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.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author, I was able to read this spooky book! I wanted to love this book but I did not care for the ending. It left me kind of confused and wanting to know more on how the characters story ended.

Puzzle House is like the book version Saw mixed with cult vibes, and I absolutely loved it!

After the death of the wealthy puzzle master, Alexei Vasiliev, six strangers are brought together to take part in his last ever game, but little did they know that it may be their last, too.

With the chance to win $150m, Alexei's estranged wife and 5 other strangers are invited to his home for the reading of his will, but there's a catch. All of the invitees must take part in his final puzzle - the escape rooms he has created.

This book gets very dark, very quickly. It's filled with violence and uncomfortable situations which really keep you on edge. It's a short read, making it easy to binge in one sitting which is always quite refreshing. The ending definitely takes a wild spin which I really didn't expect!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A murderer, actress, anthropologist, doctor, senator and dean of admissions are ordered to a will reading. Unsure of what that means for them, they go. What happens after is not like any will reading I would EVER want to go to. A written version of the SAW movies but with more meaning. When you feel bad for a murderer you know the writing is good. My heart broke throughout the whole book. And while graphic, it wasn't nausea indusing graphic. Everything that was disturbing was truly needed to make this story the story it became. Duncan Ralston did a fantastic job at capturing my heart. The reason why those 6 were chosen still wasn't 100% answered, it was mentioned, I wish it was explained a little more but I think that kept the mystery of it.

I hope there's a sequel because I need to know what happens next. I kept flipping the pages going there has to be more. I need to know more!

Puzzle House: A novel is just another example of how well-rounded Ralston is as an author. I mean, for christ sake, this is the same man who brought us Woom! Don't get me wrong, Puzzle House has some fairly unique death scenes, but this isn't going to be a book that turns your stomach.

Absolutely phenomenal world building and character development. I loved the creepy "Saw" meets Escape room from hell vibe from the setting. I was on edge reading about the various puzzles, I would have died... no joke.

To be honest, at the beginning of the book, I saw it going in one direction, and then, by the middle, it was apparent things were headed in a completely opposite direction! This book will definitely keep you engaged and on your toes.

Puzzle House is fast-paced, decently gruesome, and overall, it's just a bloody good time. The only reason I am giving it 4 and not 5 stars is that the ending irked me. It left me with so many questions...Ralston, I can not be alone in thinking that we want a sequel, sir!!!

There is more than I could say, but I don't want to give too much away just yet. Perhaps I'll be back closer to release day!

As always, thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this. At the beginning it feels like someone created a novel of the Escape Room movies, with a Saw twist and I really dug it. Ludicrous puzzles, big reward at the end, cast of characters who all have a dark past? Sign me up. However as the story progresses it starts to get muddled fast, and takes a lot of big twists and turns that did nothing for me. The ending left me feeling like I had wasted time too sadly.

I will grant it that it's a breezy read. Took me about 3-4 days to finish.

I had some high hopes for this one after hearing it compared as Saw meets Escape Room, two franchises I adore. I must’ve set the bar a little too high because I couldn’t help but be a tad disappointed. The book is short and had too many characters that we don’t really get to touch on in a meaningful way. I will say it is very fast-paced and has no shortage of shocking moments. There were some really great death scenes, too, which is not always easy to do. I also loved all the history and background information about rituals. I just wanted to spend more time with this characters in a terrible situation. Had I loved the ending a bit more, this probably would’ve been a 4 star read. I’m not sure but there might be a sequel? It was definitely set up for one. Die-hard horror fans will probably have fun with this one but I think it could’ve been a little better.

Okay, so I'm struggling to find the words to explain how much I loved this book

It had so much to love, escape rooms, saw vibes, ancient Gods, body horror.
The way Duncan manages to make you connect with characters so quickly has become one of my favourite things about his writing.
It was honestly one of my favourite short reads I've read in a long time. The ending was so far from what I was expecting. It's less than 200 pages so it's a great short, fast paced read.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. I recommend that others try this book as well. Well done!

Just a fun time and very reminiscent of The haunting of Hill House circa 1999! Highly recommend if you're a fan of Cube and Alice in Borderland!

Talk about starting out as one thing and changing to another!

It's hard to talk about this without spoiling it, but I was expecting something like The Inheritance Games or maybe Savage Island - scaled up for adults, of course, but something close to those. This is very very different.

I did enjoy the story, and I didn't guess where it was going in the end. The escape rooms were very inventive, really well thought out and clever. I would have been in big trouble in most of them!

As far as I can tell this is a one off, which makes the ending irritating to me - I'd have liked to know what happened next (I always want to know what happens next, so take that as you like). It's definitely put Duncan on my radar, though, and I'll be watching out for more by him. I think he's only going to get better from here.

I loved one of this author’s previous works, Woom, but I really didn’t like this.

I won’t recount the synopsis, but I found it intriguing. What didn’t work for me is the execution. The story is fast paced, but shallow. There is NO character development, which can be less of an issue for a plot-driven reader like me. Even for me, though, this lacked substance. Nobody’s motivations made any sense, the Saw+Knives Out+Cabin in the Woods premise didn’t come through, and the hodgepodge cast of characters’ “knowledge” of a myriad of topics required to solve the puzzles came across as laughable. The story ratcheted up to a wildly scaled-up finale on very little foundation, and I was honestly just glad it was over. Plenty of people seem to really love this one, but it wasn’t for me.

i was excited to start this one, the premise is one of my favorite concepts. it’s hill house meets saw. but unfortunately i couldn’t get passed chapter three. the character introductions and story setting moved a little slow for my taste. i’ve read other reviews and most seemed to enjoy this book, so i would still recommend to someone who wants something that isn’t necessarily horror heavy, but who is also up for the slow burn. i just wasnt.

thank you netgalley for this ARK!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

Horror is one of my favorite genres and I went into this expecting mild, escape room challenges with a twist. This delivered so much more!

I was so intrigued that I finished it in one sitting. This has gruesome elements and the ending provided a twist I wasn’t quite expecting!

If you like escape rooms and the movie Saw, then this book is for you. I thought this book was really good.

Six strangers who seemingly have nothing in common come together to attend a formal reading of the Last Will and Testament of deceased Alexei Vasiliev AKA “world’s foremost puzzle master”. Puzzle House starts off easy by introducing a few of the main characters, revealing bits and pieces of their backstory. The real fun begins when the cast comes together and quickly realize nothing is as it seems. Once the action starts, it never stops to let you catch your breath.

This book is fast paced and there are quite a few heart racing moments. I never felt like I was waiting for something interesting to happen because there was always new information provided and new puzzles being introduced into the scenario. Obviously being a book about puzzles and an escape room I assumed there would be some twists, but I truly did not see the final twist coming. This book went in an unexpected direction and the rather abrupt ending left me wanting more of an explanation. Puzzle House leaves off on a bit of a cliffhanger so I would love to read a sequel in the future.

If you love escape rooms and are looking for a quick one sitting type of read, I recommend giving Puzzle House a try! Thank you to Wicked House Publishing for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.