The Puzzle Master opens with a unique puzzle constructor Mike Brink who years before suffered a high school football injury which left him with acquired savant syndrome. Brink sees patterns and can solve most unsolvable puzzles. He also has the superpower ability to remember everything he reads or sees. He becomes involved in a murder mystery and its convicted, imprisoned woman, Jess, who secretively gives him an image of a puzzle that may exonerate her. From there the expansion in story lines is widespread. The first part the book is engrossing, but a series of events, new characters – some dead, historical references, spiritual mysticism, old manuscripts, sci-fi threads, possible scientific connections – as well as golems, freaky dolls, quests for immortality, a maniacal billionaire mastermind, weird dreams, more puzzles, and a possible but strange romance bog down that compelling pace. The scientific, historical, and spiritual exploration especially is necessary to build a basis for the story’s premise, but the characters and story suffer with that much meshed together in trying to solve the puzzle and what it means for mankind.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I am grateful to Random House, NetGalley, and Danielle Trussoni for giving me early access. This opinion is all my own.

Ooof, there are a lot of thoughts after finishing this book. For me, it hit a little low because there was so much going on.
At one point I did feel like it was a story about murder, puzzels, hauntings from different stories but all meshed up together here.

I think because of the ambition of the story the book overwhelmed me.

This was not the book for me.

I really wanted to get into this book because I loved the premise, but I reallyyyy struggled to even finish it. It hurt my brain. I know it's supposed to be a puzzle, but it ended up being way too convoluted to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this could of had a different title. Yes it does include this man, the puzzle master, for most of the story. But while he is a main character, the story itself is about so much more than you'd think with that title. Truths, perfection, immortality, gods, demons, technology, mystery, murder, intrigue, action, adventure. All in all I found it to be a four star read. thank you to netgalley for the proof to read before publication.

This book was pretty good. It made me use my brain and pay attention. It reminded me mildly of Dan Brown type of writing. Mike Brinks story was so cool. I cant imagine being that smart and seeing numbers. I loved learning about his life. It was super interesting how he helped the lady in prison. I wanted to know what will happen next. Few parts did surprise me. the ending was okay.. The book cover is pretty as well. It was very interesting. I am so glad i read and annotated it. Also the pictures of puzzles and numbers made the book more interesting. I looked at it and try and solve it on my own. lol It was a nice read. Very grateful to NetGalley for the ARC. I recommend it if you like humanity, puzzles,life story, drama, universe, etc.

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book. I loved the premise, but it didn’t work for me. I skimmed through it. I know others will love it though!

"The Puzzle Master" had an intriguing plot and premise which is what drew me to the book, but a long the way it just got too convoluted and not that interesting to follow. It was a bit of a slog to get myself to finish it.

At no point did I know what was going to happen next. And not in a good way. What an absolute mess of a book. I feel like Stefon on Weekend Update. This book has everything! A lead character called Brink (I could only picture Erik von Detten), haunted dolls, golems, religion, Lilith, succubi, sex dreams, a God puzzle, a trans god. And much more! The one thing in short supply here? Puzzles. This book is Dan Brown on acid and mushrooms and cocaine. The first bit was okay, and then it devolved into a completely deranged fever dream in the last half especially.

The whole thing was trying to do WAYYYY too much. It was completely incohesive. The characters were super flat. There was an uncomfortable forced "romance" that developed mostly during succubus sex dreams. And I don't know enough to really say, but it felt at least vaguely antiSemitic. No thank you. Not for me.

Mike Brink, once a rising football star who suffered a traumatic brain injury, now has a rare medical condition due to that injury: acquired savant syndrome. He is now a genius when it comes to seeing, solving, and creating puzzles. But he is now socially awkward and isolated, as well.

Brink is invited to meet with Jess Price - a woman sentenced to thirty years in prison for murder. She hasn't spoken in five years - since she was incarcerated. But she has created, by drawing, a complex and confounding puzzle. Price's psychiatrist has invited Brink to meet with Price and to try to solve the riddle of her puzzle - a puzzle with links to an ancient mystery.

He can't stop himself from exploring the meaning of the puzzle, but it's his obsession with Jess herself that might get Brink into his deepest trouble.

Although I'm not particularly good at puzzles myself, I do enjoy the challenge of them, which is what drew me to this book.

The first third of the book or so was full-on engaging and exciting. Being introduced to the characters, getting the initial puzzle established, and the first hint of danger, was all well-handled and a real page-turning read. But as the story got deeper into te more ancient mysteries, it took a Da Vinci Code-like turn which I did not find nearly as interesting. I guess I wanted the threat to be more immediate and local, which I think would have felt more believable.

None of this is helped by the characters.

Again, our first take with Mike and Jess, and even with Jess's psychiatrist, is believable and intriguing. We know there's going to be something here between them, but what? This is where the story lies! But with Jess in prison, her ability to really make an impact remains quite diluted. Too bad, because she's probably the most interesting character here.

I do tend to find that nearly all mysteries have a moment or two of luck involved with the protagonist seeing or catching something. In this case it's a tattoo that plays too big/easy a role in finding a connection. I won't say too much about it in case you choose to read the book.

All in all, an exciting beginning and well plotted, but the story gets too deep in the attempt to be a real thriller, and the characters never grow into or beyond our initial impressions of them.

Looking for a good book? The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni is a tightly plotted thriller with characters that have great possibilities but aren't fleshed out enough to really shine.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent closed door mystery with an intriguing hero. Recommended for everyone from Agatha Christie readers to Dan Brown fans.

Thank you Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This book hooked me. I was very intrigued by the premise and the beginning of this book. However, the last half really lost me. I did finish it. However, I was quite confused and had lost a lot of the interested I had found at the start. I thought that the story idea was such a great one. I just did not feel like the execution in parts was very well done to keep attention of the reader.

This is the story of Mike Bink an ingenious puzzle constructor. He understands patterns like no one else can. Mike was once a successful Midwestern football player. However, his world is transformed after a traumatic brain injury. He develops a rare medical condition called savant syndrome. This syndrome is his super power to solving puzzles and other patterns. However, it also leaves him quite isolated at times. Social situations and other circumstances often leave him unsure how to respond. When Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving a 30 year sentence for murder who hasn't spoken in the years since her sentence, his world changes. He becomes obsessed with solving Price's puzzles and solving the case. Can he solve the hardest ones? Or will the truth be left undiscovered?

Content: Swearing, recall of violence

Read if you enjoy:
Mysteries
Puzzles
Thriller
Savant Syndrome Rep

This book was a lot of fun and a wild ride! The Puzzle Master makes you really slow down and think about what you're reading and what is going on in the story which I appreciated. Also, the puzzles scattered throughout the book were so fun to run into.

The Puzzle Master a the story about Mike Brink, a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury playing high school football. Due to this injury, he was able to solve and create complex puzzles. He is called upon to help crack a mysterious code transcribed by convicted murderer, Jess Price, in order to get to the bottom of the crime. The author takes us on a roller coaster ride! This book is a wild from start to finish. An unusual and exciting plot with lots of history and science thrown in, the character of Mike and his new abilities is fascinating. I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley as an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel checked a lot of boxes for me at the beginning. I was unfamiliar with acquired savant syndrome, and the premise fascinated me. The author explains how those who have it can be affected differently and the toll it can take on their lives if undiagnosed. Mike Brink is a likeable guy, and I loved being in his head when it came to solving and creating puzzles. I’m a sucker for including pets in a story, and I adored his dog Conundrum (perfect name, but Connie for short). Jess Price’s story intrigued me, and I was anxious to learn why she asked for Brink after years of little communication with her therapist and other prisoners. Pacing moves along nicely and kept me flipping the pages.

Once I got to around 50% and the God Puzzle is mentioned, that’s where the story occasionally lost me. What starts as a mystery with historical and paranormal elements turns into long passages of religious references, artificial intelligence, and quantum physics. While I enjoy novels about these heavy, complex topics, it can be overwhelming when they’re blended into a single story – especially when it’s not a direction I’d expected. I skimmed through more than a few pages.

The last 15% is full of action, and I wasn’t sure how the story would end. It leaves the possibility of a sequel open, but I’m not sure if one is in the works. If you’re a fan of blended genres and stories that tackle complex topics, The Puzzle Master might be the read for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Puzzle Master is an inventive thriller I have read in a while! Loved the addictive storyline with alternate timelines and multiple povs. Under 400 pages, this story packs a punch and honestly would make a great movie! 4.25/5

eArc provided by Random House via Netgalley

4 puzzling stars
“What had begun as a puzzle had become a deeply personal quest. “

“He didn’t believe in stolen elections, that the apocalypse was coming, or that aliens had been visiting earth for decades. He believed in numbers and facts, that two plus two always equals four, that gravity makes an apple fall. He believed in logical solutions and that, with the right method, the truth could be known. The world’s mysteries were really no different from a puzzle. They were all around us, and it was up to us to put the pieces together.”

The Puzzle Master began as a 5-star read for me, well-paced, with intriguing characters. Trussoni builds suspense without being overly graphic. Layers of mystery with everything from a bit of the occult to antique dolls to powerful computers entice the reader. I appreciated well-defined shifts in places and times.
The ending dragged on – 3 stars , averaging to 4 geometrical objects that shine in the night sky.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

There was A Lot happening in this book - puzzles, crime, billionaires, AI, dreams, religion, porcelain dolls, rare manuscripts, and really a lot of driving back and forth from one place to another. I can’t say that I fully understood most of the way it all came together, but I can say that I was very worried about Conundrum the dachshund.

The Puzzle Master follows Mike Brink, a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in high school that results in a condition called savant syndrome. Brink can see patterns in everything and is now obsessed with puzzles and is known as a creative puzzle maker for the New York Times. He is asked by a psychiatrist in a women's prison to speak to an inmate that is obsessed with both puzzles and Mike Brink himself. Brink is asked to solve another puzzle that the inmate has presented that relate back to a brutal murder during a house sitting job that sent the woman to prison. From there, the book takes many surprising twists and turns.

The best way that I can describe this book is a mix of Da Vinci Code and National Treasure blended together. I did not find this blend to work very well. The characters felt very one-dimensional. For all of the talk of Mike Brink solving puzzles, he didn't seem to solve many puzzles in this story. It felt like the author had a bunch of great ideas but tried to combine too many things together here. There was a cringy romance plot that didn't really fit very well either. On the whole, this was a fast moving book with long breaks for explanations. It started off very interesting and then turned into a completely different direction. It just didn't come together for me.

I really enjoyed this unusual story! It was full of twists with some touches of the paranormal. I found the first half of the book more engaging and interesting. It was more focused on Mike's bizarre abilities, acquired after an accident. Overall a quick and easy read!

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy!