The Puzzle Master has a really interesting premise behind it, but I got way too bogged down with the details that didn't really seem to matter. I did not end up finishing this.

This was a book that transcends genres as it had a little bit of horror, science fiction, mystery, thrill, suspense, history, and romance. Although it seemed like a complex story to follow at first, once you got hooked you could not put it down. Paired with the audio narration from Edoardo Ballerini, Danielle Trussoni expertly weaved a complex story about a man who had an extraordinary ability to solve puzzles and see patterns from a traumatic brain injury. Trussoni takes us on a journey of discovery not only of the puzzle itself but also the main characters. Trussoni left me wanting more and hope to see more from her in the future.

The only critique I have is that it did take awhile to get into. Listening it on audio kept me engaged but I did step away from it for awhile before starting again. Would recommend to fans of The Da Vinci Code and intricate storylines.

I found The Puzzle Master to be entertaining but uneven. I enjoyed the elements of Jewish mysticism. The story, however, lagged a bit in the middle and struggled to find a consistent tone.

📚#thrillerfriendsbuddyread 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰📚

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Thank you to the publisher #partner for gifting me a copy & audiobook! I very much enjoyed the fantastic narration by Edoardo Ballerini.🎧


I have two confessions to make. First, this book is being compared a lot to Da Vinci Code and I can definitely see why, but I actually disliked DVC and thought it was boring (Don’t come at me!). On the other hand, The Puzzle Master is anything but boring and was so much better that I really hope it’s made into an action-packed, mystery movie! My second confession is that this book’s storyline is so intellectual and the narrative so complex that I’m just not smart enough to summarize it properly so let me try my best.

Mike Brink is a world famous puzzle guru known to make simple to very complex puzzles that people can’t solve. So when an imprisoned author, Jess Price, who hasn’t uttered a word in years, shows a Brink puzzle to the prison psychiatrist, Mike Brink is summoned to find clues and solve the case of Jess Price. Price slowly starts opening up to Brink and together find ways to communicate in ethereal/supernatural ways and Brink realizes there are very dangerous forces at play. Nobody can be trusted and Price is behind bars so many times, Brink has to maneuver lethal situations to come up with all the clues and solve a mystery to save himself and Jess Price.

Although classified as a thriller, The Puzzle Master picks up pieces from several genres namely science fiction and some horror elements. As I mentioned earlier, it is so full of action that while I was furiously turning the pages, my mind was picturing all the scenes like an action movie. Not gonna lie, I totally imagined Henry Cavill as Mike Brink because he seemed like a perfect fit for Brink’s description 🤭 I highly recommend The Puzzle Master and for the powers that be, please turn this book into a movie!🍿

Puzzle Master é um passeio selvagem de uma mistura de gêneros. É um thriller e um mistério com elementos do sobrenatural e da história. Depois de sofrer um ferimento na cabeça quando adolescente, Mike Brink, tem habilidades de resolução de quebra-cabeças de nível savant. Ele é chamado por uma prisão para ajudar a decifrar um quebra-cabeça na posse de Jess Price, um famoso escritor que se tornou um assassino infame.

A certa altura, enquanto lia isso, pensei comigo mesmo: “este livro não tem ideia do que quer ser quando crescer”. É uma história de tragédia pessoal, segredos antigos, imortalidade, assassinato e alta tecnologia. Pessoalmente, acho que havia muita coisa acontecendo. Sozinhos ou em combinações menores, os vários elementos poderiam ter funcionado melhor. Há muitos elementos que eu realmente gosto nos livros – sociedades secretas, uma casa mal-assombrada, segredos de família, tecnologia, quebra-cabeças, mistérios, elementos sobrenaturais, conspirações religiosas – mas essa história saltou demais para qualquer elemento ser realmente bom. e acho que o livro acabou sofrendo. Nunca me senti investido em nenhum dos personagens. Terminei o livro porque precisava saber como tudo funcionaria no final, mas não diria que adorei.

Intriguing and compelling. The puzzle element added a unique spin to this story, adding challenge for the reader to solve what's really happening.

This started off very strong for me, but it became too much by the halfway point. It was very similar to the Da Vinci Code, and had a lot going on. It started out with puzzles, but moved onto demonic possession, religious mystery, and a convoluted plot. The writing and characters kept me interested, but overall I felt that there was too much going on.

Puzzle maker Mike Brink is pulled into a quest to solve a difficult ancient cipher and also gets involved with a woman accused of murder,

I was almost immediately turned off by main character Mike Brick, making it difficult to read much more than a few chapters in this story, at which point I had had enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I started this book because I enjoy puzzles and puzzle construction. I had no idea that it was going to shift to discussions of a Golem. A pretty fascinating turn of events. I think the author did a great job constructing the story.

I wanted to like this book since it contained many elements that I enjoy - puzzles, mystery, thriller, Kabbalah, occult, horror, etc. Unfortunately for me, I found this book boring and had to force myself to finish it.

Other readers could have a different impression so try it for yourself.

I heard nothing but great things about this one and I was so excited to read it. I love puzzles even though I am not always that great at solving them. I was drawn into this one and loved the first third. But there was the current story, then it switched to Jess’ diary, then we threw in the puppet maker’s letters, then it went paranormal and then very religious. And kinda like my last sentence, it seemed like the author might have lost focus on what the point of the plot was.

It also didn’t help that I listened to this in addition to reading it and there wasn’t a strong segway or indication when the story changed to another focus (the diary or the letters). I sadly found myself confused and would need to wait until I could pick up the book again.

It had a lot of potential and the part I loved was five stars all the way, so I would be interested in the author’s next book.

strong premise but it leans a bit too far into the cerebral and obsessive. i understand the silent patient comp and hoped it would be more puzzles than knockoff vertigo

This may very well be the hardest book I have ever reviewed. In fact, I admit I did something very weird with it. But more on that in a bit. First a synopsis. Honestly, I could try to write one but it's a story that I feel is almost two separate stories, so this one is from Goodreads. Whoever wrote this summary did a better job that I can do:

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. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.

Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who 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, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.

The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.

Ranging from an upstate New York women's prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.
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So, here's the weird thing that I ended up doing. I got an e-book copy of it and seemed to really be struggling with it. I almost gave up on it and thought that maybe if I got a physical hard copy it would be better. Well, that actually worked. I don't know what it is about me. I just love to hold a book. Usually, it doesn't matter too much to me, but this one I had to hold in order to finish it.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. It took me way too long to finish and, for me, it read like a text book in some places. BUT, in some places, it really sucked me in, especially toward the end. I thought it started picking up immensely. Now, all that being said, while I may not have devoured the book, I applaud this author's creativity! I cannot even imagine being able to come up with this kind of intricate plot. So, overall, I am going to say I did enjoy this even though I spent more time with it than I would have liked. I wish the author the best. One more note: I think this would be a good movie! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher. No review was required.

A Puzzle That Didn't Quite Fit

"The Puzzle Master" by Danielle Trussoni is an intriguing blend of mystery, history, and the supernatural. The premise is fascinating: Mike Brink, a puzzle constructor with acquired savant syndrome, is called to solve a perplexing puzzle drawn by a mute prisoner, Jess Price. The narrative promises a thrilling journey through a series of interlocking enigmas, with the fate of humanity at stake.

However, despite its promising premise, the book didn't quite click with me. While the plot was intricate and the characters were well-developed, I struggled to connect with the story. The narrative seemed to veer off into tangents that, while interesting, didn't contribute to the overall momentum of the story.

The writing style is commendable, and Trussoni's ability to weave historical and supernatural elements into the narrative is impressive. However, the pacing felt uneven at times, making it difficult to stay engaged.

I want to clarify that my decision not to finish the book reflects my personal reading preferences more than the book's quality. "The Puzzle Master" is a complex and thought-provoking novel that will likely appeal to readers who enjoy intricate puzzles and supernatural mysteries.

I'm giving this book 3 stars, acknowledging the creativity and effort that went into its creation, even though it wasn't the right fit for me.

This book is a whole lot of everything - murder, demented dolls, demons and conspiracy theories. The main character is a savant who has the ability to solve mind puzzles. His gift helped him through MIT, and now he's being asked to help solve a murder. From here, the reader is taken through a complex puzzle of connections from 1800's Prague to a haunted old mansion in New England. This puzzle will define his abilities and uncover the answers about eternal life.

This read was a bit confusing. I was lost in all the pieces and struggling to fit them all together. I was hooked in the beginning, confused on the middle and fumbled my way through the end.

Thank Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House for the complimentary copy of this novel.

DNF at 55% which pains me to say. I feel like this was just a case of right book, wrong time, and I think I would have enjoyed this more as a physical copy I could make notes in rather than a digital copy. So many great possibilities here that I really think it's me, I'm the problem, it's me (ha!). Will try again with a physical copy of the book because this one has all the elements I usually love!

A woman named Jess Price has been convicted of a murder and has not spoken a word since she was institutionalized. Jess shows her psychiatrist a puzzle with the name Mike Brink under it. Her psychiatrist decided to call Mike and asks him to visit Jess.
Mike suffered a traumatic brain injury and is left with acquired savant syndrome. He is able to figure out complex puzzles and patterns. He agrees to see Jess to help her and figure out what, if anything this puzzle has to do with her and the murder.
Many things happen in the story as Mike tries to get to the bottom of things. It was interesting to see how Mike tries to solve the puzzles, however he becomes caught up in dangerous situations.
The story has different timelines and veers off into descriptions of religious beliefs that tie into the mystery. Also, a strange doll collection is brought into the story that has something to do with the puzzle.
This story is for you if you enjoy the different genres of mystery, gothic tales, suspense and horror.

This was a wild ride! I’m not sure what I would classify this story as since it hit so many different categories. At times, I tuned out because of the extensive explanations (much needed though), but overall, I enjoyed it. The puzzle drawings in the story were a cool touch! 😎 I especially liked the final twist at the end! 😉

The blurb for <i>The Puzzle Master</i> had me hooked from the start, and from there on, the whole book felt like a love letter to puzzles. To the satisfaction to be gained from finding the one, correct solution. To "the nature of the puzzle: to offer pain and pleasure by turns."</b> We begin with a puzzle lover/savant, Mike Brink, who is drawn into the mysterious case of Jess Price, accused murderer.

As we learn more about what really happened to land Jess in jail, it seemed like the author began to throw everything <i>and</i> the kitchen sink into the plot. I felt like it drifted further and further from the original premise. However, this didn't affect my interest in finishing the book. In fact, I devoured this book and enjoyed the dive into Jewish mysticism, which I had not previously seen represented in a mystery or thriller.

I've seen other reviews comment on the realism of Mike's savant abilities, but I'm not a doctor. As a casual reader, I enjoyed Mike's backstory and found him to be an empathetic, compelling protagonist. Plus, he gets major bonus points for his relatable devotion to his dog: <b>"[Mike] didn't trust her. Anyone who didn't allow dogs in her house had something wrong with her."</b> 4.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I did not enjoy this story at all. I felt I was duped into reading a Dan Brown book masked as a mystery. The religious aspect of the story completely lost me. I was able to get through the book but even the ending was unsatisfying.