One of the more unusual books you will ever read! Mike Brink suffered a head injury playing football and has become a savant. He excels and making and solving puzzles. When he is 'summoned' to meet with a prisoner, Jess Price, by her psychiatrist, a not so harmless puzzle begins to take hold. This book goes from good to wacky to weird. I was expecting puzzles to be featured more prominently. Good but not great. Worth a check out from the library to see if you like it, but I wouldn't purchase. '

I received an ARC via NetGalley.

An interesting blend of thriller and the supernatural brings a lot of twists and turns to this exciting read. The mystery kept me very engaged and I had trouble putting it down. I would definitely recommend for thriller fans and those who love a good puzzle!

Wow. This book is a lot. Like a lot a lot. I’d call it genre fluid but I don’t even know if that does it justice. It kind of hits all over the place-occult, thriller, fantasy, computer science to name a few. And while I did find myself turning pages to see what happens next, I did have to read it in chunks and put it down and come back to it because it was a lot to take in.
Mike Brink had a traumatic brain injury which has left him with the ability to create and solve complex puzzles. It is a rare disorder but it is one that he is learning to deal with. That is until he’s asked by to meet with a prisoner, Jess, which is unusual because she has refused to speak a word to anyone since she was arrested for the murder of her boyfriend, but she has now given her therapist a puzzle with his name on it. She is aware that there are people that are looking for the puzzle because if it is solved it has been found to grant immortality. Soon Brink is in a risky pursuit to solve the puzzle.
In the flashback chapters we find out how the puzzle came to be and where it is hidden, but in the current timeline they are working to figure out where to find it. It involves a golem and Kabbalism and it’s kind of hard to explain without giving away spoilers so I’m going to leave it at that and just let you see for yourself.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Well as a lover of all the puzzles this book was perfect for me. I loved this one and I also loved that the author put puzzles in the book because I definitely tried to solve some of them. It was a such a fun book I can’t wait to buy an actual physical copy

The Puzzle Master
by Danielle Trussoni
Pub Date: 13 Jun 2023

The Puzzle Master is an addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake. This was a great read that had me hooked from the first page until the last.

Synopsis:

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

All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can't.

Thanks #NetGalley, #ThePuzzleMaster and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for this ARC that will be released June 13, 2023.

The Puzzle Master started off really strong for me. I was into the idea of a man who is especially gifted at puzzles being contacted to help a woman who was convicted of a crime. And I loved when things got really creepy.

However then it started to feel like too much going on and being pulled in too many different directions. Ultimately I decided to stop around 50% when I was no longer interested and it felt like work to read more. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and PRH Audio for the advance reading and listening copies.

The world is a puzzle to Mike Brink. When he experienced a traumatic brain injury while playing football, he was diagnosed with savant syndrome. He could now solve puzzles in a way that ordinary people cannot. The only downside is that it left him incredibly isolated.

When Mike meets inmate Jess Price, he learns she hasn’t spoken a word in five years since her arrest. When she draws a perplexing cover, her psychiatrist reaches out to Mike for help. What unfolds is a more dangerous hunt for the truth. Will Mike be able to figure out the ancient cryptic prayer circle known as the God Puzzle to unlock the mystery? Or will it stay hidden forever?

This book was interesting, but rather complicated. I really enjoyed how the book started, and then when the doll maker was introduced, I grew rather confused with the way the plot was turning. The inclusion of the puzzles and ciphers throughout the book was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed trying to break them. There was also a vein of magical realism which was a lot of fun. Mike was such a fun character, he was well written and portrayed wonderfully.

Overall, I just got lost in how complicated this one was, but I can see how it has a lot of potential to be a really fun book.

If you love Dan Brown books you will most likely enjoy this one. Make sure to grab a copy June 13th.

This definitely ended up being a confounding read. Mike Brink has acquired savant syndrome and is an expert puzzle master. When he meets Jess Price he is drawn in to the biggest puzzle of his life and definitely one with the highest stakes. There were some parts of this book that I enjoyed more than other and honestly it was packed with a lot of bigger concepts.

The next DiVinci code? Maybe. Maybe not but still a fun story and decent plot. Recommend to those that like fun and engaging stories

The Puzzle Master is unlike anything I have ever read before. It is completely unique & covers so many different facets of ancient history, puzzles, savant syndrome, supernatural essence, religion, theology, faith, belief, you name it. This is not a book that you can simply skim to read through quickly and expect to ‘get the gist.’ This is a book that needs your undivided attention at all times. To understand this story you have to be invested and focused. I truly enjoyed this book as I could see it playing out like a movie in my mind. While completely different from movie adaptions such as The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, this book definitely gave me those vibes. If this were adapted into a film, I vote for Collin Hanks to play Mike Brink… just sayin 😉 If this sounds like something you would absolutely love, then put this on your wishlist to get immediately. It is set to come out June 13, 2023 (6/13/23).

This book, billed as the next <I>DaVinci Code</I>, is trying to do far too many things with a mash-up of genres and flat characters. Mike Brink is a genius puzzle maker and solver who developed the extremely rare "acquired savant syndrome" when he was in a football accident as a teenager. When a prison psychologist brings him in to help figure out a puzzle from an inmate, things get absolutely wild and the plot is only missing a kitchen sink. There's a super creepy doll, Jewish mysticism, demons, advanced technology, evil villains, brutal murders, and cringey instalove. This book was not for me and I could not feel engaged with the characters or the plot. YMMV, as I seem to be an outlier and lots of people are loving this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a digital review copy.

I love a good puzzle. The Puzzle Master was an interesting story and I was drawn in by the complex puzzles and dark history it explores. The tension of the story is a slow build, and by the end, I was completely drawn in. The author provides amazing the history of ancient puzzles and that is blended seamlessly with the action that is occurring the modern day. The timing of the puzzle reveals was masterful, with each layer providing a something unique. I recommend The Puzzle Master for thriller and puzzle lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Wow! This was a fun book to read. It combines puzzles, religious symbols, killer dolls, egotistical billionaires and a great lead character and his dog. Mike Brink suffered a brain injury while playing high school football. This injury caused him to acquire savant syndrome, which in his case made him able to create and solve all manner of complex puzzles. Mike leads a quiet life with his best friend and dog Connie and makes his living creating puzzles for the NYT and his own books. Mike is an MIT graduate and still has contacts with the university but didn't want to become an academic himself. The story starts when Mike is asked to visit a prisoner named Jess Price who is being held in a secluded prison in the Adirondacks Jess was accused of the brutal murder of her boyfriend and has not spoken a word in many years. One day she presents her doctor with a puzzle, one in which Mike's name is written on the bottom.

Told in multiple time periods, viewpoints and locations, this book is about an ego maniac trying to solve the "God's Puzzle" which he believes will lead to immortality and lots of other symbols, religious iconography and computer programs. I particularly liked the journals of the French doll maker in the early 1900's who went to Prague to learn to perfect his abilities and who was obsessed with his dead daughter Violaine. The story becomes a race to find a way to help Jess, save Mike and his dog from evil fiends, and there are puzzles to solve along with way. I would love to see more of Mike and Connie in future books and really appreciated the research the author has done on the various topics. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

"The Puzzle Master" is the first book I've read by Danielle Trussoni, but it certainly will not be my last! Fans of Dan Brown and of Blake Crouch will love this book. The author seamlessly blends science fiction, the paranormal, and religious tradition to create a wildly entertaining and fast paced read. This cerebral read kept me engrossed in the plot and guessing at what would happen next. Packed full of intrigue, twists and turns that completely blindsided me, and interesting characters, "The Puzzle Master" is a book not to be missed and will certainly be one of this summer's sensations. Five bright, shiny stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this tremendous book!

I really enjoyed this book! It’s got thrilling aspects but it’s definitely not your average thriller. Brinks new found ability to solve the most intricate puzzles was very interesting to learn about and made him really fun to follow. The only issue with this I had was the changes between view points and characters (including flashbacks) were jarring and a bit hard to follow. I couldn’t acclimate myself to where we were or who was talking until a few pages into each chapter. Overall a very enjoyable read that will keep you on your toes.

Thank you to NetGalley and penguin books for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mike Brink suffered a brain injury that gives him the ability to suss out patterns in everything he sees. This makes him an uncanny expert when it comes to the mystery surrounding the woman convicted of killing her lover during her stint as a house sitter at an isolated estate. At its core, The Puzzle Master is a mystery, but there is so much more. Danielle Trussoni has crafted a novel that weaves in and out of different genres: mystery, science fiction, with touches of horror thrown in that cast a few effective scares. While the extensive explaining of puzzles and patterns was expected, the elements of haunted houses, spooky dolls, demons, Jewish mysticism, and quantum physics wrapped up in the middle of the plot is a welcome surprise. The intrigue of what all of this means is what propels you through each chapter’s cliffhangers. There are complicated explanations because of the subject matters, but Trussoni spins them in entertaining ways. I couldn’t put it down. There are constant twists and surprises that keep the reader engaged. It is a difficult book to put down.

In Danielle Trussoni’s June release The Puzzle Master, a football injury left Mike Brink acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him able to solve puzzles differently than ordinary people and gained him fame around the world. When an author serving time for murder sends him a partially completed puzzle, Brink is too intrigued to refuse seeing her. As Brink starts to unravel the puzzle of the unfinished puzzle, he might just have landed himself in the greatest puzzle of all & endangered his life in the process.

With a mix of mystery, suspense, secret organizations, and Jewish mythology – Trussoni has put together such a complex story. & I mean COMPLEX. All the interwoven stories, myths, puzzles, people, etc got a little confusing for me. It’s clearly well written, thought out, & researched but the overall story just got to complicated for me, especially when discussing the intricate puzzles and deep diving into religious mythology and lore. I found myself skimming some of these parts just because they would get extremely philosophical.

I loved learning more about Jewish Mythology and puzzles, and it’s woven together amazingly. But getting lost on more than 1 occasion brought this down a star for me. Highly recommend going into this one blind – which is why my review isn’t super detailed. If you like puzzles or The DaVinci Code, then this is the PERFECT read for you!

The Puzzle Master comes out June 13, 2023. Huge thank you to Random House for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

The longer I think about this, the more I'm certain, this one just wasn't for me.

In theory: yes! I love a good mystery/thriller (especially with a handsome lead and a silent and mysterious lady at the center of the mystery!). Throw puzzles into the mix, I thought this wouldn't miss!

Unfortunately for me, I kept getting slowed down by the time jumps. I'd get really into the story and what was going on, and then suddenly, someone was stopping to read a diary entry (from 5 years ago) or a really long letter (from 500 years ago). Which, I get, we need that information, but it totally took me out of the story, and I found myself not caring about the people in the time jumps. I wish there's a better way that information could have been conveyed without the choppy jump.

I stalled out for a long time at 50%. I usually can read a book like this in a day or two, but this one took me two weeks.

The story was good, I just think, personally, for me, it could have been better.

Puzzles, ancient secrets hidden through time, and a plan to finally achieve immortality weave throughout Danielle Trussoni’s new novel, The Puzzle Master. Part suspense, part horror, and all mystery, The Puzzle Master explores the idea of old religions and how they mix with modern technology. Is it possible to find an answer to ancient questions using today’s methods and science?
Mike Brink sees the world differently and this has been a boon and a bane throughout his adult life. It was not always this way for him. Brink was once a high school football star and while his dreams for the future were not anything exceptional or novel, they were his dreams. He planned on college football and a family and the quiet, satisfied life after a small amount of fame had brightened his life. Instead, he suffered a concussion that led to a rare medical condition, synesthesia. This condition can cause some people to smell in color or hear numbers as sounds. In Brinks case, patterns would simply jump off the page and with this gift; he could break codes and solve puzzles with a mastery rarely seen before.
When Brink receives an invitation to look at a puzzle drawn by a convicted murderer from an event that was splashed all over national headlines, he is intrigued. After driving out to a remote, high-security prison, he is surprised to find that his is the only communication the murderer, Jess Price, has sought out in her time in prison. Stranger still, she seems to know the answers to one of the oldest puzzles in existence. Along with this incredible knowledge, Price know more about what is happening in the outside world that Mike would expect. She knows enough to warn him that he is in danger.
Immediately, Brink finds that Price is correct. Multiple people want Mike on their side or out of the way. They are part of a group to solve what they call the God Puzzle. Unfortunately for Brink, he cannot step aside, especially now that he is beginning to realize how deep this plot goes and that Jess Price may have been innocent the entire time. The Puzzle Master is liberally bestrewn with puzzles. Readers who enjoyed the Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code will find Trussoni’s novel a treat!

I really enjoyed The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni, and when I read the synopsis for The Puzzle Master, it too sounded like something I would really like, but, while there were elements that were good, there were also a lot that were not.

I felt like there was a lot going on in this book, and some of it felt like it was added just because they are newer sensations in the media. If Trussoni had stuck with the history, ancient societies, and Jewish mysticism, without adding in all the cryptocurrency and AI it could have worked. But there was just too much going on.

Besides all the various ideas, there was a lot of repetition with the main character, Mike, replaying his trauma and other events that had happened in the past. If Trussoni had cut out a lot of this repetition, she would have had more time to solidify the history, mysticism, etc…

And when we find out the secret message about God, while I agree with it, the message felt like it was also ripped out of the current headlines. Lots of great ideas here, the story just needed to be tightened up. Maybe include some of it into a second book…