The Puzzle Master is the next suspenseful thriller from the author of Angelology, Danielle Trussoni. The book introduces the reader to Mike Brink, a man that suffers from savant syndrome after a brain injury he sustains from during a football game. Needless to say, Mike's outlook on life entirely changes as all he sees is puzzles. Everything he sees is framed in a puzzle format.

But the Puzzle Master isn't just about Mike Brink, this book is so much more. Cults, riddles, clues, religion, a dual gendered god, ancient mysteries, golems, and of all things... porcelain dolls. Each and every piece is centered around a murder where the suspect has become silent. Not only that, she has demanded to speak with Mike.

From the moment Mike Brink is pulled into the world of Jess Price. It isn't just a murder but his interactions with Jess pull him into a dream landscape he never anticipated, and the future of a world filled with promise as much as death.

The Puzzle Master isn't your normal run of the mill read. It has depths and layers where religion and science, past and future, dreams and reality all interweave to become a constant circle. I truly didn't know what to expect with the Puzzle Master.

To me the dream exchanges between Mike and Jess were some of the most fascinating scenes in the book. As I continued reading the fascination continued to grow and the Puzzle Master became so much more then I ever anticipated.

The book was eye opening and touched upon things I have considered but never really ventured through. In some ways it reminded me of the Davinci Code... but don't be fooled... The Puzzle Master is a unique novel that stands on its own.

If you enjoy thrillers that intertwine so many different fragments of ideals and make you think then I highly recommend The Puzzle Master. Until next time, Happy Reading!

I tried to read this one a few times, however, I could not get into it. I do want to check out more from this author in the future. Thank you netgalley for the early copy

Tbh I really need to start reading synopsis before reading books. So I thought this was going to be a murder mystery involving our MC Mike, who after a brain injury developed Savant Syndrome. Instead I got an insane story involving murder, golems, mythology, and the ultimate puzzle.
This story was absolutely wild. Jess is an author sentenced to prison for murder, and hasn't spoken - that is until she asks for Mike's help. Now Mike is thrust into the weirdest quest into puzzles, centuries old conspiracies, and a little bit of magic.

I don't even know how to explain this book without giving away so many spoilers, but if you like puzzles and intrigue, this book is a must read. The twists kept coming and by the time the dolls and the golems showed up I really just didn't know what to expect anymore. I also really liked the addition of the puzzles, transcripts, letters, etc in the story, it made the whole story seem much more alive. I am always a sucker for the added storytelling ways, it just really adds to the world building so much.

But definitely one to add if you're a Dan Brown fan, or just a fan of puzzle and thrillers in general!

This is a fun thriller. It's a bit ridiculous, but you bet I'm going to continue with the series. It reminded me of a Dan Brown book. Mike Brink gets a concussion playing football. When he wakes up he sees puzzles and patterns everywhere. He is one of a few people with Acquired Savant Syndrome. When he is sent a piece of a puzzle from a mental institution he is drawn into a larger fight.

My biggest issue with the book is the Mike is very boring. He's a generic handsome man with an abnormal skill, but this does not equal a personality. He has a brilliant mind and eschews a PhD to create puzzles for the New York Times. I would honestly prefer a character based on an actual puzzle master like Will Shortz.

As for the rest of the plot, be prepared for a wild rid

The Puzzle Master is an interesting book that is a combination of several different genres. It’s a thriller, scifi, mystery and even romance. It is about a football player who suffers a traumatic brain injury and then acquires the ability to solve difficult puzzles. The story is told from multiple points of view and in dual timelines so sometimes it seems a little tricky to follow, but overall, fun and exciting story!

I am a fan of puzzles, so I just knew I had to read this! 🧩 But this book is bigger than just solving a puzzle - it’s part mystery, part thriller, part horror, part sci fi too! 🫠

While I did enjoy the story, I do have to say that at times it got too scientific and some of the concepts went over my head, hence the rating. If you’re into scientific and religious concepts, you may enjoy this one more than I did! 🤓

A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

I really enjoyed this book. The story was hard to follow at times, but the premise kept me engaged throughout. Recommended to readers who enjoy puzzles, mysteries and thrillers.

Took me awhile to get into because I had some trouble understanding what was going on but after a while I just started to like it , differently going to be doing a re read of this .

This book was difficult to read. The general idea is there. This guy gets a head injury as a teenager and is then a savant at puzzles because he can see patterns where most can't, and then he becomes challenged when he meets a female inmate who communicates with him through puzzles. It feels like it should be The Silent Patient and Davinci Code mixed together, which would make for one amazing story if that is what this story was. Instead, we have a disconnected indivual who feels like he has socialization problems trying to communicate to you the innerworkings of a puzzle and the who thing feels . . . stale. Fake. Forced. Devoid of any real life. I need this book to wrap around my mind and my emotions, draw me in, make me want (no, need) to know the answers. I shouldn't want my main character to shut up because it sounds like they are trying too hard to sound smart, I want them to be smart and make me smarter because I actually understand what they are seeing. Like if I were reading a book about a doctor, I wouldn't want them to necessarily name every single muscle, blood vessel, etc. I want them to tell it to me like I am there doing it, even though I don't have the skills or knowledge to perform REAL surgery.

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.