Thank you to NetGalley.com, Duncan Ralston and Wicked House Publishing for providing an advanced copy for reviewing!

What happens when you mix 6 seemingly unconnected characters, a house of horrors designed by someone as sadistic and demented as Jigsaw and occult mythology? You get the crazy ride that is Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston!

You start the story with Henry, an ex-cop in solitary confinement for premeditated murder and meet the other characters as the story progresses. He along with a guard accompanying him, a famous actress, a professor of history, a Virologist Doctor, a dean of admissions and famous politician have all been named beneficiaries in the will of world famous puzzle master, who only one of them has any meaningful relationship with; everyone else not knowing who he is all. The only catch being they have to attend the reading of the will at his old house that he converted into a giant escape room to benefit. Upon arriving at the house though, they find that these puzzles to be quite deadly, and for some odd reason seem to be tailored to the players specifically. Why were they named as benefactors? How are they all connected? What is everyone hiding? Who will survive? I'll leave that, dear reader, for you to find out!

As a puzzle master myself (make escape room puzzles for a living), I was all over the premise of this book! "Deadly escape room puzzles? Count me in!" And boy did this book not disappoint! The story was fun and inventive, and I'm glad to say that I learned something about occult mythology while reading. The puzzles were clever, well clued and themed and are not dissimilar to the type of challenges and thinking required in actual escape rooms, bravo! The horror elements were definitely on the disturbing side of things (you definitely played on my fears in the second room), but added to the intensity of the story and raised the stakes! What can I say? This story was so good, I just could not put it down! I stayed up all night reading it because I just had to know more, learn more, and find out what was going to happen next?

The only knock I have against it was that I found the ending a bit dissatisfying. I never saw it coming, but it left me wanting more! I need to know more!

If you are not squeamish at all, like the idea of deadly escape room themed puzzles, enjoy movies like SAW and Escape Room, and don't mind a touch of paranormal mystery, then you will love Puzzle House!

Really had a great time reading! With each puzzle, I kept wondering if I would’ve made the same choices. Action packed with an ending that I didn’t see coming.

Duncan Ralston is one amazing horror author. This was a roller coaster. House of a puzzle but did they escape the escape rooms? Read it and find out!

I really enjoyed this novel! It felt like an Indiana Jones style escape room (but really house) mystery, with some mild Saw vibes. The characters were really well written, with their flaws and all, leaving for a high stakes game. There was not as much gore or violence as I had anticipated, but I didn’t quite feel that it was needed. I will definitely be adding more books by Ralston to my 2024 reads.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was really intriguing and I read the book really fast. It was a page turner for sure but honestly the ending fell flat for me. I was confused at the end. Haha.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

#PuzzleHouseANovel #NetGalley

This was definitely disappointing. I was completely sold by the blurb and the premise of an escape room horror is always intriguing but for me it fell flat. I didn’t really like any of the characters and the story line kept getting more and more surreal as it went on, nice idea but maybe escape room books written this way should be left for the screen!

Horribly written, and there wasn't an ending! There were some delightful interesting situations the characters found themselves in, however overall I would not recommend.

I think the puzzles are the most interesting piece of the story. Escape rooms with higher stakes are interesting to read, but one after another, it can get a little repetitive. The relationships between the characters keep things moving enough that they don't get really stale. I think it's an average thriller with an interesting element.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Puzzle House is my first Duncan Ralston, but it won't be my last. What presents as a traditional escape room mystery novel, quickly turns much, much darker. To escape each room requires a sacrifice. Time and space does not seem to add up. Then the character who "wins" escapes into a brave, new world. What a ride.

It is definitely a one of a kind! I can definitely see the movie influences with it, like Saw among others. I read this in one day. It is action packed with believable characters. I'm claustrophobic, so this was pretty intense. I enjoyed unraveling the mystery behind Puzzle House while I read it. Nothing is predictable at all.

A really intriguing well written book with interesting characters and a foreboding setting, not too keen on the ending though.
Things suddenly progressed into madness that was quite unexpected and the abrupt finale wasn’t satisfying enough for me.

Thanks to Wicked House Publishing, NetGalley and Duncan Ralston for the chance to read Puzzle House in advance. This was quite a mind twisting adventure and very entertaining. The story is well written and I thought it was a great escape room type mystery/ horror story. I definitely would not have wanted to be stuck in this house.

Thank you Netgalley,publisher ,author for providing me with my advance copy ♥️

“Puzzle House” by Duncan Ralston is a scary story about a family trapped in a haunted house with a puzzle in the backyard. The house changes and adapts to their fears, making it hard for them to escape.

The author creates a spooky atmosphere, making you feel uneasy and unsure. The family has secrets, and the house uses them to make things scarier. The writing is vivid and suspenseful, with clever hints throughout.

The book explores how fear can take over, how past traumas can haunt us, and how obsession can be dangerous. “Puzzle House” is a chilling horror story that keeps you on edge.

I’ve really enjoyed all of Duncan Ralstons books I’ve read so far. I’m about to read he next book now and realized that I still needed to review this book. I love these kind of stories and look forward to reading everything he comes out with. Cannot recommend his books enough.

Escape rooms and Saw are easily my all time favourite things so when I saw that there was a book like this I couldn’t wait to cozy up and read! I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading with all the twists and turns keeping me on my toes for the majority of the book! Will definitely be picking up more for this author in the future!

To say I was completely engrossed in this story is an understatement. I easily finished it in one sitting. There was never a dull moment. It was filled with suspense, horror, gore. As a fan of scary movies, this was a great representation in a book. The movie was playing along in my head the entire time. Until the twist at the end. Without adding a spoiler, I will just say it lost me and it lost stars because of it.
The book ends with what feels like a potential set up for more. I know other reviewers are requesting more but I think I prefer to leave it here.

A good premise, but zero execution. It is underwhelming and poorly plotted. I was never invested enough to care about anyone. It was headed for a solid 2 stars and then came the stupidest ending. After all that, we get zero answers!

WOW, what a read! As normal Duncan rocks!!!

The plot was intense and kept me reading!!! If you are looking for a boom you can't put down this is it!!

Thanks NetGalley!!!

This was a fun book. I wrongly assumed it was a pretty straightforward plot, but definitely enjoyed the darker elements that present later in the book.

The author does a solid job of connecting the dots without jamming them into your eyeballs.

I still have zero plans to read Woom (extreme is just not my jam), but will happily read further horror novels from Duncan Ralston in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

WOW, what a read! The plot was intense, powerful and thrilling and held me captive all the way through! The characters fairly leaped off the page, and the tension was palpable. If you are looking for a twisted read that you just CAN’T put down, then this is DEFINITELY the book for you!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.