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.

I usually love reading books by Duncan Alston, but for some reason I could not get interested in this book. I’m use to the gross and gory writings from him. This was to laid back for me.

I received an ARC copy of Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston!

This book was such a fun read! It reminded me of the saw movies and had me hooked from the very beginning! How far would someone go for money? You see that play out as the book progresses in a fun and interesting way! (Well not fun for the characters lol!)
Would definitely recommend this book to a friend !

Six strangers come together as the will of Alexei Vasiliev, one of the world’s top puzzle makers, stipulates that they must take part in his latest work to receive a portion of his fortune. The strangers don’t seem to have a connection. Henry, previously a cop, is in jail for murder and Atkins is the security guard sent to accompany him. Then there is Oscar, a doctor riddled with cancer, Illeana, a state senator, Rudy, an archaeologist, Jessica, a dean at a university, and Joy, Alexei’s estranged wife.

They meet at Alexei’s house and are immediately thrown into a puzzle. Six rooms await them where the puzzles will test not just their mental abilities, but their desire to survive at any cost. Will working together be the way to go, or is it a case of fewer survivors means more money...

I really wanted to love this book as it started out so well with the different characters being introduced and yet still being in the dark about their connection. Then, as we moved to the house and the puzzles, it became a lot more complex and unless you are a fan of mythology and know quite a bit about ancient history when it comes to gods and beliefs, then it’s tricky to keep up as the facts just keep coming. Sometimes it was quite difficult to picture the puzzles and in one instance the chosen solution was very odd as there were other things around them that could have done the same thing. I guess it’s in keeping with the room “belonging” to a character.

The connection is eventually explained but it’s a slow reveal and seems buried under the facts of the puzzles themselves. The whole experience is exposed to have been years in the making and I felt the reader needed to really allow for literary leeway. As I was reading, I was going yes okay, hmm, and then the eyebrow raises got a bit too much. The ending, well... it’s like the book went in an entirely different direction and left it open for a sequel.

The writing was good and the proofing well done but the book left me feeling ambivalent about its success.

Puzzle House is an escape room horror tale that thrills from start to finish. Six strangers gather at the mansion of puzzle master Alexei for the reading of his will. They are informed that if they can complete his final 6 puzzles, they will gain access to his $150 million estate. Saying more might venture into spoiler territory and it's probably best to go into this one without knowing more.
Duncan Raslton is best known for his splatter punk book Woom, and while there is some gore in Puzzle House it is toned down significantly. With Puzzle House Ralston builds in-depth and relatable characters with a fast-paced plot. There are twists that are hard to predict and a few scenes that induce genuine terror. This book was not what I expected but in the best way, and it's a perfect Halloween read.
My only complaints: I wish there were more details on the ancient civilization aspect and I felt like the ending was very abrupt. Maybe there will be a sequel?
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was... An experience. The premise is fascinating - strangers pulled to the house of a deceased puzzle master to solve the house and inherit his wealth. But they learn quickly that they didn't tell them the catch: it's win, or die.

The characters in this were amazing. I really truly loved Oscar, Joy and Henry. I feel like each of them had in depth back stories and could have had books dedicated to them individually. The pace is quick and tense, and the descriptions visceral.

It wraps up quicker than I think I like, thus the three stars. Feels a bit like maybe it was meant to be a "part one"? Regardless, I had a great time with this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wicked House for allowing me to provide an ARC review.