Mike Brink is a savant. Due to a high school football injury, he is a genius. A genius that graduated from MIT in 3 years. A genius that makes puzzles for a living. One day, he receives a strange request to talk to a prisoner in a maximum security mental institution. From this point forward, an adventure begins that will lead Brink down the path of murder, Jewish mysticism, and possessed porcelain dolls.

Upon reading the premise of the story, I thought that this would be similar to The DaVinci Code., full of intrigue and narrow escapes to save the world. And to some extent, The Puzzle Master is all of those. However, the pace of the story grinds to a halt when the author spends extensive amounts of time explaining the history of the family, dolls, Jewish mysticism, and quantum computers. There were times it felt like the actual action that moved the story was rushed, leading the reader to fast starts and stalls throughout the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I'm always willing to dive in blind when there is a blend of mystery and adventure with a splash of horror. I have no regrets about reading The Puzzle Master beyond the reinforcement of my fear of porcelain dolls.

🧩 I loved the concept and execution of this story. It is complex, intriguing, and exhilarating! Puzzles, murder, religion, history, horror, and even romance are included in this compelling, fast-faced, and multi-genre read!

🧩 The writing is very detailed, and the plot covers a lot of ground. There is a lot going on here and the book requires your full attention, but it isn’t a difficult read. I think the author did an exceptional job of keeping the complicated details understandable to the average reader. The craftmanship was outstanding.

🧩 The story includes a creepy doll! I hate creepy dolls, particularly ones with religious elements, so the inclusion of one in this story really created a deep horror aspect for me personally.

🧩 Mike Brink, the main character/puzzle master, is fantastic. He’s a normal guy who suffered a brain injury that made him a savant. He never asked to be a hero, but he becomes one in the story. I liked him a lot and I would love to read more books that feature him!

🧩 The ending was satisfying – which I was particularly happy about. I’ve found that books with intricate plots like this one can sometimes derail at the end, but this one didn’t. Yay!

🧩 Do not let this book intimidate you! While complex, it isn’t pretentious or difficult to understand. I think it is the perfect blend of multiple themes and genres and it would easily appeal to almost any reader. I couldn’t put it down!

🧩 Oh, and this book is going to be a movie someday… I am 100% sure of that! It’s quite a ride!

Thank you @NetGalley and @randomhouse for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Great thriller full of action, puzzles, and creepy dolls. Would definitely recommend to readers who love any of the above!

I was very excited to pick this up based on the synopsis. The first few chapters were really great and I found Mike and his puzzle ability so interesting. Things started to go downhill for me when the dolls entered the picture and the puzzles left. There was too much info about porcelain and the doll maker; I didn’t really care and ended up skimming pages. There was just way too much going on, the story didn’t flow well, and it was at times confusing. It came off as trying too hard.

I waited a while after reading this book before reviewing, because I wanted to sit with the concepts and attempt to process before jumping in to review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the eARC.

The Puzzle Master follows Mike Brink, who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a young football player that gave him savant syndrome with a particular skill for puzzles. Years after his injury, he is living a stable if somewhat isolated life as a celebrated puzzle maker with a fan following, when he receives a note from a prison psychiatrist requesting his presence to speak with a convicted murderer, Jess Price. Jess hasn't spoken since her arrest five years earlier, but draws a puzzle linking herself and the crime to Mike. The book follows Mike through the mystery of a violent murder, a porcelain doll hidden in the attic, a "God Puzzle," a cabal of mysterious forces working to achieve selfish and nefarious aims, and the magic of creating life from nothing.

The plot is initially really intriguing, setting up a Dan Brown-esque story tracking a mystery through history and artifacts, though the psychosexual (and psychic??) connection between Mike and Jess is a little out of left field. It feels out of place considering how grounded in reality the book is initially, and happens too instantaneously to make sense or feel organic. Still, the story is exciting and haunting, and veers into the creepy and supernatural in a fun, surprising way, with dolls coming to life and strange mysteries surrounding an old house. But then towards the end the threads sort of unravel as Trussoni tries to bring it all together and "solve" this "God Puzzle," taking a hard left into mysticism and cryptic ancient theories that didn't quite make logical sense. Maybe they make more sense to those with a background in Abrahamic religions or theology, but to an intelligent but ultimately lay reader, caused the whole novel to fall flat, because it set up a cool climax to end in a frayed, tangled resolution.

3-3.5 stars
Being a fan of crossword puzzles, logic problems, etc., I usually like books involving puzzles and patterns. I'm also intrigued by tales of those with various "savant" abilities. So this book succeeds on those counts: a thriller whose protagonist has acquired savant syndrome and must solve puzzles and riddles to solve a crime and clear a falsely accused woman. However, books that have mystics who have come upon just the right set of rituals and incantations to create life, to take on the power of God, annoy me greatly. I mean, sure, as long as you say the right words in the right order while standing in the right place, with the proper candles lit--makes sense. Sure. Additionally, the book became too convoluted as the mysteries went further and further into the past.

The book is suspenseful, has a good bit of action, and some unexpected twists, so fans of The DaVinci Code (for example) may well enjoy this.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. This story centers on Mike Brinks, a genius puzzle constructor who acquired his abilities to see hidden patterns through a traumatic brain injury. He's shown a puzzle drawn by a prisoner jailed for the murder of her friend five years prior. His attempts to solve the puzzle and growing connection to the prisoner, thrusts him into a world of ancient Kabbalah, a dangerous cryptographer, and the supernatural.

I honestly enjoyed reading this story! It was page-turning and well-plotted, and definitely reminded me of Dan Brown's novels. Fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child novels might like this too. The puzzles were interesting and the illustrations helped me to understand the ideas. There were some aspects I wasn't sure about, but overall the story was gripping. I've read the author's past novels (and have one of them on my shelf!) and thought they were good as well. This is definitely a book to read if you like puzzles and ancient mysteries. I look forward to reading more from this author!

DNF’d at 50%.

I lost the plot. There were so many named characters, some of which go by last name but we’re told both names. It’s confusing and at the halfway point, too much is happening and yet nothing at the same time. Maybe I’ll attempt to read this again in the future, but for now I’m going to set this one down.

THE PUZZLE MASTER was a tricky story. That's to be expected, right - THE PUZZLE MASTER? We've got a woman in prison/mental institution for murdering her boyfriend. We've got a man who is an absolute, super rare genius at creating AND solving puzzles. We've got good guys. Bad guys. A potential romance. A supernatural angle. And I was completely on board 75 percent of the story.

When I finished reading the book I came to the realization that I just wasn't smart enough to grasp the last piece of the puzzle to this story. And that was disappointing.

There were so many different elements to this story that seemingly were coming together until they weren't.

SPOILER ALERT: I didn't like the explanation given regarding religious elements because it felt forced and "trendy" in our current landscape.

I think the premise was amazing, but in the end the story didn't seem to come together because there were too many jagged sides that didn't make a complete puzzle.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-copy of THE PUZZLE MASTER to review.

I rate THE PUZZLE MASTER three out of five stars.

I would first like to start by saying thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni.

This story follows Mike Brink, a man who had a TBI that resulted with intellectually superior puzzle solving skills. One day, he gets a call to meet Jess Price, a woman who is in prison for murder and has refused to speak to anyone for five years, after she draws a unique puzzle that only Brink can solve. Matters take a drastic turn as he becomes enraptured by this woman and the trouble that seems to surround her.

Overall, I found the premise of this story to be interesting, but it ultimately lacked in many ways and seemed to fall flat. The story line felt too forced and unrealistic in the way events were lined up with what we were shown There was no flow or connection between what was written and the story taking place. It felt as if the author was trying too hard to make her characters seen otherworldly and interesting. I enjoy a good puzzle, but it all felt too convoluted and did not wrap well in the end.

There's potential in the story line and characters, it just needed to be thought through and outlined better.

Great writing and an interesting plot. Liked the photos/drawings scattered throughout the book. My eyes glazed over a little when it got a bit religious and technical but it was intriguing enough for me to plod through. Could not believe the love connection between Jess and Brink, felt contrived. Overall, a decent book would read more from this author.

I don’t even know where to start with describing what this thriller was about since there was so much going on in it. Basically, the main character is a puzzle savant due to a traumatic brain injury, and gets summoned by a psychiatrist to a women’s prison to see if he can help with a woman convicted of murder who barely will speak but has drawn an image of a puzzle and his name. As the book goes on, in addition to puzzles and murder we also have creepy dolls, religious mysticism, possible demonic possession, quantum computing, a quest for immortality, and so much more.

Sadly, this one was a major miss for me. It started out promising, but there was just way too much crazy stuff going on, and I felt like the book kept shifting from one type of book to another in a whiplash inducing way. And even though there were so many crazy twists, somehow they were also totally predictable, not to mention so many beyond implausible things happening (like how is the main character constantly escaping from every situation he is in?). And I found the writing beyond stilted, especially in the weird way everyone was constantly being referred to by their first and last names.

If I was someone who DNFs, I would have DNFed this one. But for it’s slight entertainment value, I’ll give it two stars. Other readers including those whose opinions I usually gibe with seem to have enjoyed it, but I just don’t get it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This story is told in third person interspersed with various letters and journals and primarily follows Mike Brink who has been contacted by a psychiatrist to meet with a woman serving a sentence for murder. At first, I was intrigued by this situation. Mike was an interesting character with a knack for making puzzles due to a traumatic brain injury that led him to see patterns everywhere. His backstory was fascinating, and I was looking forward to watching him piece together the puzzle of this case and figure out what made it all tick.

Unfortunately, it veered off into left field touching on various subjects including the history of porcelain and dollmaking, Jewish mysticism, demon possession, strange dreams, a possible succubus, a quest for immortal life, technology, etc. It was a genre mashup of subjects that just never really came together in a cohesive way for me. It felt like two different books, both of which I might have enjoyed just not together.

I enjoyed many of the characters in the story. Jess and her history intrigued me as Mike read through her medical records and the journal describing the circumstances that brought her Bracken House which led to her being arrested for murder. The backstory to Bracken House connected the nephew Jameson to the story. I often found his character at cross-purposes, which led to inconsistency and his paranoia wasn’t enough of an excuse for me. His employee, Cam, also had an interesting backstory, but showed up in the narrative in a sporadic manner that foiled other’s plans or moved along the plot.

Limited recommendations to readers that enjoy strange genre-mashups.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a copy provided for an honest review.

The Puzzle Master has a really interesting premise behind it, but I got way too bogged down with the details that didn't really seem to matter. I did not end up finishing this.

This was a book that transcends genres as it had a little bit of horror, science fiction, mystery, thrill, suspense, history, and romance. Although it seemed like a complex story to follow at first, once you got hooked you could not put it down. Paired with the audio narration from Edoardo Ballerini, Danielle Trussoni expertly weaved a complex story about a man who had an extraordinary ability to solve puzzles and see patterns from a traumatic brain injury. Trussoni takes us on a journey of discovery not only of the puzzle itself but also the main characters. Trussoni left me wanting more and hope to see more from her in the future.

The only critique I have is that it did take awhile to get into. Listening it on audio kept me engaged but I did step away from it for awhile before starting again. Would recommend to fans of The Da Vinci Code and intricate storylines.

I found The Puzzle Master to be entertaining but uneven. I enjoyed the elements of Jewish mysticism. The story, however, lagged a bit in the middle and struggled to find a consistent tone.

📚#thrillerfriendsbuddyread 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰📚

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Thank you to the publisher #partner for gifting me a copy & audiobook! I very much enjoyed the fantastic narration by Edoardo Ballerini.🎧


I have two confessions to make. First, this book is being compared a lot to Da Vinci Code and I can definitely see why, but I actually disliked DVC and thought it was boring (Don’t come at me!). On the other hand, The Puzzle Master is anything but boring and was so much better that I really hope it’s made into an action-packed, mystery movie! My second confession is that this book’s storyline is so intellectual and the narrative so complex that I’m just not smart enough to summarize it properly so let me try my best.

Mike Brink is a world famous puzzle guru known to make simple to very complex puzzles that people can’t solve. So when an imprisoned author, Jess Price, who hasn’t uttered a word in years, shows a Brink puzzle to the prison psychiatrist, Mike Brink is summoned to find clues and solve the case of Jess Price. Price slowly starts opening up to Brink and together find ways to communicate in ethereal/supernatural ways and Brink realizes there are very dangerous forces at play. Nobody can be trusted and Price is behind bars so many times, Brink has to maneuver lethal situations to come up with all the clues and solve a mystery to save himself and Jess Price.

Although classified as a thriller, The Puzzle Master picks up pieces from several genres namely science fiction and some horror elements. As I mentioned earlier, it is so full of action that while I was furiously turning the pages, my mind was picturing all the scenes like an action movie. Not gonna lie, I totally imagined Henry Cavill as Mike Brink because he seemed like a perfect fit for Brink’s description 🤭 I highly recommend The Puzzle Master and for the powers that be, please turn this book into a movie!🍿

Puzzle Master é um passeio selvagem de uma mistura de gêneros. É um thriller e um mistério com elementos do sobrenatural e da história. Depois de sofrer um ferimento na cabeça quando adolescente, Mike Brink, tem habilidades de resolução de quebra-cabeças de nível savant. Ele é chamado por uma prisão para ajudar a decifrar um quebra-cabeça na posse de Jess Price, um famoso escritor que se tornou um assassino infame.

A certa altura, enquanto lia isso, pensei comigo mesmo: “este livro não tem ideia do que quer ser quando crescer”. É uma história de tragédia pessoal, segredos antigos, imortalidade, assassinato e alta tecnologia. Pessoalmente, acho que havia muita coisa acontecendo. Sozinhos ou em combinações menores, os vários elementos poderiam ter funcionado melhor. Há muitos elementos que eu realmente gosto nos livros – sociedades secretas, uma casa mal-assombrada, segredos de família, tecnologia, quebra-cabeças, mistérios, elementos sobrenaturais, conspirações religiosas – mas essa história saltou demais para qualquer elemento ser realmente bom. e acho que o livro acabou sofrendo. Nunca me senti investido em nenhum dos personagens. Terminei o livro porque precisava saber como tudo funcionaria no final, mas não diria que adorei.

Intriguing and compelling. The puzzle element added a unique spin to this story, adding challenge for the reader to solve what's really happening.

This started off very strong for me, but it became too much by the halfway point. It was very similar to the Da Vinci Code, and had a lot going on. It started out with puzzles, but moved onto demonic possession, religious mystery, and a convoluted plot. The writing and characters kept me interested, but overall I felt that there was too much going on.