I almost rated this one 4 stars until I read the last page. I was so mad at how it ended! I really enjoyed the book as a whole, though. It gave me Saw vibes which I loved. I did kind of guess some things throughout which I knocked a star off for just because I thought it could have been more surprising. If the last page was wrote differently or maybe a little more was added to it, it would have easily been a 4-4.5 star read. I really enjoy Ralston’s work, so either way I’m glad I read this & would recommend!

Puzzle House: A Novel by Duncan Ralston left me exhausted! Once I started reading I just couldn’t stop and although some descriptions were incredibly graphic and gory I just kept going - just like the characters in the story.

This would make an amazing movie as it is very visual and fast moving. Absolutely incredible and scary. A thriller that leaves one breathless and heart pounding! Characters are vividly developed adding depth to the story.

The publisher’s blurb is excellent:

Six strangers arrive at the home of preeminent puzzle master Alexei Vasiliev for the reading of his will. Among them are the deceased's widow, who'd already begun divorce proceedings, a virologist troubled by actions in his past, and a convicted murderer on day release. The potential beneficiaries will split Vasiliev's $150M fortune if they participate in his last great work.
The choice is simple: leave the house with nothing or continue in the hope of solving the six interconnecting escape rooms within this house.
Once there, the participants soon discover Puzzle House is far deadlier than it appears, and that making their way through the rooms may be a matter of life and death. Someone is watching their every move, toying with them, turning them against each other. With their lives on the line, they are forced to wonder, is it all just a deadly game created by a gleeful sadist, or something far more sinister?
Highly recommended!

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Wicked House Published via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#PuzzleHouse:ANovel #NetGalley #NetGalleyBingo - reviewed right after finishing

This book follows six strangers who arrive at the reading of the will of a puzzle master named Alexei Vasiliev. Some know him (including his widow) and others have no idea what they're doing there.

They learn that they will earn his $150M fortune if they proceed through and solve his puzzles.

This was billed as Saw meets Escape Room - and it definitely has some of those elements at its core. However, I didn't feel the stakes of this. I am always down for horror for horror's sake, but we really didn't get an opportunity to understand anyone's motivations so the stakes didn't feel real. It was a fun read, but ultimately I felt a bit underwhelmed.

Listen this book was SO SO GOOD ! The world building, the character building and development , the in depth descriptions, all of it. So much happens at the end of the last two chapters I was literally on the edge of my bed reading this. This book is not even officially out yet but I NEED to know what happens next !! This book kind of reminded me of a Saw meets the house from the 13 ghost movies? Maybe even cabin in the woods but WOW. This was so good I could not put my phone down reading it. So many things happen in this book it is absolutely insane. Greek mythology, conspiracies, mystery, murder, rituals , and a puzzle house?!
So glad I was able to read the ARC of this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six people find out that they are being invited for a will reading for an inheritance from someone that they don't know (well, five of them don't know the deceased). They wind up in a mystery house, trying to earn the money by finding their way out of all the rooms. But one by one, they start to not make it on to the next room.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It seemed like an interesting premise, a cross between Saw and Escape Room, both of which I like. But it just never really fully sucked me in. There was some back story happening with a corporation, but I never feel like that was well explained and just made it more confusing to follow. The characters didn't seem very well developed or likable. I feel like there was a lot of back story that could have been developed more but wasn't, which made me feeling like I was always missing something.

The good things - great concept, plenty of potential, and a decent ending. Just wish it had been developed better.

Excellent book! If you are a fan of the Saw movie franchise, then you will enjoy this book. It kept me guessing what would happen next and to whom. Are they good guys or bad guys? Are the good guys bad? Are the bad guys good?

Six strangers come together for a reading of the will of puzzle master, Alexei Vasiliev. Among them are the puzzle master's ex-wife, a convicted murderer on day release, and a virologist. Each person stand to inherit a portion of the $150 million dollars with one caveat: they remain in Vasiliev's home-turned-escape room and solve the six puzzles.

If you love the Esape Room movies and Saw, you will absolutely love Puzzle House! This is a very quick read that will have you engrossed with the mythology behind each puzzle and how each of the beneficiaries plays a role in this dangerous situation. I loved each character, and my only request would have been more back story to each one, but this would have prevented the fast pace, which I absolutely loved. This book played out like an action thriller movie in my head. It is so much fun. Five stars from me!

I'm not sure what I just read. Don't get into this book thinking it is going to be an easy, lighthearted, puzzle mystery. I feel that the book had so much potential, and then it took a hard turn. 6 strangers, locked in a house, having to solve puzzles to escape the house. Once it turned into sacrificial, demon worshiping, strangeness, I lost interest. I did finish the book, however, I would have liked to know more of what happens once the house was escaped.

As I read this, I had very high hopes. I loved the concept - giving very SAW-like vibes. A good mix of thriller and horror. Overall, I really enjoyed the story. However, the way it was written felt very choppy and difficult to be drawn in. While there was so much detail, so often I felt a lack of cohesiveness that lends to immersive story-telling.
Additionally, the pull in of an overarching enemy being in control felt thrown together.

*Small note, at the beginning, a character receives a CT scan and the tech is referred to as a technician. This is inaccurate. Individuals who perform the scans are Technologists. While this is minor, I am a CT Technologist, and it is widely known in our field that we dislike being misnamed*

As a whole, this is an enjoyable novel if one is not looking to be immersed in a world and just told a story.

This would normally be my kind of book, I went into it thinking it was going to be like saw., but I was rather. disappointed as it was very confusing and hard to get into..
thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this for a honest review.

Puzzle House was a great thriller! It’s Escape Room meets Saw!! Without giving too much away, the story is about strangers that come together due to being named as a beneficiaries on a will from a complete stranger. They all have to meet together at a house where they must complete the puzzles in each room I order to move to the next one. As the story progresses hidden secrets from each stranger come to light making them each wonder who they can trust! I enjoyed this book so much! Looking forward to reading more from this author!!!
Thank you NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book! I got into it so quickly and easily and finished it in 2 days, I would have finished it sooner if I didn't have to work and sleep lol

The premise of this novel sold me immediately. Think Saw meets Indiana Jones, and add a handful of very interesting characters- You get Puzzle House.
It has been a long time since I've stayed up half the night to finish a book, but I watched my clock tick closer to sunrise as I burrowed under my covers, incapable of putting it down. An interesting mix of horror, mystery, intrigue, and history that creates a delightfully fast-paced story.
While I did have a few personal issues with some of the background (I can't imagine any person being mad at our MC for the actions they took), I truly loved most of the characters. Duncan is wonderful at creating interesting and dimensional characters, and he showcased it masterfully in this novel.
I desperately hope there is a sequel in the works and look forward to reading more of Ralston's works.

I really enjoyed this it was a heart pounding read and would highly recommend it.
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am an Escape Room enthusiast. Whenever I go on holidays, I search out Escape Rooms. I love a good riddle and problem solving challenge so naturally when I read the title and synopsis of this book, I HAD to read it.

Quick overview: Six strangers are summoned to the reading of a will. Alexei Vasiliev is known as a puzzle master and he's leaving his fortune to those who can escape his biggest escape room yet.

The six invited guests are:

Joy ~ the Widow
Henry ~ the Prisoner
Oscar ~ Doctor of Medicine
Rudy ~ Professor
Ilena ~ Senator
Jessica ~ University Dean

and we also have a 7th uninvited guest
Atkins ~ Henry's Prison Guard

They are given a choice to leave the house with nothing or to play the game in hopes of winning money. How hard could it be to solve escape room mysteries they think and all chose to play on not knowing the game is much, much more than just successfully solving a riddle, If you fail, you could die.

Once the guests are in the house and the game begins, there is no downtime at all in this book. Each room is full of tension, suspense and had me on the edge of my seat. The riddles/puzzles were not easy and I am pretty sure I would have failed miserably in this escape and unfortunately, many did in this book.

I was not expecting the book to go in the direction it did. What started out as a normal world ended up...well...I cannot say without spoiling it lol...you are going to have to TRUST ME on this when I say READ THIS BOOK lol

Go in with an open mind, big imagination and expect the unexpected. I re-read the ending twice to fully digest everything. It does have gory parts. Not for the faint of heart.

This would be a perfect read around Halloween for all the feels!

Solid 4 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Wicked House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review an advanced electronic reader copy of this novel.

I HAD to jump on this book when I saw the author and then read the premise of this book. If you're a fan of the Saw movies, you can see why! This book was amazing and kept me on my toes the whole way through. I cannot wait to see what Duncan comes up with next! Thanks to NetGalley and Wicked House for giving me access to this ARC of Puzzle House!

Move this one to the top of your TBR list ASAP! This was absolutely fantastic! At first, I got a ‘Glass Onion’ (Knives Out movie) vibe, then it went in more of ‘Cabin In The Woods’ (again movie) direction, but of course it proceeded to grow even darker and incomparable to anything else I’ve read. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Duncan Ralston. There are a solid few characters that are obviously favorites, super easy to connect with and root for. Duncan’s writing is superb, he has an effortless flow of story telling ability. It’s easy to get lost in the PUZZLE HOUSE for several hours, I read the whole thing straight through in one day. It’s intense and things escalate fast! All I can say is I HOPE there will be a sequel, I’d really like to follow this story even further!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wicked House Publishing, and Duncan Ralston for the early opportunity to read this book. Easy and well deserved 5 stars!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Escape Room meets Saw in the ultimate game of survival for the chance at 150 million dollar inheritance. The Puzzle Master creates an environment for 6 strangers, 'competitors' who, unbeknownst to them at first, are all linked together somehow. The book follows the 6 through each test, revealing their links along the way until it is all revealed at the end. Very fast paced and creative, the only thing missing in this book is a definitive ending...possibly leading to a sequel or just leaving it open ended for the readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book. A deceased puzzle master bequeaths in his will his fortune to six people if they go into his puzzle house and can get through the gauntlet of escape rooms. Can they escape and get the money? What happens if they can't get out? I like the plot and the cover of this book, I found it interesting.