Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

There was A Lot happening in this book - puzzles, crime, billionaires, AI, dreams, religion, porcelain dolls, rare manuscripts, and really a lot of driving back and forth from one place to another. I can’t say that I fully understood most of the way it all came together, but I can say that I was very worried about Conundrum the dachshund.

The Puzzle Master follows Mike Brink, a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in high school that results in a condition called savant syndrome. Brink can see patterns in everything and is now obsessed with puzzles and is known as a creative puzzle maker for the New York Times. He is asked by a psychiatrist in a women's prison to speak to an inmate that is obsessed with both puzzles and Mike Brink himself. Brink is asked to solve another puzzle that the inmate has presented that relate back to a brutal murder during a house sitting job that sent the woman to prison. From there, the book takes many surprising twists and turns.

The best way that I can describe this book is a mix of Da Vinci Code and National Treasure blended together. I did not find this blend to work very well. The characters felt very one-dimensional. For all of the talk of Mike Brink solving puzzles, he didn't seem to solve many puzzles in this story. It felt like the author had a bunch of great ideas but tried to combine too many things together here. There was a cringy romance plot that didn't really fit very well either. On the whole, this was a fast moving book with long breaks for explanations. It started off very interesting and then turned into a completely different direction. It just didn't come together for me.

I really enjoyed this unusual story! It was full of twists with some touches of the paranormal. I found the first half of the book more engaging and interesting. It was more focused on Mike's bizarre abilities, acquired after an accident. Overall a quick and easy read!

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy!

DNF @ 55%

I really wanted to love this. It sounds like a unique and entertaining story. Puzzles, dreams, secrets, and mysteries!

But unfortunately I just felt like there was too much unnecessary and over the top details. It felt like it was proving to be smart? Whimsical? It just lost me.

Lots of plot holes with lots of details that didn’t seem to connect. I think if the beginning tone would have been set, it would have been a different story. I’m not sure!

This book was wild, and not in a good way. I was looking forward to a great story; instead it was all over the place, very disjointed. Super hard puzzles take seconds to finish - in what world? DNF @ 40%

This was a really fun book! I bought it for my husband for Christmas because it's something he would love, being a huge sci-fi/fantasy/adventure fan. It's a twisty, fun, surprising story about a man who specializes in solving puzzles and a woman who creates one that needs to be solved. And she just happens to be in prison serving a long sentence. If you like unpredictable stories and have no problem suspending your disbelief when you read, you'll love this mystery.

3.5 This one is a wild ride that I cannot even begin to summarize but know this book has savants, classic dolls , demons , gods , puzzles and so much more. This one was a tough one for me I was intrigued at first but this book goes out there and maybe a little to far for me which left me feeling lost at times. It was just a lot but with that being said I felt like it was a fast paced read and I really enjoyed the first half. I am interested in picking up more from this author as I did enjoy the writing . I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

You will enjoy this book if you have liked stories such as “The Da Vinci Code” or movies like “National Treasure”. The main character is very likable and believable. He makes some of the less realistic or enjoyable elements of the story not such a big deal. The pacing is good until the middle of the book and then slows down but picks up again towards the ending. The ending is where I had some challenges with the story but not enough for me to dislike it as a whole. I love the idea of solving puzzles in a great action-packed story but I have trouble when it is permeated with the occult and spiritism. I was hoping it would be more of a way to misguide the reader than a reality.

This book was fun but overall I started to disengage towards the middle end of the book and the ending felt a little lackluster. I loved the twists and turns the book took but overall it was ok. Trussoni is a good writer though and I look forward to what she puts out next! Great ideas just didnt enjoy all of the executions.

This book really grabbed me at the beginning. Towards the middle I found myself wondering and losing focus. I was determined to finish this book because I wanted to find out what was going on with the mystery aspect. There were definitely some themes that really turned me off to this book. I finished but parts of it just weren’t for me.

It didn’t need to be this complicated. It didn’t require the intense detail or the logarithmic exploration. It was a interesting, solid, fast moving mystery-thriller without all the genius speak. “That is the nature of the puzzle: to offer pain and pleasure by turns.” I was in way over my head except for the human element which felt about right.

I like stories with damaged characters and this one has it. I enjoy a well done conspiracy with its myriad webs and tangles. Employing the past and present can be a successful writing tactic if the writer pays careful attention to detail. The Puzzle Master has all this and yet while is channels a little of Dan Brown and a smidgeon of Helene Wecker in her book “The Golem and the Jinni” it falls short of satisfying. There were too many moving parts, too much esoterica, mixed in with too many others things like religious mysticism and arcane references. It mostly kept my attention and much of the books was a serious page turner but the places where I got bogged down stole the momentum. I felt my time was well spent but wished that Trussoni hadn’t felt the need to throw in the kitchen sink.

I am rounding up for a very inventive plot although at times jumbled and abused. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy.

I've loved Danielle Trussoni ever since her Angelology and Angelopolis books, but this one fell a little flat for me. I wasn't on edge and wanting to know how the story ends, and at times I was a little confused. I do love Trussoni's writing - I just think this book missed the mark

This novel was fantastic. I loved the original character of Mike Brink, a master at creating and solving puzzles. Mike had a TBI when playing football and ended up as a savant at making and solving puzzles. He publishes his puzzles for readers worldwide. One of his puzzles ended up in the hands of a woman incarcerated for murder. She presents Mike with the ultimate puzzle, called the God Puzzle. Solving it leads to amazing adventures and stunning discoveries.

Along the way, a lot happens to Mike. I will say that I don't agree with writing about cruelty to animals. In this case, Mike's dog is taken and locked in the trunk of a car. I think this could have been left out of the book and the plot would have moved on without this scene. There are other scenes that may be objectionable to some readers, involving violence, injuries and more. There is also a religious element to the story. Most thrillers these days involve some elements of violence. I just suggest that violence be limited to humans and not companion animals. That hits too close to home for some of us. If you read thrillers nowadays, you are used to reading about violence to other humans. It's not necessarily a good thing.

There are a lot of elements in this story. Strange ceremonies, haunted dolls, Jewish folklore, history, ciphers, codes, and of course puzzles. There is an evil villain too. It was a page-turner for sure. I was drawn into the story and couldn't wait to find out what happened at the end. Other than the scenes with Mike's dog, I found it a great read.

3 1/2 stars

I definitely struggled with this one. Sadly I enjoy quirky and different books but this one was just a bit too far out there for me.

I enjoy puzzles and there was a great deal about this book that I could appreciate. But overall there were times it drug for me. I wanted the plot to move along quicker. In addition, the character development was solid but there was a great deal to keep up with. The flow of this book was a challenge for me. That said, the author is definitely creative and writes well. I definitely think this is one of those situations where it just wasn't a good fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily provided a review and the opinions contained within are my own.

Overall, this book was fun to read but not what I was expecting. From what I had heard about it, I thought it would be more mystery than science fiction/supernatural. Fun read if you’re into that type of book!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni in exchange for an honest review. This was such an interesting take on a mystery. Having a man with a TBI that made him a savant in puzzles help solve the crime of a woman who hasn't spoken in years. I really enjoyed this book.

I didn’t finish this one. I was so confused as to what was happening. I really wanted to like it. Just didn’t connect

An engrossing, but uneven piece of brain teaser, The Puzzle Master is simultaneously doing the most, and not enough, enticing the readers with layers of mysteries and fascinating factoids, but overestimates its ability to actually assemble them towards a cohesive, compelling resolution.

I love the premise of a puzzle designer accidentally gotten himself involved in a murder case (side-note, the visual of puzzles scattered throughout is a neat, immersive touch), and the first third of the novel borrows heavily from gothic horrors, which immediately has me hooked (a particular location reminds me of a level in Resident Evil Village). But as the scope expands, going back in time and beyond centuries, the plot starts to lose me with its nosedive into quantum mechanics, forbidden spells, and knowledge on immortality. While the short chapters still keep me turning pages, I start to care less as the story trying to find its way out of the abyss of riddles it has generated. Not only do I find its progression convoluted (a lot of legwork, yet things always work out with the least amount of effort, and the characters find answers very easily), but also question the inclusion of romance (it was just... weird in an unflattering way) .

The Puzzle Master turns out to be more silly, fantastical National Treasure than I expected; granted I should've guessed when the ultimate riddle is called a 'God Puzzle'—so the rating is perhaps reflecting more on personal preference (and my lack of enthusiasm has possibly made the story's flaws even more apparent). But objectively this being a sure page-turner, and definitely packed with entertainment value (just don't over-analyze it).

Ohh I Loved this book!!! This book was the perfect combination of The Silent Patient and The DaVinci Code. I loved the puzzles, I loved the characters, and I loved the mystery and thrill. Soooo sooo good. Can't wait to read more by her !!

The Puzzle Master is absolutely spellbinding! Danielle Trussoni has this unique ability to create worlds that suck you in and I really hope we get a sequel to The Puzzle Master. The historical and religious facts are catnip for those of us who enjoy the genres on their own but the way she weaves them with "what ifs" to create her stories and worlds is phenomenal. I really enjoyed her characters in this one and would love to explore Jess more in a sequel,

I really enjoyed the historical flashbacks through letters and how each layered just enough extra to keep the plot going. This is the type of book for people who enjoy adventures, historical mysteries, esoteric religious subjects, and philosophical books that make you think... what if?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review.