different timelines, historical histories, and enemies he never expected coming after him. It goes from Jess staying at a house where she ends up being charged with killing a friend, to a dollmaker in Prague, an ancient prayer circle created in the thirteenth century, to a man who is chasing after the God Puzzle, to gain immortality.

The story is nonlinear with multiple POVs, and religious and scientific discussions. There were times I felt distracted, but I had to follow Mike through this journey.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an arc via NetGalley; this is my honest review.

The Puzzle Master is a break-neck thriller with a supernatural edge. Celebrity puzzle creator Mike Brink is called to visit a young female author, Jess Price, who has been imprisoned for a murder she swears she did not commit. It seems the key to Price’s freedom lies within a strange puzzle, which may contain the secret to eternal life. Understandably, quite a number of people are interested in living forever, so as Brink tries to unravel the mystery, he is pursued by rich weirdos with dark agendas.

Overall, The Puzzle Master is a lot of fun. It is a caper with elements of tech, math, history, folklore, and the occult. The propulsive writing style, with many short chapters, reminded me of Dan Brown. The story was very fast-paced, but there were some times I felt like I was being pulled along, rather than following willingly.

I loved the supernatural elements of the story, and the initial mysterious circumstances behind Jess’s crime were intriguing. But once it became clear where things were heading, my interest began to wane. I felt like the character of Mike Brink lacked depth; other than being a master puzzle solver/writer, I didn’t get a real sense of who he was.

The puzzles themselves were really interesting; I especially enjoyed the word puzzles. It made me wish there was a real-life equivalent of rockstar puzzle master Mike Brink. And some of the more nerdy references in the book made me smile.

I used to work for an eminent Materials Science professor in the UK, and he always emphasized to his students the importance of “telling a story”, not just listing results. I feel like this was mostly achieved here, but sometimes at the expense of extended passages of verbose explanations. However, I didn’t find the novel overly intimidating; the quest of eternal life, whatever form that takes, is pretty universally sought after.

Fans of The Da Vinci Code will love The Puzzle Master. More thriller than horror, I’m sure this novel will be a summer hit!

A traumatic brain injury leaves Mike Brink with the mental superpower of being able to solve and create complex puzzles. His unique ability gets him sucked into a wild adventure that includes religious mysteries, the paranormal, and advanced technology.

This book captured my attention right off the bat and quickly presented a fast-paced, intriguing plot. However, several dense, slower, and sometimes confusing sections followed. Aspects of the story wrapped up far too easily for my liking yet left me with many lingering questions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the review copy!

“The Puzzle Master” had a fresh and interesting angle to the plot. Early on I became hooked to the mystery and intrigue. And the book kept me going till the end. Honestly, in between the suspenseful episodes there were times I skipped paragraphs concerning puzzle solving that just went too far for my taste. A little is good but a lot distracts.
Other folks alluded to the Da Vinci Code: some gave a positive comparison; others not so much. I understand all the religious stuff, and missing documents, and of course the mysteries embedded in puzzle would reflect back to Da Vinci Code; however the puzzles took center stage . So I will score this book: 3 Stars. I received this book as An Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and I am great full.

I’m sure there are many people who will thoroughly enjoy this book, but I was not one of the. Like reading a CBS procedural, The Puzzle Master is a tedious action jawn full of monologued exposition chunks and entirely too much detailed description. Apparently, we’re still trying (and failing) to replicate The Da Vinci Code, this time by smashing it together with The Silent Patient, another book that was beloved by many, but not by me.

Mike Brink is one of the rare people who, after suffering a brain injury, develops Acquired Savant Syndrome. Basically, he's a bit of a genius. Especially when it comes to solving and creating puzzles.

When Mike Brink meets Jess Price, a convicted murderer, he finds the strangest and most difficult puzzle yet.

This book is a bit mind-boggling, with religious and scientific additions to the plot. Plus, I will never forget these creepy dolls!!! I really enjoyed this one and had a lot of fun just looking at these puzzles.

Out June 13, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

After suffering a traumatic brain injury, Mike Brink’s life drastically changed. The injury resulted in a rare medical condition known as acquired savant syndrome. Now, Mike is known for solving and creating complex puzzles that leave others stumped.
Everything changes when Mike meets Jess Price, a woman convicted of murder who hasn’t spoken for five years since her arrest. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle with Brink’s name below, her psychiatrist invites him to visit Price to determine if it will shed some light on her case. But Price reveals to Brink that the puzzle is dangerous, and she fears who might be watching. Soon, Brink goes on a risky pursuit to solve this puzzle that carries religious intonations.
This story has multiple POVs and alternating timelines. It incorporates letters, journal entries, and transcriptions.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-arc.*

This started off like The Da Vinci Code meets the Brittany Murphy movie Don't Say a Word, and I was down for it. But the longer this went on, the more absurd and complicated and nonsensical it got. By the end, I didn't really understand what the book was even about.