Mike Brink, a celebrated puzzle constructor known for his unparalleled understanding of its intricate patterns, possesses an extraordinary insight into puzzles that sets him apart from all others. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink's life took a dramatic turn when he suffered a traumatic brain injury that led to an exceedingly rare medical condition known as acquired savant syndrome. This injury granted him a remarkable mental superpower—the ability to solve puzzles in ways that elude ordinary individuals. However, it also rendered him profoundly isolated, making it a struggle to form genuine connections with people.

Everything changes when Brink crosses paths with Jess Price, a woman sentenced to thirty years in prison for murder. For the past five years, she has remained silent since her arrest. When Price sketches an enigmatic puzzle, her psychiatrist believes that solving it might offer insight into the motives behind her crime, prompting him to enlist Brink's puzzle-solving prowess. What begins as a fascination with deciphering an intriguing cipher soon spirals into an obsession with Price herself. She unveils that there is something more pressing and perilous concealed behind her silence, setting Brink on a relentless quest for the truth.

The core of the book revolves around Mike Brink, celebrated as an ingenious puzzle constructor with an unparalleled grasp of its intricate patterns. This story pushes Brink to the limits of his abilities, as well as the readers. It embarks on a journey spanning centuries, belief systems, and dimensions. Reviewing "The Puzzle Master" is a challenging task as it offers a highly enjoyable and unique experience. However, I'm cautious about revealing too much and spoiling the story, so I'll keep this concise.

I'm always on the lookout for stories that are both unique and original, and "The Puzzle Master" unquestionably delivers on this front. This genre-bending narrative combines elements of action, adventure, murder mystery, a touch of the supernatural, hints of science fiction, and even a dash of romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Puzzle Master is Mike Brink – a man who has the ability to construct detailed and challenging puzzles. Mike acquired this ability after a traumatic brain injury on the football field his senior year of high school. It manifested into a rare condition called acquired savant syndrome. Now, he sees puzzles everywhere and knows how to solve them. When Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years for murder, gives him a puzzle she has drawn specifically for him, Mike is intrigued and determined to solve it. This leads him to a series of clues and unexpected danger, as well as an emotional connection to Jess.

The Puzzle Master is a well- written mystery, with an interesting plot, that leads the reader through ancient history and folklore. It has unexpected twists and can be quite unpredictable. The characters are unusual and the author has given them very definitive personalities. But, as the story moved into the ancient secrets that surrounded the puzzle and some supernatural aspects, it became much more complicated and it seemed to jump around a bit too much. So, while I really enjoyed the first half of the book, the second half was a little more tedious for me. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

This book started really good but then it got confusing. There was a lot going on and I found it hard to follow thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The Puzzle Master is a fast-paced book. The main storyline occurs within a week of Mike going to the prison to meet Jess. I liked that it wasn’t so fast that I had to reread the previous chapter. The author did slow down during certain parts of the book so I could digest what happened in the last chapter. There is some lag during the book sections that centers on the doll maker and his trip to Prague. But it wasn’t enough to distract me from the book or my enjoyment.

Trigger/Content Warning: There are trigger warnings in The Puzzle Master. Some of these are graphic, and most are on page. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Suicide (on and off page)—The suicide is not described (very vague), but the suicide note is the first thing you read in the book. There is also an on-page suicide towards the end of the book.
Mental Illness (on page)—Jess, who is in prison, is being treated for several mental illnesses.
Violence (on page)—There is graphic violence throughout the book.
Gun Violence (on page)—Mike is shot at and threatened with a gun throughout the book.
Animal Cruelty (on page)—Mike’s service dog, Conundrum (Connie), is put in the trunk of a car and left there. When she is let out, she is almost dead. The person then sets her free and drives away.
Body Horror (on page)—During the chapters set in Prague, the Jewish rabbi, and his son were severely injured after the ritual went wrong. That’s all I can say without spoilers.
Murder (on and off page)—There are several murders committed throughout the book.
Attempted murder (on page)—There is an attempted murder towards the middle of the book.
Grief (on and off page)—A man grieves over the death of his beloved daughter. His grief and what he did set the course for this book.
Child death (on page)—A semi-graphic child death is discussed in the book.
Sexual Content: I was pretty surprised at this, but there is sexual content in The Puzzle Master.

Language: There is foul language used in The Puzzle Master.

Setting: The Puzzle Master is set in a couple of different places. In the present day, it is set in upstate New York and New York City. In the past, it is set in Prague.

Representation: There is Indian representation (Mike’s mentor is from India, but the author doesn’t say what part). There is Jewish representation (Gaston befriends a Jewish scholar and his family). There is a god who is both male and female.

Tropes: Cursed Items, Humans Can Be Evil, Traumatic Past

Age Range to read The Puzzle Master: 21 and over

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

When Mike was in high school, he was a promising football player. But a traumatic brain injury resulting from a brutal hit ended that but opened an unwelcome and unwanted door. The brain injury somehow made Mike a savant–acquired savant syndrome. He could see patterns and puzzles in everything. Not only that, but he developed an eidetic memory. Mike made the most of what he was gifted, using it to solve and create puzzles. So, he is intrigued when a psychiatrist contacts him at a prison. He is even more intrigued after meeting Jess Price, who is in jail for killing her boyfriend. His interest is even more when Jess uses a puzzle to communicate with him. Determined to solve the crime and prove her innocence, Mike soon becomes obsessed with Jess and her case. But there is more to this case than Mike expected, and his poking around puts a target on his back. Will Mike be able to prove Jess’s innocence and set her free? Or will what he learned kill him?

Main Characters

Mike Brink: I liked Mike. I couldn’t imagine living with what happened to him after the brain injury. I felt terrible that he felt that he couldn’t connect with people. In a way, I think that is why he became so focused and obsessed with Jess. He felt an immediate connection with her, and that might have been the first connection he had in years. I hated how he was treated later in the book and what Jameson Sedge tried to force him to do.

Jess Price: She was an enigma. I was on the fence with her until Mike got a hold of her diary entries and met Jameson. I will only get a little into her character because a huge twist happens towards the end (and it involves what Gaston described in his journal).

Jameson Sedge: I felt dirty after reading his character. He had a finger in everything, including monitoring Jess at the prison. He also had a loyal hitman who would do whatever Jameson told him. Again, I am not going much into his character because of spoilers. But he got what he deserved at the end of the book.

Secondary characters: The secondary characters were fantastic in The Puzzle Master. I liked that they added extra depth to the storyline and, in some cases, helped explain what was happening. There were some characters that I liked and others that I wanted to boot from a plane.

My review:

The Puzzle Master was a well-written, well-researched book that kept me glued to the pages. I am not interested in puzzles (of any kind), but I was fascinated by what the author wrote in the book. She used actual anagrams and puzzles throughout the book (including The God Puzzle). When asked to describe this book, I told my husband it was like The DaVinci Code but with puzzles and anagrams.

The Puzzle Master has two storylines. One centers around Mike, Jess, and The God Puzzle. The other storyline centers around Gaston LaMoriette and what happened to him before, during, and after Prague.

The storyline centered on Mike, Jess, and The God Puzzle was well-written and well-researched (as I said in the first paragraph). This storyline has a huge twist that is directly tied to Gaston’s storyline.

The storyline centered on Gaston had some surprises in it. I can’t explain what surprises are because of spoilers. After the author revealed that tidbit of information, a lightbulb went on in my head. And when she tied it to Mike and Jess’s storyline, it became apparent.

The mystery angle of The Puzzle Master was excellent. I was truly kept in the dark about everything until the end of the book. The author had a couple of huge twists that took me by surprise.

The end of The Puzzle Master was almost anti-climactic. The author did wrap up most storylines in a way that I liked. But, there was a huge twist that was surprising and scary at the end of the book. The author set up book two perfectly with that. I also liked the afterward. It explained a lot about what was happening in the book.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Random House, NetGalley, and Danielle Trussoni for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Puzzle Master. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I loved The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni! It has great characters, a creepy backstory, and plenty of intrigue. The main character, Mike Brink, had a head injury playing football in high school, and when he woke up, he had a new talent— he was able to solve any puzzle and could read pages in seconds and memorize them instantly. This ability is what gets him into trouble in The Puzzle Master. He is asked by a prison psychiatrist to help solve a puzzle that a prisoner has drawn. This puzzle is the beginning of a huge mystery that has been playing out for hundreds of years. The story takes off from here and never slows down. I can see Mike Brink having a series of books. In fact, I hope he does! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a thrilling ride. Mike Brink, a "puzzle master" is invited to visit a prison by a therapist who feels her patient is trying to communicate through a puzzle. The story doesn't let up from there. There are urban legends, haunted houses?, weird dolls (sorry if dolls are your thing).
I would recommend this book for most people- okay not a literary novel, but it hits so many themes that many would enjoy it.
If you like intrigue and action... a little history, complicated families, extraordinary gifts- I would give it a go!

This started out really strong. It felt similar to the davinci code, as the marketing stated. I enjoyed all the cultural aspects, like Jewish folklore. I really enjoyed it, but it did get a bit long and convoluted, and I needed more from the main character to get attached to him.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This was a strange book that I couldn't really get into. The narrator sounded like Alex Trebek half of the time and the other half he sounded like John Lithgow from 3rd Rock from the son. Not a fave.

Surprisingly, this novel is a lot deeper than I originally assumed when I first heard about it via various bookstagram channels. The descriptive language was enjoyable but without too much conversation between characters I felt my attention drifting on multiple occasions. The plot has plenty of suspense, but it wasn't captivating to me.

After a football injury altered the pathways of his brain, Mike Brink is now a famous puzzle creator with a genius level of synesthesia. This allows him to not only create and see puzzles and patterns in his head but recall
a vast amount of information that he can read in minutes. When he is specially requested by a woman in prison, charged with murdering her boyfriend, he is intrigued to see how he can help but does not expect the level of secrecy and genius that this woman soon shows him.

Overall The Puzzle Master and the main protagonist, Mike, reminded me greatly of the Robert Langdons of the world and Dan Brown's DaVinci Code books. Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Intriguing mystery that went in unexpected directions that kept me reading! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. Five stars!

Ultimately, this book just wasn't for me. If you liked The Da Vinci Code or things of that nature then definitely check this one out. Somehow it felt like the plot was trying to do way too much while simultaneously felt repetitive which was confusing. I just didn't connect with the story so it was difficult to push through.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I've seen this cover all over the place and was intrigued by the story. It would be easy to compare it to a story like The DaVinci Code. Mike Brink has a unique gift to solve puzzles and find patterns. This brings him to a prisoner wrongfully accused of murder, opening up a puzzle that shows the true nature of good and evil.

I really enjoyed the parts where we learn about Mike's history and how he solves and creates puzzles. I liked reading the diary of Jess's time at Sedge house and the spooky things that happened there. I liked anytime people were in pursuit of Mike and he had to figure his way out of the situation.

What I didn't love was the big puzzle and its connections to religion. I was lost any time the professor or the Kabbalah expert tried to explain theology. The way it was resolved happened so quickly, and still didn't explain what happened at Sedge House.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great thrill. I loved the puzzle and mystery within this book. I don’t have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daneille Trussoni for the opportunity to read this ARC. This author has been a favourite of mine from the first time I read one of her other books "Angelology". This author creates such a fascinating story by starting with seems like a normal character, setting, situation, then slowly adds in elements of the unreal, fantasy and sometimes spooky aspects of another realm that is lurking beneath the surface. In this book, there are some interesting characters that are battling in their own minds against things that would be incomprehensible to another person. Add into that a bunch of obstacles and other people trying to stop them, and you've got a book that you won't be able to put down. Then the creepy stuff starts...

The puzzle maker was an adventure from the very start and I liked it. I’ll be telling my friends about this one. Thanks netgalley for giving me this opportunity

"The Puzzle Master" by Danielle Trussoni is a decent thriller with a unique premise but leaves something to be desired. Trussoni's writing is engaging, and she crafts an intricate puzzle at the heart of the story. The main character, Vera, is a complex figure, and her journey into the world of cryptography and secrets is intriguing. However, the pacing can be uneven, with moments of excitement followed by slower sections that test patience. While the book offers a satisfying resolution, it may leave some readers wanting a bit more depth and complexity in both the plot and character development.

I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
It's not that I liked this novel but it is also that I did not like this novel. I truly had a hard time getting into it and I think that is what caused my disinterest in it until the last 1/3 of it. I know I will probably be in the minority here with it as I know many people have raved about this one, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it really. The characters were not relatable for me and felt almost stiff at points, the story was interesting and had a lot of elements that normally I would devour in a sitting or two, but I just couldn't get past my lack of enthusiasm for the characters. That isn't to say it was a bad novel. I just didn't much like it. I'm sure that there is an audience for it, and I will recommend it to my friends and family.

THE PUZZLE MASTER
Danielle Trussoni

DNF at 60%

I’m really sorry this one did not work for me. I restarted it several times to try and get ahold of what was going on but every time I was unsuccessful.

I think a lot of readers will struggle with this material. My experience was a story of losses. I kept losing interest, kept losing focus and kept losing the parameters of the mystery.

It feels unsolvable.

I ended at a two star rating and feel that is appropriate here.

THE PUZZLE MASTER…⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Audio, and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copies!

I read The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni in June, and I've struggled to write my review since then. I really enjoyed the first half, but then the plot went in directions I didn't anticipate that overly complicated it. Several reviewers have compared it to The DaVinci Code and I agree; I wish I had known this before reading it.

Mike Brink has a savant-level ability to create intricate logic puzzles. He's summoned to a high-security prison when Jess Price, a mute woman serving thirty years for murder, draws a puzzle believed to hold clues to her crime. Mike is intrigued by the puzzle and by Jess, and is drawn into a complex web of danger and deceit involving a creepy house, porcelain dolls, Jewish mysticism, etc.

This story is filled with lots of twists, turns, and action so it's a quick read despite its 385 pages. However, its many jumps in time, place, and topic left me confused. This has elements of several different genres which should make it easy to recommend to a wide variety of readers, but that's not the case with this title.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel. Special thanks to the Thoughts From a Page Patron group for an opportunity to participate in a conversation with the author.

This is an odd book for me to review because it spans across several genres. Overall I do think it was interesting and had some definite creative bits to it. I found it to be a bit slow at times and it took me a lot longer than normal to really get into this one. I do really like the main character, Mike Brink, he was in an accident as a kid which left him with the unique ability to see the world differently and be able to pull apart patterns and puzzles. Mike is intrigued when he is invited to a women's prison with the lure of a unique puzzle. There he meets the counselor of a rather famous inmate. Jess was a writer before she was convicted of killing Noah. She hasn't spoke a word since she was arrested including in her own defense at her trial. Meeting Jess spirals Mike into a race to finish the most important puzzle of his life before it's too late.