The Puzzle Master is a break-neck thriller with a supernatural edge. Celebrity puzzle creator Mike Brink is called to visit a young female author, Jess Price, who has been imprisoned for a murder she swears she did not commit. It seems the key to Price’s freedom lies within a strange puzzle, which may contain the secret to eternal life. Understandably, quite a number of people are interested in living forever, so as Brink tries to unravel the mystery, he is pursued by rich weirdos with dark agendas.

Overall, The Puzzle Master is a lot of fun. It is a caper with elements of tech, math, history, folklore, and the occult. The propulsive writing style, with many short chapters, reminded me of Dan Brown. The story was very fast-paced, but there were some times I felt like I was being pulled along, rather than following willingly.

I loved the supernatural elements of the story, and the initial mysterious circumstances behind Jess’s crime were intriguing. But once it became clear where things were heading, my interest began to wane. I felt like the character of Mike Brink lacked depth; other than being a master puzzle solver/writer, I didn’t get a real sense of who he was.

The puzzles themselves were really interesting; I especially enjoyed the word puzzles. It made me wish there was a real-life equivalent of rockstar puzzle master Mike Brink. And some of the more nerdy references in the book made me smile.

I used to work for an eminent Materials Science professor in the UK, and he always emphasized to his students the importance of “telling a story”, not just listing results. I feel like this was mostly achieved here, but sometimes at the expense of extended passages of verbose explanations. However, I didn’t find the novel overly intimidating; the quest of eternal life, whatever form that takes, is pretty universally sought after.

Fans of The Da Vinci Code will love The Puzzle Master. More thriller than horror, I’m sure this novel will be a summer hit!

A traumatic brain injury leaves Mike Brink with the mental superpower of being able to solve and create complex puzzles. His unique ability gets him sucked into a wild adventure that includes religious mysteries, the paranormal, and advanced technology.

This book captured my attention right off the bat and quickly presented a fast-paced, intriguing plot. However, several dense, slower, and sometimes confusing sections followed. Aspects of the story wrapped up far too easily for my liking yet left me with many lingering questions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the review copy!

“The Puzzle Master” had a fresh and interesting angle to the plot. Early on I became hooked to the mystery and intrigue. And the book kept me going till the end. Honestly, in between the suspenseful episodes there were times I skipped paragraphs concerning puzzle solving that just went too far for my taste. A little is good but a lot distracts.
Other folks alluded to the Da Vinci Code: some gave a positive comparison; others not so much. I understand all the religious stuff, and missing documents, and of course the mysteries embedded in puzzle would reflect back to Da Vinci Code; however the puzzles took center stage . So I will score this book: 3 Stars. I received this book as An Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and I am great full.

I’m sure there are many people who will thoroughly enjoy this book, but I was not one of the. Like reading a CBS procedural, The Puzzle Master is a tedious action jawn full of monologued exposition chunks and entirely too much detailed description. Apparently, we’re still trying (and failing) to replicate The Da Vinci Code, this time by smashing it together with The Silent Patient, another book that was beloved by many, but not by me.

Mike Brink is one of the rare people who, after suffering a brain injury, develops Acquired Savant Syndrome. Basically, he's a bit of a genius. Especially when it comes to solving and creating puzzles.

When Mike Brink meets Jess Price, a convicted murderer, he finds the strangest and most difficult puzzle yet.

This book is a bit mind-boggling, with religious and scientific additions to the plot. Plus, I will never forget these creepy dolls!!! I really enjoyed this one and had a lot of fun just looking at these puzzles.

Out June 13, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

After suffering a traumatic brain injury, Mike Brink’s life drastically changed. The injury resulted in a rare medical condition known as acquired savant syndrome. Now, Mike is known for solving and creating complex puzzles that leave others stumped.
Everything changes when Mike meets Jess Price, a woman convicted of murder who hasn’t spoken for five years since her arrest. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle with Brink’s name below, her psychiatrist invites him to visit Price to determine if it will shed some light on her case. But Price reveals to Brink that the puzzle is dangerous, and she fears who might be watching. Soon, Brink goes on a risky pursuit to solve this puzzle that carries religious intonations.
This story has multiple POVs and alternating timelines. It incorporates letters, journal entries, and transcriptions.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-arc.*

This started off like The Da Vinci Code meets the Brittany Murphy movie Don't Say a Word, and I was down for it. But the longer this went on, the more absurd and complicated and nonsensical it got. By the end, I didn't really understand what the book was even about.

One of the more unusual books you will ever read! Mike Brink suffered a head injury playing football and has become a savant. He excels and making and solving puzzles. When he is 'summoned' to meet with a prisoner, Jess Price, by her psychiatrist, a not so harmless puzzle begins to take hold. This book goes from good to wacky to weird. I was expecting puzzles to be featured more prominently. Good but not great. Worth a check out from the library to see if you like it, but I wouldn't purchase. '

I received an ARC via NetGalley.

An interesting blend of thriller and the supernatural brings a lot of twists and turns to this exciting read. The mystery kept me very engaged and I had trouble putting it down. I would definitely recommend for thriller fans and those who love a good puzzle!

Wow. This book is a lot. Like a lot a lot. I’d call it genre fluid but I don’t even know if that does it justice. It kind of hits all over the place-occult, thriller, fantasy, computer science to name a few. And while I did find myself turning pages to see what happens next, I did have to read it in chunks and put it down and come back to it because it was a lot to take in.
Mike Brink had a traumatic brain injury which has left him with the ability to create and solve complex puzzles. It is a rare disorder but it is one that he is learning to deal with. That is until he’s asked by to meet with a prisoner, Jess, which is unusual because she has refused to speak a word to anyone since she was arrested for the murder of her boyfriend, but she has now given her therapist a puzzle with his name on it. She is aware that there are people that are looking for the puzzle because if it is solved it has been found to grant immortality. Soon Brink is in a risky pursuit to solve the puzzle.
In the flashback chapters we find out how the puzzle came to be and where it is hidden, but in the current timeline they are working to figure out where to find it. It involves a golem and Kabbalism and it’s kind of hard to explain without giving away spoilers so I’m going to leave it at that and just let you see for yourself.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Well as a lover of all the puzzles this book was perfect for me. I loved this one and I also loved that the author put puzzles in the book because I definitely tried to solve some of them. It was a such a fun book I can’t wait to buy an actual physical copy

The Puzzle Master
by Danielle Trussoni
Pub Date: 13 Jun 2023

The Puzzle Master is an addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake. This was a great read that had me hooked from the first page until the last.

Synopsis:

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology

All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising 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 ordinary people can't.

Thanks #NetGalley, #ThePuzzleMaster and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for this ARC that will be released June 13, 2023.

The Puzzle Master started off really strong for me. I was into the idea of a man who is especially gifted at puzzles being contacted to help a woman who was convicted of a crime. And I loved when things got really creepy.

However then it started to feel like too much going on and being pulled in too many different directions. Ultimately I decided to stop around 50% when I was no longer interested and it felt like work to read more. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and PRH Audio for the advance reading and listening copies.

The world is a puzzle to Mike Brink. When he experienced a traumatic brain injury while playing football, he was diagnosed with savant syndrome. He could now solve puzzles in a way that ordinary people cannot. The only downside is that it left him incredibly isolated.

When Mike meets inmate Jess Price, he learns she hasn’t spoken a word in five years since her arrest. When she draws a perplexing cover, her psychiatrist reaches out to Mike for help. What unfolds is a more dangerous hunt for the truth. Will Mike be able to figure out the ancient cryptic prayer circle known as the God Puzzle to unlock the mystery? Or will it stay hidden forever?

This book was interesting, but rather complicated. I really enjoyed how the book started, and then when the doll maker was introduced, I grew rather confused with the way the plot was turning. The inclusion of the puzzles and ciphers throughout the book was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed trying to break them. There was also a vein of magical realism which was a lot of fun. Mike was such a fun character, he was well written and portrayed wonderfully.

Overall, I just got lost in how complicated this one was, but I can see how it has a lot of potential to be a really fun book.

If you love Dan Brown books you will most likely enjoy this one. Make sure to grab a copy June 13th.

This definitely ended up being a confounding read. Mike Brink has acquired savant syndrome and is an expert puzzle master. When he meets Jess Price he is drawn in to the biggest puzzle of his life and definitely one with the highest stakes. There were some parts of this book that I enjoyed more than other and honestly it was packed with a lot of bigger concepts.

The next DiVinci code? Maybe. Maybe not but still a fun story and decent plot. Recommend to those that like fun and engaging stories

The Puzzle Master is unlike anything I have ever read before. It is completely unique & covers so many different facets of ancient history, puzzles, savant syndrome, supernatural essence, religion, theology, faith, belief, you name it. This is not a book that you can simply skim to read through quickly and expect to ‘get the gist.’ This is a book that needs your undivided attention at all times. To understand this story you have to be invested and focused. I truly enjoyed this book as I could see it playing out like a movie in my mind. While completely different from movie adaptions such as The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, this book definitely gave me those vibes. If this were adapted into a film, I vote for Collin Hanks to play Mike Brink… just sayin 😉 If this sounds like something you would absolutely love, then put this on your wishlist to get immediately. It is set to come out June 13, 2023 (6/13/23).

This book, billed as the next <I>DaVinci Code</I>, is trying to do far too many things with a mash-up of genres and flat characters. Mike Brink is a genius puzzle maker and solver who developed the extremely rare "acquired savant syndrome" when he was in a football accident as a teenager. When a prison psychologist brings him in to help figure out a puzzle from an inmate, things get absolutely wild and the plot is only missing a kitchen sink. There's a super creepy doll, Jewish mysticism, demons, advanced technology, evil villains, brutal murders, and cringey instalove. This book was not for me and I could not feel engaged with the characters or the plot. YMMV, as I seem to be an outlier and lots of people are loving this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a digital review copy.

I love a good puzzle. The Puzzle Master was an interesting story and I was drawn in by the complex puzzles and dark history it explores. The tension of the story is a slow build, and by the end, I was completely drawn in. The author provides amazing the history of ancient puzzles and that is blended seamlessly with the action that is occurring the modern day. The timing of the puzzle reveals was masterful, with each layer providing a something unique. I recommend The Puzzle Master for thriller and puzzle lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Wow! This was a fun book to read. It combines puzzles, religious symbols, killer dolls, egotistical billionaires and a great lead character and his dog. Mike Brink suffered a brain injury while playing high school football. This injury caused him to acquire savant syndrome, which in his case made him able to create and solve all manner of complex puzzles. Mike leads a quiet life with his best friend and dog Connie and makes his living creating puzzles for the NYT and his own books. Mike is an MIT graduate and still has contacts with the university but didn't want to become an academic himself. The story starts when Mike is asked to visit a prisoner named Jess Price who is being held in a secluded prison in the Adirondacks Jess was accused of the brutal murder of her boyfriend and has not spoken a word in many years. One day she presents her doctor with a puzzle, one in which Mike's name is written on the bottom.

Told in multiple time periods, viewpoints and locations, this book is about an ego maniac trying to solve the "God's Puzzle" which he believes will lead to immortality and lots of other symbols, religious iconography and computer programs. I particularly liked the journals of the French doll maker in the early 1900's who went to Prague to learn to perfect his abilities and who was obsessed with his dead daughter Violaine. The story becomes a race to find a way to help Jess, save Mike and his dog from evil fiends, and there are puzzles to solve along with way. I would love to see more of Mike and Connie in future books and really appreciated the research the author has done on the various topics. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.