Mike's life is changed forever when he suffers a brain injury as a senior in high school. the result is that he now is a mathematical savant who can see codes and solve puzzles too hard for others to tackle. When he is called into a murder investigation and asked to interview the supposed perpetrator, Jess in a State prison, he is set upon a trail of murder and intrigue revolving around an antique doll and a missing letter. The letter gives clues to a mysterious and ancient code which may or may not hold the power of life and death. As a powerful man goes after the code and the doll, Mike's life is in danger. Can he solve the puzzle of the code, save an innocent woman from death and prevent the wealthy and delusional Jameson from attaining immortality?
The puzzles included were beyond my comprehension but one doesn't need to be a puzzle master to enjoy the tension and fast-paced action in this book. Check out Mike's dog's name too!

Mike Brink had a traumatic brain injury in high school that transformed how he sees the world. He can now solve puzzles few other people on Earth can. So, when a woman sentenced to prison who stopped talking for five years creates an inexplicable puzzle, her doctor reaches out to him to see if he can finally reach Jess Price.

This is gripping and fast-paced. After seeing the puzzle, Mike’s life is suddenly in peril, but he still wants to help Jess. Parts of this reminded me of The Da Vinci Code, specifically the intersection of science with the divine and unknowable.

I really enjoyed this. The Puzzle Master is definitely worth a read.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES JUNE 13, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Puzzle Master.

I've read previous books by the author so my expectations were a bit higher than usual when I requested this.

I'm sad to say that although the premise was intriguing, the overall plot was a letdown, mostly due to many scenes of disbelief I was unable to believe in.

For example, a regular dude, Mike Brink, is granted access to see a famous murderer in prison. He gets clearance. Just like that. Easy peasy.

Or, Mike is able to steal papers and/or hide valuable documents from the villain, an Elon Musk wannabe.

The wannabe's girlfriend allows Mike to go home and change his clothes and take care of his dog.

Then, the henchman allows Mike to go to the bathroom.

Readers are treated to the POV of Cam Putney, the henchman whose skills include ruminating/obsessing over how all the bad things he's doing is to give his daughter a better life, and popping up in the back of his victims' cars like a demented jack-in-the-box.

I laughed when he popped up in the car when Mike and Rachel are trying to get away. I'm sure that wasn't the author's intention when she wrote that scene.

I enjoyed the supernatural and religious elements but I have to say I wasn't thrilled to learn Violaine wasn't like Annabelle from The Conjuring. She''s just a golem. Meh.

Also, I wished the author had leaned harder on the horror. There was a ton of potential when Lilith came into the mix.

Lilith is a ferocious demon not to be reckoned with, yet despite her possession of Jess, Lilith seems to keep a low profile throughout the novel.

Readers see none of the horror and destruction she's capable of. All the drama and fear happen off site.

There's a ton of info dumping and exposition about the puzzles and Judas mysticism, which is overwhelming.

The premise led me to believe Mike would be solving puzzles to solve the mystery, but it wasn't about that.

Mike spends most of his time getting into hard to believe scenarios and being manhandled.

I'm still not sure why he and Jess have this emotional connection; because of Lilith.

I liked Mike, he's likable and I love Connie.

I wouldn't mind seeing them in another book, but with a stronger focus on how Mike's puzzle solving abilities solves a mystery.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni. This is my first read by this author, although I had heard of her book, Angelology, when I requested this one. This has me intrigued from the synopsis, as I love all types of puzzles and am amazed by those who do them almost effortlessly. This story opens with puzzle master, Mike Brink, being summoned to a women's prison by the prison psychologist She has uncovered some puzzle-like drawings from a prisoner, & has reached out to Brink in hopes of some type interpretation. Up till now the psychologist has not made any headway with this prisoner, Jess Price, who was an author before she was convicted of manslaughter. This story flows well throughout. Definitely an interesting premise and I do recommend this if you have an interest in puzzles and mysteries.

Angie Kim, author of the bestselling novel Miracle Creek, describes The Puzzle Master as “The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + sprinkle of Stephen King.” I can’t speak for The Silent Patient, but I’ve read The Da Vinci Code and my share of Stephen King. After finishing The Puzzle Master I had to think about why Kim references Stephen King and came up with King’s novel The Institute (a fantastic read, by the way) in which a character follows a maniacal obsession. And I can definitely attest to The Da Vinci Code analogy. I would say that The Da Vinci Code is to ancient Christian mysticism as The Puzzle Master is to Jewish metaphysics (with some supernatural elements thrown in).

Jess Price has been convicted of murdering her boyfriend in a mansion she was housesitting. Now, Jess is confined to prison and has elective mutism (aha! I just figured out the connection to The Silent Patient). The Puzzle Master opens as the prison psychologist summons Mike Brink, a neurodivergent creator of elaborate puzzles, to decipher a tantalizing puzzle fragment that Jess has drawn. The prison psychologist, sympathetic to Jess’s plight, is eager to facilitate a meeting between Jess and Mike in hopes of discovering what happened the night Jess’s boyfriend was murdered.

As soon as they meet, Jess and Mike experience an instant mind-connection. Mike wants not only to decipher the mystery of Jess’s puzzle, but also to reveal the mystery of Jess herself. What follows their encounter is lucid, interactive dreaming; power intrigues; historical research; and madcap adventures (because, of course, there’s an evil fanatic on the loose of the harness-the-universe variety).

My favorite aspect of the novel is the developing relationship between Jess and Mike. Theirs is initially a meeting of the minds—necessary due to her incarceration—but soon they connect in dreams where they work on untangling the puzzle’s global significance and engage in romantic interludes. I really enjoyed their interactions and the way the author depicts their growing respect and love.

Less compelling for me in this novel is the amount of theological exposition (I admit that for some readers, the religious and supernatural elements may prove the most intriguing). I also think the author could have condensed the aforementioned madcap adventures—a few too many chase scenes vs. character scenes for me. (Interestingly, the charge of plot vs. character imbalance was levied against The Da Vinci Code as well.) Overall, the novel kept my interest and taught me things about puzzle making and ancient Judaism.

Readers who enjoy puzzles, mathematics, religious mysticism, and creepy dolls (Yes! creepy dolls!) will find much to appreciate in The Puzzle Master.

I received a copy of The Puzzle Master from Net Galley.

"The puzzle Master" by Danielle Trussoni sends readers on a whirlwind adventure, as Mike Brink, a world renown puzzle solver, is asked by a psychiatrist to meet with Jess Price an inmate, serving, a 30 year sentence for murder. She has not spoken since her arrest and has only drawn a puzzle. As Mike tries to unravel the meaning of the puzzle, he becomes aware of a greater opponent that he must keep at bay.

Although an interesting story with a very likeable main character, I was not enthralled by the focus on Jewish mysticism. Furthermore, I fee) that the story lost some of my interest as it reviews the puzzles that Mike Brink had already solved in his career; the story would have been more compelling if the main character had solved progressively more difficult puzzles in order to unravel the secret. As such, I feel that this book missed its mark.

Nevertheless the potential for Mike Brink to use his skills in other cases is intriguing and I would be willing to read a future book with this title character.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Trussoni's Puzzle Master was a very interesting book. I immediately loved the idea of the puzzles that were at play in the book, and actually wish there were more of them. The protagonist was interesting and while he was somewhat similar ( in terms of medical condition for being able to solve puzzles) to Baldacci's Memory man, who also had synethsesia, and a near perfect memory, I did not feel like it was a copy-cat.

The book Z was a captivating and was a quick read, and while it had a predictable resolution, it had enough twists and turns to keep you trying to figure out how it would end. There were some parts in the middle that seemed a bit slow, but all in all a good read.

For the right Reader this is 5 stars. For me, the book is 3 stars. Readers will enjoy this book if they are interested in science, religion, and the supernatural. The First third of the book I was absolutely hooked. The second third of the book, my mind would wander when reading. The last third of the book was TOO informative. I actually quit the book at 88%

Mike Brink has a brilliant mind for puzzles, but can he solve the greatest puzzle humanity has ever known? When he is called upon to assist with a patient convicted of murder, he gets launched into an action-packed supernatural meets mystery adventure.

This book is being billed as The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + a sprinkle of Stephen King. This might be the most accurate marketing copy I’ve seen yet for a book. I really enjoyed this wild ride and it deserves a spot on your list of summer reads.

Jesse is accused of murder enter Mike who wants to help not knowing that to help Mike he has to solve a puzzle for the truth. Anyone that has read DaVinci Code has to read this book.

Thanks to Random House for the advanced copy. This book is WILD! I don't quite know how to describe it since it's a mash-up of different genres like mystery and horror with supernatural and puzzle elements to it. Just when I thought the book was headed in one direction, it completely went in a different one. I don't want to say much more than that so I'll just note the publishing copy here.

There were so many interesting facets to Danielle Trussoni's The Puzzle Master-- history and lore, mysticism and technology, puzzles and porcelain, and creepy antique dolls (my favorite thing in the world!) -- that I don't even know where to begin. So I'll start by saying that if you like the idea of this particularly esoteric combination of ideas, entangled in a thriller interwoven with hints of the supernatural, you'll enjoy this story. Mike, a man with an exceedingly rare medical condition involving patterns and puzzles, experiences a strangely deep and profound connection with Jess, a woman serving prison time for murder, and is drawn into an ancient--and dangerous-- mystery. Aside from the romantic aspect of the story, which I never love in any story, this was right up my alley and a great deal of fun. If you are not a fan of purple prose or a flowery turn of phrase, you'll appreciate the direct, uncomplicated tone and writing style here. I found this a bit weird because I recall Trussoni's The Ancestor being a bit more descriptive, with more ornate prose and poetic language. But The Puzzle Master reads more like a fast-paced, pulpy mid-century men's adventure story. I'll have to read more from this author to get a more complete sense of their range, I suppose.

I got an ARC of this book through Netgalley. Thanks to the author and publisher. I was super excited to read this one after Angie Kim said it was a combo of The DaVinci code and The Silent Patient AND one of my fav bookstagrammers faved about how good it was. In the end, I must say that I struggled through this one. It started off ok introducing a savant who has a supernatural ability to solve puzzles. He is asked to come to a prison by the prison psychologist to help with an infamous inmate.
The book then starts twisting slowly into a supernatural oddity including a haunted doll, a golem that houses a spirit, immortality, etc. Ultimately I found this too unbelievable to hold my attention. The author also has a VERY detailed way of writing that I think could have been edited down to about 70-80% of content.

3.5 stars. The story, mystery, and interesting twists were enough to keep me reading, but I feel like some of the characters could have been combined and condensed so that they were more fleshed out. The romance subplot also could have been better developed, but that could be just me being spoiled with romance novels. But I would have really appreciated learning more about Jess Price's character, which would have helped me buy the romance more. Especially since later the story implies that the Jess in his dreams might not have been her. Mike Brink was an interesting and sympathetic character and I loved the way the story combined puzzles with Kabbalah mysticism and technology. Sometimes, some characters seemed to exist solely to deliver information that the author clearly carefully researched to apply to the story, but at least it was interesting stuff. All in all, it was a satisfying read.

This was a bit of a mess. While the flashback scenes were entertaining, the modern day plot was riddled with holes, inconsistencies, and things that were beyond implausible, and I’m not even referring to the supernatural elements. A psychiatrist letting a random layperson have full access to medical files in a psychiatric prison, which could easily lead to her losing her license? Bad guys letting their hostage use the bathroom unattended so he can slip out a window? Or leaving him and a total stranger alone with the precious ms they’ve been chasing for years, so they can steal it and slip out a fire escape? Don’t even get me started on people having a conversation without headsets on a helicopter. Honestly, it got downright silly, and the writing was clunky, the relationships implausible…I would give it one star if I hadn’t enjoyed some of the flashback sequences.

Mike Brink is a puzzle master. After an injury as a teen, he gained the power to solve pretty much any puzzle. He is intrigued when he is called in to talk to a writer arrested years before for the murder of her boyfriend. She has a puzzle that will lead to much more intrigue.

This took a supernatural spin that I wasn’t expecting. I wish it had been more puzzle based too than it ended up being. I was expecting a lot more this puzzle leads to this clue and so on kind of more like the Da Vinci Code (referenced in the synopsis) but it wasn’t like that. I also think the past in letters would’ve been better integrated as separate parts/sections since they spanned across chapters.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ah! Such an engaging book! One could become nervous about the idea of combining puzzles, religious beliefs, and futuristic technology into a story, but it works great in this book. Excellent story, quick read, very entertaining!

I really liked the character of Mike Brink. He's incredibly smart and it's easy for readers (and the people he meets in the course of the book) to understand how his brain sees the world. He comes off as very nice and friendly; at no time do you see him behaving in the awkward way that the injury has allegedly caused.

This book felt to me like it had three different parts:
1 ) a cold case mystery- who killed Noah Cooke 5 years ago, and if Jess Price didn't kill him, who did? What is being hidden from Brink and Thessaly, the prison psychologist?

2) a horror story - a doll that might come alive at night?! That caught me off guard since I'm not a big horror fan. Thank goodness I read that part on an afternoon airplane flight and not in bed at night.

3) a Da Vinci Code style rumination on religion, symbols, and immortality with the big bad after the answer to this question and risking everything for it.

I didn't NOT like it, but because it felt like different genres I had a hard time feeling compelled to keep reading, I did want to know what Jess' story was, and then we find out through her diary what is happening in Sedge House, and then we're thrust into the far past about dolls. I didn't have as much interest in the last third /the religious aspect, and to me I just couldn't understand why all of this was worth killing for, But I also thought it gave me some things to consider (science vs. religion) and many of the characters were interesting.

Also note that there were a few typos in the copy I read too. For example Noah Cooke is said to be 5 years older than Jess and then later he's just 2 years older.

I saw another influencer review this on Instagram and I knew I needed to read it for myself. It did NOT disappoint!!!! Such a great book and author!

One way I can tell if a book is successful for me is when I stay up wayyyyy past my regular bedtime to keep reading — it’s that a I-can’t-wait-to-see-what-happens-next feeling that’s so compelling I’m willing to sacrifice my precious dreamtime. Danielle Trussoni’s new book, THE PUZZLE MASTER, is one of those just-a-few-more pages reads — it had me up until after 1 AM because I HAD to see how it ended.

This is the fourth Danielle Trussoni novel I’ve read, and all of her works have struck me as smart, well-paced, full of tension, beautifully written, and with twists and turns I wouldn’t have predicted. THE PUZZLE MASTER might be my favorite of her books (and that says a lot because I loved her previous novel, THE ANCESTOR so much I read it twice).

THE PUZZLE MASTER weaves together puzzles, the Kabbalah, the history of ceramics, ancient secrets, mind-blowing technological advancements, ciphers and hidden messages, and much, much more to tell an engaging story about a man who is driven to help a woman who has been held responsible for a crime she didn’t commit. His efforts to help her unveils powerful enemies, putting them both at risk. So good, right?

Add THE PUZZLE MASTER to your TBR if you want a deeply entertaining, immersive story — just be prepared to stay up late reading!