This book reminded me of so many different things, but all put together to create a story that I could not put down! If you like Saw and conspiracy theories then you will LOVE this book. There's so much to unpack and I loved trying to figure things out alongside the characters. I really didn't expect it to go in the direction it did which I thought was great.

Fast paced with many twists and turns, Puzzle House kept me on edge at all times! I loved discovering each character’s dark secret. Who will get out alive and survive the traps and puzzles?! I never would have guessed! Such a fun and intriguing read.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for the pre-release e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read a lot of Duncan Ralston books, and after finishing Puzzle House, I realize I need to read some more Ralston stories. Puzzle House is a fabulous story with lots of violence, drama, and animosity. 

A group of six strangers are notified of Alexei Vasiliev’s death and they are the beneficiary. When they all arrive on the day of reading the will, they find out there is more to receiving Alexei’s millions. They have to complete six puzzles. They can leave right away with nothing, or they can work together and complete the challenges. - they all agree to stay. They quickly learn that these puzzles have consequences, some of which can be life or death. 

Ralston has crafted a story of unique puzzles and with special outcomes. The characters are all relatable, with enough background information to get a good feel for the players in this story. The setting, being in a house filled with puzzles, is quite imaginative. I bet it was a blast coming up with these puzzles and the outcome of each player, with the choices they have to make to get to the end. There are lots of twists and turns. Things happened that no one could possibly predict. It ends with an unresolved situation, keeping open to the possibility of a second book.

I highly recommend this story for a fast and bloody good time. Ralston has a fantastic imagination, and it shows in this book.

Thank you #NetGalley for #PuzzleHouse

Three stars because the first 50-60% was really, really good.

The set up for this one was great. And I loved the whole Saw-like puzzle vibe. But it felt like the author had two completely different partial books and then mashed them together. I love twists and turns but the main one in this one was just a bit too much for me.

I do think there's an audience for this book. I'm just not part of it.

Six complete strangers are called to the home of the "puzzle master" Alexei Vasiliev for his will reading. Considering only one of these people has ever even met Vasiliev is pretty intriguing considering the amount of money each person is being promised. The catch is that they must make their way through six interconnected escape rooms within Vasiliev's house.

Once inside the participants soon find that the Puzzle House is much deadlier than they first expected and they are obviously being watched. But by who? What is the ultimate goal?

I don't know why I keep being surprised by Ralston's abilities. This is the third book by him that feels so wholly unique and yet has his obvious voice. I had such a fun time read this. Its a quick read but still is filled with Ralston's unique form of comedy along with the gruesome horror you yearn for when picking up one of his books. I kept finding myself coming up with conflicting predictions about how the book would turn out and still didn't see the end coming. I absolutely demand a sequel though leaving it exactly as written is just as powerful and fulfilling. Definitely recommend to horror fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Was really excited because it reminded me of Hellraiser but honestly was so bored I didn’t care about the characters so I was hoping the puzzle mystery would be what drew me in but also that was boring. Not a fan of the ending either

Saw-lite(gore-wise), which I certainly appreciated. Having avoided most of Duncan Ralstons better known works due to a weak stomach, I somehow thought this would be a good fit. A wild thought, considering this is about 6 strangers fighting to beat a dead-mans puzzles for a life changing prize. That being said, this is not a book with heavy graphic violence. It was definitely far below my threshold and that was great!

The first half of the book I read without putting it down. Excellent introduction to the characters. I found Puzzle House fizzled after that, and I was itching to get to its conclusion. Somewhere about halfway through, we changed lanes. Changed directions so significantly, and I wasn't a fan of that direction. The ending left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Puzzle House.

I enjoyed the first half of this book, but found it hard to engage with the second half once the secrets behind the puzzle house were revealed. I liked the puzzles themselves and the characters were engaging, but found it difficult to engage with the overall mystery

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!

This one was unfortunately a bit of a miss for me. In theory it had everything I love in a book: locked room murder mystery in the literal sense, puzzles, wealthy people, a group of strangers trying to piece it all together! Unfortunately the ending totally took me out of it and was a bit of a “what…. For real that’s how we’re ending this??” Kind of moment.d

Thank you NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC of The Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston. With the death of Alexei Vasilier, 6 strangers are summoned to the reading of his will. They are each bequeathed with a portion of his multi-million dollar estate. Alexei is a master puzzler maker and in order to get the money, the 6 strangers must solve 6 puzzles, in a house with 6 escape rooms.. Do they all make it out? Read to find out!

Honestly, this is not what i was expecting. the beginning was very promising- with a Saw/ escape house vibe. As the story progressed I found that I didn’t care about the characters at all- and their vast knowledge of demons and religions was weird considering that’s exactly what they needed to solve the puzzles. The book takes a turn and mentions lizard people and has flying demons? I was completely checked out by the 80% mark.

I couldn't put this book down and LOVED 90% of it. The ending threw me and I am taking away a star because I felt like it went from psychological thriller to science fiction and left me feeling kind of disappointed. Overall a gripping story and clever/creative plotline. Still recommend for an entertaining, quick read.

Puzzle House is a fun horror novel with a unique premise. Six strangers are invited to the reading of an eccentric billionaire’s will. Only one of them actually knew the man–Joy Reese, his ex-wife. It quickly becomes obvious that this billionaire doesn’t intend to just hand over his fortune. He intends to make them earn it, through proving their wits through a series of puzzles.

This book is entertaining and fast-paced. There are lots of twists in the plot, not just in the types of puzzles they’re forced to solve, but also in the reveals of each of the characters’ dark secrets. The puzzles were clever, and the consequences of failing to solve them in time were quite severe. There’s quite a bit of intelligent research put into the puzzles, but I can’t elaborate more without including spoilers. That said, some of the turns in the plot were a little over the top, but it was just so fun that I didn’t care.

This book is just over 200 pages, and Ralston doesn’t waste any of them. I grew to love a few of the characters, but I do wish that the book could have been just a smidge longer, so I could learn more about the backstories of some of the other characters.

I read and loved Ralston’s horror novella, Woom, but this book is quite different. While still a horror, it’s far less gory and disturbing. This novel also doesn’t come together under a unifying theme at the end, which Woom did, resulting in it being (in my opinion) a horror masterpiece. This book is more of a mainstream horror thriller action film. However while I’m saying this book isn’t as disturbing, it still might be disturbing for many (most? I’m not sure), so I would check my triggers before reading.

This is an entertaining, intelligent, and short horror thriller with lots of twists and complex characters.

puzzle House book on a wooden backdrop. An open book of a picture of an Escher lithograph of staircases

I loved this book!! I could not put it down from page 1. It was a fun combination of And then there were none and Saw. Puzzle House was the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. The ending had a twist I did not see coming and I hope there will be a second book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wicked House publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Like escape rooms? This book is for you! Puzzle House was an quick read that had my attention from the first chapter! Nothing like a game of “escape or die” created by a complete psycho to keep you reading! The twists and turns in this crazy story will keep you reeling, I didn’t want to put it down! Hoping the ending was a hint to a future sequel! I am definitely a new Duncan Ralston fan!

Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston is an entertaining homage to classic horror movies like The Haunted House On The Hill or Thirteen Ghosts. a mysterious puzzle master dies and five strangers and his ex-wife are summoned to his estate and tasked to solve a series of complex puzzles for a chance to win $150 million. of course, things are never as simple as that.
Puzzle House is riveting, action driven and leaves the reader wanting more. the end is very open ended, so sequel, maybe?
so, to sum up:
highly recommended
4 1/2 stars out of 5

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this, and I can’t decide how to feel.

This book definitely kept me intrigued and I wanted to know how it would end, the ending was just ‘meh’ though. I also felt like the ending was sorta random??

This book was a great concept (literally Saw meets an escape room) and I can see why people could enjoy it, I just don’t think it was really for me.

PHEW this was a crazy ride of a book! I didn't know what to expect this being my first read from Duncan Ralston and I can unhesitatingly say that it will not be my last. Puzzle House is an exceedingly clever and layered horror book, the Mesopotamian influences were a pleasant surprise and I ended up doing a lot of my own research into things mentioned in this book. Speaking of research, the amount of time put into it here had to be tremendous! The escape room scenes were dizzyingly claustrophobic, I found my heart racing and had a sense of dread continue to build throughout every single intense scene. It's a rare find, in my opinion, when writing evokes such a reaction and yet you cannot stop reading. I HIGHLY recommend this to horror fans who don't mind graphic descriptions and that confining feeling of dread when experiencing a book, because that's exactly what this book was for me, an experience.


Thank you so much to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for my advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

Honestly it was well written and kept my attention! There was just a lot of greek mythology which isn’t at all my cup of tea and I found myself skipping over some of that stuff to get through it. If you’re interested in that and horror books this genuinely could be a better read for you! The author paints a really graphic picture which helps me picture the scene which I really liked but again the basis of the book and the “explanation” behind everything just wasn’t for me.

OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow did I enjoy this. ARC received from Netgalley.

It took me a minute to get into it but once I was in I was IN. I loved everything about this. The puzzles were done in such a creative way, using a topic that's always really interested me too. And the references to Evil Dead were truly *chef's kiss*. I wish other escape room media had such unexpected endings. Easy 5 stars.