This was a great story about a subject I'd never heard of before. Mike was an engaging character to follow, and I couldn't help but root for him. I loved reading about the puzzles he created and how his mind worked. The author seemed to be very familiar with Kabbalah, and I enjoyed learning more about it. I felt like it was a great backdrop for the story. I did feel like the author's explanation of Judeo-Christian beliefs was a bit muddled and inaccurate. I'm not sure if she was trying to advance an agenda or just generally confused.
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

I was excited by the premise of this book. I enjoyed both The Silent Patient and The DaVinci Code, so the blurb had me at the beginning. However, this book tried to be too much.

There were porcelain dolls, Kabbalah, a puzzle master who didn't really solve a puzzle, and a rich man using another for his dirty work. I like Mike Brink's character, but the story was so convoluted that I just got bogged down and didn't love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Supernatural meets reality and it goes off with a BANG!
What can one say, "In circles we move at night and are consumed by fire."
Let me begin by saying not only is God good but God is male and female and this may be shocking to some.
Let me also note that a puzzle is made up of many blank spaces and it's up to us to decide how to fill those spaces.
Hidden messages are found everywhere one looks but not everyone sees or feels the sensations.Those who do may be killed for this knowledge.
There's so much action that it's impossible to not notice from porcelain dolls to therapy sessions to crimes involving death and destruction.
What does come out with the laundry is the bleeding colors of truth and justice and Lord -Hear our Prayer...we need you, stat!
It's more than just a circle of life when everyone has something to say, a part to play, and a move to make.Good vs evil needs to take a step back for the powerful women are here to stay!
Do I say an acquittal coming your way is a blessing in disguise but for some it's already too late.
Love it all!
Great Job Danielle Trussoni in all regards!

interesting book with maps and code and seeing images and able to do things in dream. very interesting book that dealt with religion and science. slight romance and issues with dolls

This is a good story, with many different genres mashed together. It's part thriller and part mystery, with some horror and techno science-thriller elements thrown in. I enjoyed the characters and puzzle/problem solving aspects, just maybe too many different elements to the story that didn't quite all come together and make sense.. It's an easy quick read, and if you enjoy those genres you'll probably enjoy this book.

Haven’t you always wanted to know what it would be like to have a photographic memory and be able to solve any puzzle. Mike Brink now has this ability after a football accident. Of course having a perfect memory isn’t always perfection. We see what it’s truly like to have a mind that is always at work. And when people want to use his talents to their advantage, things can get dangerous.
I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of layers to the story that we had to unfold. The story ended up being not what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it.
3.5/5 stars

I couldn’t put this one down. I found myself reading at every opportunity and was so excited to see the ending. I really enjoyed reading this but was slightly disappointed with the ending. I wasn’t surprised by the final reveal but really wanted to be. I was sucked in the whole time so it made the ending more of a let down. I do think it’s worth the read but you have to go in knowing that there won’t be any surprises— aside from realizing that everyone talking about this being a genre mashup is correct. This was a great read and I wish I could give it more stars.

Wow!!

I went into this read not knowing anything about this author and what I got was an amazing book that was not at all what I was expecting.

Some supernatural and lots of suspense with a unique puzzle.

Mike Brink was in an accident and learned that his brain injury had resulted in an extremely rare condition called sudden acquired savant syndrome.

Jess Price was a author convicted of murder.

She’d lured him to the prison with a puzzle, drawn him closer with a cipher, and now he felt a desperate need to figure her out.

I was so engrossed in this story I literally couldn’t put it down. It was so different from anything I’ve read before and I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.

A young man who is a puzzle savant becomes involved in a murder mystery. Sounds simple, right? Nope. This is a complicated cerebral thriller. There’s a small detour into creepy doll land, but it is short and feeds the narrative. Likewise spiritual, religious, and supernatural aspects that feed the narrative. It is well written and thought out and has good character development (though he falls for the wrong woman) and I could have done with less of the schlocky Mission Impossible stumbles. Worth the read.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussini introduces us to Mike Brink whose life is altered after a football injury. He is drawn into a puzzle by Jess Price who is in prison for murder. She draws a puzzle to get Mike involved. The story is a thriller with strange events happening and effects for the future. It takes us to upstate NY, NYC, and Prague. A suspenseful read with a good pace! I recommend this one! Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This started off okay. I liked the premise, and the storytelling was okay, although it felt a little lecture-y at times, with the dumping of a lot of information. But then it progressively got worse and worse. I could put up with fairly stereotypical characters if there's a lot of action going on. But the plot got bogged down by so much information dumping. None of the conversations sound like conversations. They sound like one character lecturing on a topic for pages and pages, before giving the other character an opportunity to ask another question. And even that, I could be okay with. But the instalove between a couple of the characters, not too mention some skeevy yet almost laughable sex scenes, and a mishmash of way too many genres all turned this into something that I just couldn't enjoy because it was all just too much. (I didn't really like any of Dan Brown's novels either, which is what this reminds me of the most, so there's that.)

It's been a long time since I have felt compelled to finish a book in one day....well, The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni, is IT! Super intense and a quick read, I could not put it down. It's a page turner, a roller coaster and an incredible story. I loved this book, truly it had me on the edge of my chair! I loved all the Jewish references! Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House Publishing for the egalley of this book in return for this very honest review.
For all readers, buy it as quick as it comes out.....It is a fantastic story!

Y'all!!! This book! This book!
Imagine being in the woods and expecting to run into tigers or bears but instead running into a liopleurodon. All that to say, it will keep you on your toes.

I really am a bad guesser. I'm a bad detective. Please don't ask me to solve any crimes.

I really didn't know who to believe or who was telling the truth. It definitely was a fun ride the entire time. It was a stressful ride, but a fun one!

Seriously, don't miss this one!

Thank you to Random House for inviting me to read an early copy of this book.

THE PUZZLE MASTER works with three different timelines: 1909, 2017, and 2022 (our main one).

From the beginning, I thought that if the book’s execution worked out, then this was going to be really good. I’ve read Danielle Trussoni’s ANGELOLOGY series so I was familiar with her writing style and it comes across here. Yes, this book is classified as Historical Fiction and Mystery & Thrillers (according to NetGalley’s rubric), but there’s a lot more going on here. There’s an investigation of privacy, quantum mechanics, Jewish mysticism, and a few others as well.

(A note about the Jewish mysticism mentioned above: I’m not Jewish so I’m not sure if this was taken with any sort of care. There were a few things that felt suspect, but I can’t speak with any authority about whether or not it was done in poor taste.)

This is a dense book. There’s a lot going on and you can really tell the author did her research on every topic; the characters go on long monologues to demonstrate this. This information does pay off but it feels like it’s bogged down in parts. While I’m one who can tolerate this, I know there are those who won’t.

In the end, basically, everything is not what it seems and I liked going into reading it knowing that there was going to be a sequel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this title. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
This book is a fast paced, with action start to finish. There are stories within the story, a doll maker, a diary of an accused murderer. Add in golems, a puzzle called The Eye of God, and a cool little dachshund. Overall a perfectly balanced read.

The Puzzle Master is a fast-paced ride. The book is built around Mike Brink, who, after an accident in high school, can understand shapes and patterns like no one else. He’s a likable character who doesn’t always know how to navigate the world around him.

He finds himself inside a centuries-old mystery that involved Jewish mysticism combined with a tech genius who hopes to move the world to the next age of AI. Sound confusing? It is. But it is a well-spun yarn that keeps you guessing. Kudos to the author for all the research she did. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it is for everyone.

If you enjoyed The Davinci Code, this book is right up your alley!

This was a face paced and keep you on the edge book. I really enjoyed it based on the synopsis I was ready to go in and found there was so much more to this book than I expected. It ended on a cliff hanger and await a sequel and most definitely will read it!

3.5:5

Despite the delicious and savory intricacies of the story, this book ended up being bland for me. It needs just a bit more spice and possibly different ingredients. Overall it satiated but didn’t satisfy.

(2.5 rounded up.) The Puzzle Master was a book about a lot of subjects: puzzles, the supernatural, religion, technology, art, history, medicine. There was a lot going on; perhaps, too much for one book.

While I thought it was fairly successful as thriller, adding so many other elements from different genres tended to distract from, rather than enhance, the overall story. I’m sure there are people who like the mash up of genres, but I think you need to be careful which ones you mix together. A lot of people enjoy thrillers with puzzles but hate anything supernatural.

I also thought the writing was a little uneven. I’m a fan of fast pacing, but sometimes I thought it was a little too fast. I had to go back a couple of times and reread things to make sure I hadn’t missed something. Plus, there were a few things I didn’t miss, they just weren’t addressed. I was also glad I had the dictionary feature on my Kindle for this book.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.