Thank you NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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So I saw this publishing group being promoted for their thriller/horror books on one of my Facebook groups and so I immediately had to check them out! I saw this book as an option on NetGalley and I knew that I wanted to read it to try it out and I am so glad that I did! I felt like this was a book version of a combination of the movie Saw and Escape Room. I loved the puzzles that the author included in the book and felt like they just kept the reader engaged thought out the entire book. I feel like there were some things that were a little unnecessary at times and didn’t add to the plot of the book as much. But it wasn’t enough to like make me want to stop reading or anything like that! Overall, if you are looking for a spooky thriller with the edge of solving puzzles and a little gore, then this is the book for you! I cannot wait to see what else the author has in store for us!

The Puzzle House was was pitched similar to the Saw movies so naturally I was immediately intrigued and had to get my hands on it. It was a very quick read and definitely had some creepy moments throughout, but unfortunately the second half or so reallllly lost me and became a little too over the top while being questioningly convenient some of the wild knowledge these characters had that just happened to get them out of their puzzles. If you're wanting a weird, over the top, Saw-like read, give it a try this spooky season.

Thank you Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for my review copy!

This was an entertaining book. I liked the mixture of Saw and Escape Room and some of the deaths were very imaginative. All in all a very interesting read.

This was my second book by this author and he didn’t disappoint. I love the way he weaves each character’s own story with the bigger story, giving you multiple points of view while not confusing you. It reminded me a lot of my favorite movie called Cube, the mystery behind what each room would offer to its victims and how the characters themselves would unfold as the story progressed was perfect. I went one to read 3 more books by this author. I’m absolutely obsessed with their work.

Not a first time caller

I've been a fan for a while but this still surprised me. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read it earlier!!
I read a lot of horror and every author comes at it differently. I personally like books like this where I really like some of the characters because I get more invested.
The story is about a group of people hoping to earn an inheritance by making it through a puzzle house, but of course things aren't what they seem. I was surprised more than once, horrified a few times, and laughed out loud at the end, immediately feeling guilty. I can't wait to read more by this guy

Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston is a really good, well thought out and researched book. I never want to go to an escape room ever again. Puzzle House is a nod to the Saw franchise which I loved.
Not overly gory for those who dont enjoy that sort of thing.
Whens the sequel dropping?

This was the first book I have read by Duncan Ralston. I do have his book Woom on my TBR and I will be reading that now that I know he is the author of it. This is fun with a unique horror premise to it. I felt like this was a fast pasted book with lots of twists. I like that it was a shorter book so you got through it pretty fast. This is a perfect book for spooky season. I would definitely recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I love any book by this author and he hit it out of the park with this one. This book started out with great characters who I was able to engage with. the puzzles were explicitly described to the point I could visualize them. I really enjoyed this book and will continue to recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley, Duncan Ralston and Wicked House Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a quick and gory, twisty read. I sat down and read this whole thing in one sitting. It reminded me of saw with the gore and I love saw. I loved the storyline and how fast this gets crazy.

I’m so glad I discovered Wicked House Publishing. They have a great selection of real horror novels. And they had my favorite horror author, Duncan Ralston. Finally! I got a horror novel that I could really sink my teeth into.

I became a fan of Ralson after reading Ghostland. I really enjoyed it because of the gore, and horrific scenes which true horror novels must have. And like Ghostland, Puzzle House did not disappoint with its graphic depictions similar to Saw.

The plot follows a locked room mystery. But it had a lot of gore and brain teasers that tested my deductible reasoning skills. I wasn’t surprised at the finale. But the journey was well worth it.

The characters could have been more developed. And I suspect that if the novel had been longer in length, the characters would have been fleshed out better than they were.

The finale was a bit open ended. Could a sequel be in the works? I hope so. Ralston is currently my go-to horror author. And I look forward to reading more of his works. 4.5 stars rounded up.

I received a DRC from Wicked House Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I've always been a fan of escape room horror so when I saw this one I knew I had to read it. The beginning of the story and the horrors of the puzzle house were wickedly entertaining. I really enjoyed this one...until I didn't. It took an abrupt turn into a type of horror I just don't enjoy. Definitely a case of it's not you it's me. If you like Saw type horror and/or escape room horror I definitely suggest giving this one a go.

While I didn't love this book, I do look forward to reading more by this author.

Puzzle House follows six strangers as they arrive at the house of a puzzle master for the reading of his will. Each person comes from a different place in life (the puzzle master's widow, a virologist, a murderer, a politician, etc).. If the strangers decide to participate in the puzzle master's final puzzles, they have the potential to split a $150 million dollar fortune. They all have a choice to make - either they all participate or they all leave empty handed. The players quickly learn that the house is not quite as it seems and the puzzles are tricky and deadly.

This was my first Duncan Ralston and I really enjoyed it. It left me questioning everyone's motives, intentions and back stories. Everyone has their secrets and as we discover them one by one it makes you question even more aspects about each player. I enjoyed the pace at which the puzzles were played and exactly how each player's story was gone through. It was fast paced and jaw dropping at times. I'd love a sequel!

I would definitely recommend this! It will not be my last by this author!

I had such high hopes for this book. The premise of an escape room with Saw vibes was immediately intriguing to me. However, beyond the initial premise, the book fell flat for me.

I found characters backstories to be lacking in detail and, while the reader learns the puzzle house participants had a connection to puzzle designer Alexei, there was no mention of why those particular people were chosen or their connections to each other.

As soon as there was mention of ancient religions, cults, and demonology, I began to lose interest. Those subjects simply aren't my jam (although they may be yours!) and I was caught off guard since nothing in the book summary hints at those themes.

The end of the book was a complete let down and left me wondering why the author went that direction when he started so strong with the deadly puzzle house setting to begin with. Unfortunately, the ending felt rushed and disjointed from the first half of the book and gave me dark fantasy vibes rather than the horror and thriller I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book had a great premise. Execution unfortunately wasn't that great. There was so much unnecessary things in the book and some things not talked about enough. I also thought the line about Henry looking up Ileana's skirt was really weird and had absolutely no reason to be there. It wasn't awful but you could probably skip it.




Thank you to NetGally for the ARC!!

I would like to thank Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

As a person who loves horror, and thrillers, and puzzles and escape rooms, I was VERY excited about this book. Six people are brought to a strange house by deceased "Puzzle Master" Alexei in order to hear his will and receive their money, 150 million dollars. The catch is that they have to solve a series of puzzles to get it. As a group. And while he first puzzle seemed easy enough, it only gets harder and more deadly from there.

We're thrown into the game with six strangers: Henry (a convicted murderer), Atkins (Henry's guard), Joy (Alexei's ex-wife/widow), Ileana (a senator), Rudy (a scholar), and Jessica. Together they have to make it through a series of dangerous interconnected rooms in "Puzzle House" and learn they may not be total strangers after all. They all have a very deadly link in common, but will the figure it out in time to win the game? Can they solve the puzzles surrounding ancient and mythological gods?

I really enjoyed this book, as it had major SAW vibes. However, in the last 1/3 of the book or so, it began to take Lovecraftian turn which almost made the plot kind of bizarre. The characters themselves were a little cliche, but still carried my interest. The escape rooms were very clever and the twists were exciting. The ending was a little anticlimactic and I felt left readers hanging a little bit. But it's hopefully a setup for a sequel. Overall I liked this book, and while it has a very specific target audience, I will definitely be recommending it to my horror friends.

I would love to thank Duncan Ralston, Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Alexei Vasiliev just died, leaving a high amount of money to 6 people, most of them strangers. But they all have one thing in common.

We have a former detective who is in jail for 2 years, an actress who is Vasiliev's ex-wife, a virologist that has a deadly problem and three other characters we meet later on.

They all arrive at Vasiliev's mansion for the reading of the testament, when Alexei appears on a screen, apparently recorded before, with instructions of a game.
He was the best puzzle-maker and he set one last game for these people to win and leave with the money.

However, as they progress through this maze of a home, they get to meet each other better, finding secrets of one another and soon they discover that someone is watching them while they die one by one in each room they encounter.

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this one.
I really liked the overall vibe, the creepiness I was feeling, especially when reading at night and being afraid of things in the dark.

I liked Henry, the murderer, Joy the widow, Oscar the virologist and Rudy, an old guy who knew a lot about ancient history.
Other characters were annoying. But that's not the thing I didn't like.

The story is progressing fast and it doesn't bore you out. But I think this made me connect less with the story itself.
It was gory and I enjoyed this.
But what was off for me was the ending. It went far off from what it was at first, and not necessarily in a direction I enjoy.

It has an open ending. Maybe the author will write a continuation of it. I will be curious of reading it. But there are a few things left unanswered, and those upset me a bit.
The twists weren't that shocking overall.

But the story is nice and I recommend it for fans of locked-room mysteries, cults and the feeling that you're watching a movie ("Saw" vibes).
My rating is 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

3.5 or 4

Six strangers, six escape rooms… $150 million to split! But Puzzle House is something none of them would have imagined. Deadly… at the risk of life or death.. money and determination how will this insane story unfold!?

(But I will need a second to know where this story goes from here!!! We can not be left hanging like that.)

If you are a fan of Saw, Puzzle House is for you!

I was glued to this story. There were things I didn’t care for but overall this was the perfect spooky season read.

*Be aware that it does have graphic details but what horror story doesn’t?* I am so glad I read this during October.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This was not my first book from Ralston and definitely won’t be my last.

what in the saw escape room did I just read?! lmao this wasn’t what I expected but it was a great read. absolutely perfect for spooky season. I love a good escape room but this was some next level sh*t hahah
imagine being named in a will by someone you have never heard of and being promised 150 million bucks BUT you have to solve his puzzles to win. I was glued to these pages, it gripped me in. it’s a quick, entertaining read and full of secrets + twists. def check this one out!

This book reminded me of the film "Cube". Six strangers arrive to a house where they are told if they are able to solve the escape rooms within the house they have arrived at, they will split $150 million.
What they don't know is that with each escape room, a death will occur. The last one standing is pretty easy to figure out. The ending is not what I imagined at all. This is a must read for any horror/gore fan.
This is a fast read and I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Arc provided by NetGalley!

This book was good! I think I went into it with higher expectations than what they could reach, but that's a little more my fault than the books.

The premise was really good - a group of strangers, a huge inheritance, a house of puzzles? It sounds great!

I think what it ended up reading like - at least to me - was a sort of Saw fanfiction. I had to suspend pretty much all belief in anything in order to enjoy this story. I just couldn't imagine what was actually happening in the story as something that could actually happen... like how could he have all this set up the way that he did? His ex was living there not that long ago??? What?????

And the ending... I don't think that the ending was very well thought out at all. It was almost one of those situations where it seems like the author may not have known how he wanted to end it but needed to do SOMETHING. It just wasn't explained at all.

All that is to say... it wasn't bad. It was fun, if you didn't think too much about it. Did I enjoy it? .... meh. But that could just be me, and I'd still recommend for people looking for something that is horror that has more of a thriller vibe instead.