I didn't know what to expect from The Puzzle Master. It is the first book I've read by Danielle Trussoni and I was pleasantly surprised. The first question when I read a book like this is would I like to see the main character again. The answer is yes! Mike Brink is as fascinating a character as the book proves to be. It's a thriller which makes you think. It's engaging and has a satisfying conclusion. The Puzzle Master brilliantly blends the horror and thriller genres. Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The first half of this was veering to the 5-star range and then... well... it gets disappointing. The whole "God Puzzle"/Jewish mysticism thing didn't do it for me. Bad enough that none of the relationships felt real, and that Jess' journal does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of an info dump, this feels like two books badly blended.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

From the moment i started reading “The Puzzle Maker” I immediately thought of multiple Dan Brown books. Specifically the Robert Langdon books written by him.

Mike Brink is a puzzle solver and maker. After Mike suffered a traumatic football injury, that he could have had much worse of an outcome, he sees puzzles and patterns differently then before. Writing crossword puzzles, that he is well known for, he is summoned to visit a killer. This killer, Jess, won’t speak but they think it will do her good to meet Mike. Not only that but they are also hoping that Mike can solve a puzzle that she has drawn.

I enjoyed the puzzles and seeing Mike solve them. If you like mystery’s and are fond of Dan Brown as stated before I would recommend checking out “The Puzzle Master” by Danielle Trussoni.

What a unique read! In this novel, our main character Mike experienced a football injury that turned him into a puzzle savant. He's called in to the prison by Jess Price's psychiatrist to solve the puzzle she has drawn. The set-up for the story in the first several chapters is very well done. From there, the story takes off into more of an adventure story. Aside from the puzzle piece, I think this would make a very good movie. It has some haunted house and creepy doll elements, which almost seem like a horror movie, but I'd say it leans more toward action movie overall.

Mike is an interesting character. We don't really get a lot of time with Jess since she doesn't talk, but I think in a movie version you can do a lot with flashbacks to show her character more. These two vibe toward the end of the book, but other than the commonality of puzzles, I'm not sure there is much more to their relationship.

There were two aspects of this novel that brought it down for me. One: There was a bit *too* much action. Two: I wasn't very interested in the Kabbalah aspect. It went over my head.

I think those that like the Davinci Code would like this book. It is a nice blend of history, religion, creepiness, action, and puzzles.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Puzzle Master.
After a bad accident Mike Brink has the insane abilities in solving puzzles. He makes his living submitting crossword puzzles and is a bit of a celebrity.
When he receives a message to meet a notorious killer he is interested in why he would be called but he goes anyway.
He meets the young woman who is a convicted killer and her counselor brings the two together.
Why because this woman holds a secret that only Mike can solve and her life depends on it. And by helping her is he in danger too?
Good book. Sometimes wordy but a solid mystery
3 stars

Mike Brink has become famous for his unique ability to decipher the un-decipherable, courtesy of a brain injury he sustained years ago. He can see complex numeric patterns, remember them with exquisite precision and solve them easily. But his skills are tested as never before when he’s summoned to an institutional prison to help unravel an ancient and dangerous mystery. An inmate patient has drawn a cryptic puzzle that requires Brink’s skillset to decipher. The lines between reality, ancient prophesy and mysticism blur as an age-old curse is about to unravel existence as we know it. The level of danger goes through the roof while the terrible truth emerges, and the bad guys always seem to be one maddening step ahead. The story is quite complex and multi-layered, but the reader is drawn into it nonetheless. The fate of the world hangs in the balance with this nailbiter of a tale!

The Puzzle Master, by Danielle Trussoni, is a perfect summer read. Not too demanding, but very compelling with one action scene after another. Think DaVinci Code: short chapters that always end on a cliff-hanger so you keep telling yourself "just one more"

*Everything* happens in this novel, which would be ridiculous in the real world, but makes for an entertaining read. Take this one to the beach, stretch out and enjoy.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Mike loves puzzles and turned a hobby into a career. He is called to a prison where a prisoner who won't talk draws something for him to solve.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning.

Any blurb on a book that states that it is part Da Vinci Code, part Silent Patient and a sprinkle of Stephen King will automatically get my attention! I have to say, this book did not disappoint. I loved the beginning, middle and end of this book and it will keep you reading well into the early morning hours. I loved the puzzles, mystery and religion aspects of this book. This book was very suspenseful and I was found myself not wanting to put it down so I could find out what happened next.

Highly recommend this book and I look forward to what Danielle writes next! Go get this book!

This book started out really strong. Mike was an interesting character. About 3/4ths of the way through the story line kind of lost me. There was a little too much going on at once. Once the past storylines were introduced, I wish we could have stayed within them to see more of the story from Jess and LaMoriette’s perspectives. Overall I enjoyed the book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a fantastic premise. Unfortunately, it was just not for me.

On the brink of a footfall scholarship, Mike is injured and wakes up a new person. One that sees patterns and can solve puzzles. Decades later, Jess is a successful writer accused of a brutal murder who refuses to talk to anyone. Not a word in her own defense, in explanation, or even in support of the conviction. After years in jail, she still won't talk to anyone... except Mike.

I was very intrigued by the premise, but the story took a mystical turn. One involving Jewish mysticism and a billionaire looking for eternal life. It was just too much for me. However, those elements start emerging early in the story, and if they are not for you, it is early enough to put the book down. As I was reading it, I kept comparing it to The Dvinci Code but not in a positive light. If you know what you are getting into, I think you will have better luck with it than I did.

On the other hand, there are plot holes in the story, and there was one element I just could not forgive the story for: Mike knows he is being pursued by people with access to the best technology and yet continues to carry and use his cell phone. Then is surprised when he is found. This happens multiple times! I am very forgiving of these kinds of plot issues, but this one, I could not. Not when the story kept reminding us of the resources and technologies being used. If you are less forging than I tend to be, you will find plenty of other problems that might be too distracting.

This book had me hooked from the opening chapter! The Puzzle Master is a fast-paced, thriller that combines history and fiction in a way that makes everything seem real. I was able to relate to the protagonist, as they reminded me of someone close to me, which made it easy to read. There aren't enough fiction novels out there that focus on puzzles and riddles, which makes this book so unique in the thriller genre. The many twists and turns the book takes leave you guessing until the last page.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Puzzle Master sounded like it had all the elements of an exciting summer read. Also, being compared to books like The Silent Patient made me intrigued enough to give it a try. For me, this didn't live up to the comparisons and from looking at other reviews, I may be in the minority here.

The story is about Mike Brink who is part of a small group of people who has acquired savant syndrome which in his case gives him the ability to see patterns and solve puzzles easily. He is tapped on by a psychologist at a women's prison when one of the inmates provides a puzzle to her and requests to see Brink. From there the story takes off.

However, the story goes in ten different directions. It never really figures out what it wants to be and eventually falls into using religious artifacts and stories to support the story which is fairly flimsy to begin with using things like blockchain, cryptocurrency, and AI as buzzy things that don't truly factor into the story too much until the last page. While very readable, the author also had a slightly annoying tendency to with her word choice-words like Archimedean, chiaroscuro, etc....all great, but they don't fit the rest of the writing and it honestly just feels like the author is trying to appear smart.

After being unimpressed by Angelology and now this one, I think I'll leave this author's future endeavors to others who enjoy her.

The Puzzle Master was masterfully written with everything thoroughly researched. There is a little bit of everything in this book: mystery, thriller, sci-fi, horror, technology and supernatural. The Puzzle Master reminded me of The Da Vinci Code, but easier for me to follow. I found myself making a list of topics I want to research more as there were new concepts included that I am not familiar with.
Set to release in June 2023 and I highly recommend grabbing a copy!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love puzzles and mysteries so when I read the marketing copy for this book, I was intrigued. I'm not a big Dan Brown fan but I did like The Da Vinci Code and this book has some similarities.

Mike Brink's dream of becoming an NFL quarterback is shattered when he suffers a brain injury during a high school football game. Instead of studying "x's" and "o's", he sees numeric patterns all around him due to what is known as acquired savant syndrome, and his life is now centered around creating and solving puzzles. His sudden puzzle-solving skills do come at a cost, however: he finds it hard to emotionally connect with people.

Jess Price, who hasn't spoken a word since her arrest five years ago for murder, lets her psychiatrist know she wants to meet Brink when she draws a complex puzzle that only he can solve. Hoping for a breakthrough, her psychiatrist arranges a visit between Jess and Mike. It is a pivotal point in both their lives: Mike feels an instant connection to Jess and Jess opens up to him. What follows is a roller-coaster ride as Mike tries to solve Jess's puzzle and finds both his own and Jess's life in danger.

This is a suspenseful page-turner of a read. I found myself immersed in the world of puzzles and mysticism. For Mike to solve Jess's God Puzzle, he must delve into religious beliefs, scientific principles, and ancient manuscripts, all of which make for an interesting and compelling read. This is a complex story that expertly unfolds. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is June 13, 2023.

The Puzzle Master was a great book, filled with action, intrigue and a little more Jewish religion and folklore than I was expecting. (No complaints, it was fascinating.) Mike Brink was an interesting, if not totally believable character. Even puzzle nerds have to be tall, fit and handsome in action stories.

I would read another Mike Brink book, and I may look at some of Danielle Trussoni's other books as well. She's a very good writer.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC. Thank you to Random House and Danielle Trussoni. All opinions are my own.

I was excited for the premise of this book, but it deviated so far from where I thought it would go, and became so complex. There were a lot of elements presented in the book that felt unnecessary, so many parts felt like the author was throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck. Unfortunately this wasn’t a hit for me, but hopefully it is for others!

The Puzzle Master started off really strong. I really loved the first 30% or so. The thriller vibes and the MC’s giftedness with puzzles made for an interesting and exciting read. And I loved it as we started getting some of Jess’s backstory. The horror vibes at Sedge house were a wonderfully unexpected surprise.

But then the nature of the story shifted and dragged. There was a lot of info dumping on a multitude of topics. I didn’t enjoy reading long stretches of detail about binary code, computers, etc.

I picked up this book because of the reference to Jewish mysticism in the synopsis. I am Jewish and was excited by the prospect of a uniquely Jewish story (I don’t know if I’ve ever read a thriller or mystery with Jewish representation). But I didn’t like the Jewish representation here, which says a lot because I love golem stories. This didn’t feel authentically Jewish. The Jewish mysticism felt like a fantastical curiosity to be used by the characters to serve their own interests. And so the use of Jewish mysticism felt irreligious and like a cheap plot device.

In the end, this was a 3⭐️ read for me based on the strong start and the action throughout.

Interesting book that started really strong. It grabbed my attention right away and I didn't want to put it down. It threw us quickly into a mystery that involved all sort of complex puzzles. It was very Dan Brown-esque. I enjoyed the puzzle and mystery element, but for me it just dragged out a bit. And I didn't really like how things wrapped up - it felt a bit superficial. Overall, it was a mostly enjoyable read and I wasn't tempted to stop reading, just wanted it to get to the point a bit faster.

The Puzzle Master is a wild ride of a genre mash up. It is a thriller and a mystery with elements of the supernatural and history. After sustaining a head injury as a teenager, Mike Brink, has savant level puzzle solving skills. He is called by a prison to help decipher a puzzle in the possession of Jess Price, a famous writer turned infamous murderer.

At one point while reading this I thought to myself, “this book has no idea what it wants to be when it grows up.” It is a story of personal tragedy, ancient secrets, immortality, murder, and high technology. Personally, I think there was too much going on. Taken alone, or in smaller combinations, the various elements could have worked better. There were a lot of elements that I truly enjoy in books – secret societies, a haunted home, family secrets, technology, puzzles, mysteries, supernatural elements, religious conspiracies – but this story leapt around too much for any one element to be truly great and I think the book ultimately suffered. I never felt invested in any of the characters. I finished the book because I needed to know how it all worked out in the end, but I wouldn't say that I loved it.

I commend the author for her ambition, and I would be willing to pick up another book by her.

Much thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing the opportunitiy to read this early.