Thank you so much to NetGalley and Danielle Trussoni for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Puzzle Master coming out June 13, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

There are puzzles all around us. Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once an upcoming Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways that regular people can’t. But it also left him deeply alone, unable to fully connect with other people.

Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder. She hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence.

I’ve read another book by this author and really loved it, so I was interested in checking out this book. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. I thought the plot and subject matter was really interesting. I thought Mike’s ability to solve puzzles and the puzzles in the story were fascinating. I think the second half became a little confusing for me. There seemed to be more points of view and I wasn’t sure how the characters connected.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys complex puzzle stories!

Mike has a football injury that gives him the rare savant syndrome where he can create and solve puzzles that the normal thought process cannot master. When he is brought in to help on what appears to be a closed murder case with a silent inmate, he struggles to keep himself save from those who want to use his special powers for something more sinister.

This book is billed as a straight mystery, but it is not that. This has horror and supernatural elements and went off the rails for me big time. Not only was it slow, but I didn't feel like it was a cohesive story. I strongly disliked when the author tried to bring in religious details and history and world domination.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. I just can't recommend this one.

A traumatic brain injury induces savant syndrome in Mike Brink, suddenly turning him into a master at solving and creating puzzles — and completely changing his life. Years later, he’s accepted and harnessed his puzzle obsession into a lucrative career, working with cryptologists from MIT and writing puzzles for the New York Times. He’s been coasting by, unchallenged, until a psychologist asks for help on a case and he meets a puzzle he can’t solve — yet.
Reminiscent of The DaVinci Code and National Treasure with a horror twist, this was a fun and easy read.
The pacing was good for the most part, though I could’ve done with less of the supernatural explanations. It was also a little repetitive in some parts, mainly in reminding us about Brink’s motivation and past. Brink is a likeable character and all the tech bro characters are funny. There’s a nod to the lockdown Wordle phenomenon and the author includes a variety of real puzzles which were written for this book. I gave them a cursory glance but others might enjoy trying to solve them.
If you like thrillers / mysteries with horror elements, this is a fun, modern take on the genre.

This book had a ton of potential, but it just didn’t land for me. I enjoyed the puzzle aspect, and Mike’s ability. I thought the religious aspect, the characters that were introduced, the escape sequences were all just surface level storylines. I didn’t connect with any of the storylines because there were too many. It had the potential to be scary, but wasn’t. It had the potential to be erotic, but wasn’t. It had the potential to be a thriller, but wasn’t. I’m a bit disappointed.

This book had a lot going on. I was really into the story until about halfway and then it all just fell apart. The multiple storylines and genres left me feeling like each could have been developed more, while some could have been cut entirely and probably would have left the story feeling whole. There were many things that were very repetitive throughout the story (i.e., Mike Brink's injury and abilities), as well as some things that just went too in-depth for me to care about. Overall, the story lacked a lot of what I was looking for based on the blurb and just didn't work for me.

Are you good at puzzles?
In this book, due to a head injury, Mike Brink is the best at puzzles there is. This gift leads him to a mystery that he can’t walk away from.
I liked this book! It had an interesting combination of spooky and scifi elements that made for a unique and interesting story. I would have loved to see the story lean into the spooky elements a little bit more, but I could see this being a great read for someone who wants a spooky but, but doesn’t want anything too scary.
The ending of this book left a few things unanswered and I know they’re points that will keep me thinking about this book in the months to come.
I’m not a big mystery reader, but if you enjoy spooky mysteries, I would definitely recommend this book.

The books that I enjoy the most when reading for enjoyment are those that weave fact and fiction together. This is one of those books. Mike Price experienced a traumatic brain injury that forever changed him and the way he interacts with the world. He sees patterns everywhere he looks and is obsessed with solving and creating puzzles. He is drawn into something much larger than himself when he receives a partial puzzle from a convicted murderer. Unable to resist the puzzle he acquaints himself with the murder case itself only to find that he himself has now become a target. Ancient religions and the search for immortality play an important part in his search for the truth of what actually happened. He is forced to reconsider how he views the world and reality. I enjoyed this book and thank the publisher for allowing me to be a reader in advance of its publication. #ThePuzzleMaker #netgalley

I imagine that genre mash-ups are hard to write. This one is Da Vinci Code plus horror plus romance, and the individual parts just didn't work for me individually or as a whole.
The horror piece with the haunted dolls felt hackneyed, and the long horror interlude at the beginning interrupted the flow of the book, and took away from the suspense. The romance piece was almost nonexistent. The Da Vinci Code piece really had no puzzles for the reader to solve to have an a-ha moment. The Jewish part was. . . Yeah. I'm sure Catholics felt that way about the Da Vinci Code. Not the thriller I was looking for but I am sure others will enjoy it

Actual rating 3.5

A football player with a traumatic brain injury resulting in acquired savant syndrome. An author in prison for a murder she didn't commit, or did she? She doesn't speak, so who knows. And a mystery puzzle known as The God Puzzle. All of these combined bring us a thrill ride of a story, and that's only the start. I loved this concept, and for the most part it was an enjoyable read. I got a bit lost with some of the sci-fi elements which are definitely not my forte, and a couple of times I hit points where I wasn't sure I wanted to go on, but in the end it was an intriguing story weaving in and out of many lives.

My thanks to Random House, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! I felt like I walked right into a Dan Brown novel! Fast paced and intense with secret society intrigue. The puzzle deciphering was fascinating but that locked room with the antique collection was extremely creepy. Great book!

After a traumatic brain injury, Mike Brinks life changes instantly. His world is now a series of puzzles that he can’t unsee, he can speed read and retain all the information, and he can solve and create puzzles with ease. When he meets Jess Price and can’t immediately solve the puzzle she gives him, Mike knows he won’t be able to stop until he finds a way to solve it. Unfortunately for Mike, there are others that want this information as well, and he is the one standing in their way.

When you finally get to meet @Angiekimask in person and she tells you to read this book…you just do it! That said, her blurb is spot freaking on! A mixture of The DaVinci Code + The Silent Patient + a sprinkle of Steven King = this book. She was right. I always hate starting a new book when I get to the pool, I prefer to already be into the story because I tend to get distracted and am unable to concentrate on the beginning pages, but let me tell you, I did not have that problem here. I was immediately invested in this book and could not stop reading. The story was unique, kept me on the edge of my seat, and while like The DaVinci Code had some stuff that went over my head, it was dumbed down enough to understand it! This book made me wish even more that I was good at solving puzzles, but that is certainly not my specialty. As a fun side note, my dad gave me a porcelain doll when I was a kid and my aunt and my ex always said how creepy it was. I never felt that way, but if I still had it I would certainly be creeped out by it after reading this book! If you want to be taken on a crazy ride, I highly recommend this book!

This was an engaging book that kept me guessing until the end.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A master of puzzles gets roped into a puzzle-themed caper? Sign me up! I have no idea if the types of puzzles mentioned in this book are real, but this was such a fun read. We have the super smart professor type guy, the damsel in distress (could have done without the romance that felt super fake/forced), the nefarious villain, the villain's henchman, and a touch of the supernatural. A little cheesy at times, but the characters are fun and the story moves along quickly. I'd definitely read a sequel.

“That is the nature of the puzzle: to offer pain and pleasure by turns.” Mike Brink has a gift when it comes to solving (and creating) puzzles. But when he visits a prison, at the behest of one of the prison’s doctors, with respect to a puzzle—
Brink finds himself in a conundrum seemingly beyond his own abilities.

This book appealed to me as an enthusiast of puzzles and escape rooms and the plot did not disappoint. The book contains some puzzles inside and I found myself breaking from the plot only to try to solve them. The plot starts pretty much immediately and you the reader, along with Brink, are immediately pulled into the action.

If you enjoy puzzles and/or and enthralling adventure for a plot, I highly recommend this book.

The God Puzzle - the ultimate quest that brings together characters who had no idea they were even connected. Part escape room, part puzzle, part religious mystery this story unwinds in such a wild way I'm not sure if you'll see it coming.

The character development in this book was well thought out with all the characters being woven together in many different ways. The mystery started in one direction before taking a hard left at demons and possession. Overall it was very interesting and engaging, however the ending didn't hit quite as hard as I was expecting with all the build up. This one is definitely a page turner!

When Mike Brink was on the football team in high school, he had a plan. He was good looking and was working hard to be a great quarterback, hoping for a full college scholarship. But fate is a strange thing. An injury leaves him with a brain injury & agift, but it first makes him believe he’s losing his mind. He finds the right doctors and learns how to live with his condition.
Years later, Dr. Moses, a psychologist at a prison in upstate New York, contacts him about a patient, Jess Price. She hasn’t spoken a word since the police arrived and charged her with murder. Now she spends her days silent and locked up, but wants Mike Brink to visit. She gives him a puzzle, something that he is incapable of walking away from. He survived one traumatic injury, the question is, can he survive what Jess exposes him too.
Well, this was a definite puzzle, and I’ll be honest, I had to read many many parts really slow. Still, I didn’t understand all the science, but I got way more than I would have with my usual page flipping style. Did it go where I expected? Probably not, but that is because I just couldn’t figure this puzzle out. It’s a mix of genres and except for some of the science and religion that flew right over my head, I really enjoyed it. Somehow I think this might be a love it or hate it book.

This was an utterly fresh and inventive take on a thriller while managing to have the feel of a classic in the genre. The puzzle of this book grabbed me from the beginning and pulled me straight to its center.

This book has a little bit of something for every reader - puzzles, intrigue, history, art, conspiracy, technology, suspense, and the supernatural. There was a lot packed in this book, but it never felt like too much. It was expertly crafted to encompass all of these elements while not feeling overwhelming to the reader.

This book was also packed full of action, but it didn’t feel like your typical action sequences (that I can find pretty boring). There wasn’t any lull in the pacing and things were continuously moving forward.

I didn’t expect a religious aspect to the puzzle, but as a non-religious person this wasn’t off-putting. There was no preaching, but rather a focus on religious history that I found interesting. I enjoyed all of the history we got between the religious things and the art and ceramic history. You could tell there was a lot of research put into this.

My favorite parts were the letters from a historical artist connected to the events of the current timeline. I thought these were one of the strongest parts of the book.

My only complaint is that the characterization wasn’t all the way there. Our main character and the supporting characters feel fairly surface level. Between all the movement, puzzle solving and history, there wasn’t a lot of time to get to know the characters. But this is a plot focused book so it wasn’t as apparent as it would have been in a slower moving story.


I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Mike Brink is the puzzle master. As a high school quarterback, he suffered a traumatic brain injury during a game that changed the way his brain sees the world and its patterns. Now as an adult, he is famous for his ingenious puzzles seen in various publications. He is called upon to visit a young woman in a psychiatric unit of the NY State prison; she has been sentenced for the murder of her boyfriend under strange circumstances and has asked to see Mike. She passes him a strange puzzle to solve, one that leads him down a supernatural path into the mysteries of the universe, to the very core of creation.

This is an ingenious, fascinating story. Mike Brink is truly a unique character whose mind works on mysterious ways. Will we see more of him and the dark mastermind (genius?) behind the secret plot for the future of humankind?

I received an arc of this new thriller from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Having read Trussoni in the past, I was well aware that I would be in the hands of an expert author. Trussoni has a way with words and blending history with mystery, in a way that’s very gripping. The Puzzle Master is a thrilling novel that races against time. There’s much to love about this book, it’s action-packed and atmospheric, and the doll lover in me was thrilled that it also included creepy dolls.

After a traumatic brain injury, Mike acquired a rare condition known as savant syndrome. He uses this new skill to solve and create complex puzzles. Everything changes once he meets Jess Price, a woman convicted of murder who hasn’t spoken for five years. When Jess begins drawing strange puzzles with religious undertones, that’s when Mike gets involved and the enthralling journey begins.

For someone who loves multiple POV’s, this novel delivers in so many ways. It includes alternating timelines, letters, journal entries, and transcriptions. Trussoni expertly weaves so many genres into this novel, mystery, thriller, horror, and science fiction – so if you’re a fan of any of those genres, you will enjoy this novel. The Puzzle Master is a pulsating, addictive read that I highly suggest taking along with you when you go on holiday this year, you won’t regret it!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Puzzle Master tells the story of Mike Brink, a puzzle maker with acquired savant syndrome, and Jess Price, a writer turned convicted murderer, as their paths cross and they uncover the answer to the God puzzle. This story is too detailed for more of a synopsis than that.

This book is like The Da Vinci Code had a love child with a sudoku book and a splash of historical Judaism.. The Jewish mysticism elements were phenomenal and made me really curious into the history of what was included in a book. I really loved Mike's character and watching him grow as the book went on. I also really enjoyed getting to see Jess open up and trust Mike as timewent on. The characters in this story were so well done. The ending leaves an opening for a potential second book in my opinion and I am hoping there is one! No one writes like Danielle Trussoni and it really is something special.