3.5 stars

The premise for this was right up my alley. Rich, eccentric dude dies, leaving his fortune up in the air. Turns out the dude was a world's most formidable "puzzle master" so he decides to leave his fortune to whoever can crack his 6 room puzzle house. Turns out "survive his six room puzzle house" is more the language he should have used. Cut to a survival death game for money (my favorite).

Full disclosure, I'll start off my saying I requested this book based on the premise, not the author. I don't have a very good impression of the author up until this point. I read Woom and thought it was awful. I realize that book is splatter punk horror, which is...what it is, but this was just bad. I laughed my way through it and also found one particular scene unnecessary and offensive (use of the N word). After reading this I can't say my opinion of Woom has changed, but I'm willing to give Ralston more of a chance.

First, I couldn't stop reading this book. The pacing was great, at times brutal, but in a good way. He just jumps right in and honestly does one of the best jobs I've seen recently with multiple view points. The chapters transition seamlessly and I feel like we actually got a chance to know some of the characters. I particularly liked the virologist and the anthropologist. The guard was a little cliche, as was the ex-wife, but you do what you can with a plot that takes place within 24 hours.

Also I loved how this book just...went for it, for lack of a better term. The whole time you're trying to figure out what the long game is, but then the end just hits you with what I (again, at least what I) thought was the least likely ending. I also loved how the book played with time and real world consequences. I really don't want to spoil the ending because it was great, but the reveal at the end was done really well. I would absolutely read more in this universe and was disappointed it didn't go a little further. Big Ready or Not vibes.

I did feel, however, that some of the bits were hokey. It was like he wanted to put in some splatter horror, but didn't want to go too heavy into it, so the bit of gore that was there felt unnatural. I remember feeling like he needed to lean more into it, or keep it more about the puzzles and the psychological horror. The use and characterization of the Guard seemed predictable but also not worth it. There were some parts where I wanted more explanation of the puzzles or more struggle with them. The talk show puzzle was solved to quickly in my mind and despite the poison, didn't really feel high stakes. The office puzzle seemed like it had some really cool, eerie moments, but we weren't there for very long. There were also quite a few info dumps with heavy reliance on the Anthropologist to explain ancient religions. I get it, but I feel like there might have been a more interesting way to do this rather than an exposition dump. I was disappointed pieces of the puzzles didn't give more overall information.

In the end, this book gave me more faith in Ralston's writing and storytelling abilities. I'll read more of his works in the future. This particular book seemed like a learning curve for him, and I feel like his current fan base may dislike it because it's not enough splatter horror, but he may turn off some new readers expecting a psychological puzzle, and not expecting a side of gore and bizarre. I'm glad I read it, but I wish it did give me some more suspense in terms of the puzzles, and let me linger a bit more with the rooms.

Six strangers meet for the first time with one common thing, an invitation to a will, which then turn deadly as only the survivor of a deadly game could take it all. I didn't expect the ending to have a paranormal, apocalyptic twist to it, but I'll definitely wait for the story to continue on a second book.

Six strangers from varying backgrounds come together for the reading of the will of the world’s most prolific puzzle creator. The guests are then put through a series of six deadly puzzles with six possible ways to die. They must solve and live through each puzzle to ultimately get out and cash in.

This book was amazing. There were times I thought I knew where Ralston was taking the story and he took a sharp turn- and I loved it! Do yourself a favor and pick this one up on September 15th. This is a house of horrors you will not want to miss!

This gave me "Saw" vibes. And those panic rooms where you have to solve puzzles to open up the door. I absolutely loved it. I would love to see more from this author perhaps more about this genre and storyline. I could not get enough of this book i was just like every page was just edge of seat. I would recommend you read this i enjoyed every page. And i would read again.

I received a gifted galley of PUZZLE HOUSE by Duncan Ralston for an honest review. Thank you to Wicked House Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

PUZZLE HOUSE brings six strangers together at the home of Alexi Vasiliev, a puzzle master. It is an eclectic mix of strangers including Alexi’s soon-to-be ex and a convicted murder on a day pass under guard just for the reading of the will. There is a $150M pot of money on the line. The potential heirs have two options, walk away with nothing or go through a series of escape rooms in the Puzzle House. What they don’t know is that each room will get more and more deadly.

This was a book that left me with some really mixed feelings in the end. I really enjoyed the concept and was willing to suspend some disbelief (and there is a lot of need for that), but it didn’t entirely go the way I would have wanted. For this type of book, I would prefer to be able to try to follow along and solve the puzzles with the characters and in this case is was more of just watching them come up with answers. The story felt very episodic, almost like interconnected stories in a way.

The horror elements and the creative ways each room was set up was really well done and had a lot of creepy moments I enjoyed. The end went in a direction that was a bit unhinged and I am still not entirely sure how I feel about it!

Thanks to NetGalley, Duncan Ralston and Wicked House Publishing for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Six strangers arrive at the home of preeminent puzzle master Alexei Vasiliev for the reading of his will. The potential beneficiaries will split Vasiliev's $150M fortune if they participate in his last puzzle which is made up of 6 escape rooms.
Once there, the participants soon discover Puzzle House is far deadly than it appears, and that making their way through the rooms may be a matter of life and death. Someone is watching their every move, toying with them, and turning them against each other. With their lives on the line, they are forced to wonder, is it all just a deadly game created by a gleeful sadist, or something far more sinister?

While reading this book the only question on my mind was what would happen next?
I loved the plot, the third POV and how fast-paced the book was. I am definitely reading more of this author's books.
Perfect for fans of horror mystery, survival of the fittest and Agatha Christie's 'And then there were none'.

4🌟.

And then there were none meets escape rooms? What could go wrong? Six people and six puzzles to solve in order to survive the puzzle house, but, unfortunately, the characters are underdeveloped and uninteresting, the puzzles can't actually be solved by the readers, and the point of the entire thing is confusing and outlandish. Around 80% in, I just skimmed to get to the end, which was the worst part of all.

I have never read a bad Duncan Ralston book and this didn’t disappoint! It was a great story and I couldn’t put it down!

First of all thanks to NetGalley and the author for sending me a free copy.
I have some mixed feelings about this book. The first half was amazing, it was fast paced and I loved the escape room vibe but near the end the book turned on something completely different and “supernatural” and that left me quite confused.
I do recommend it to fans of horror and thrillers because this book has both.

Six strangers are summoned to the home of dead millionaire Alexei Vasiliev for the reading of his will -- well, five strangers and Alexei's starlet ex-wife plus a corrections officer who is just there to keep an eye on Henry, who was summoned from prison. They shortly find out that puzzle master Alexei has reconfigured his house into the ultimate set of escape rooms. If they manage to get out, they will get to split $150 million.

The plot had me hooked as soon as I read it. Puzzles? Check. Escape rooms? Check? Random strangers thrown together to solve a problem? Check. Gruesome deaths? Check. This book was just a pleasure to read. The plot moved quickly and I liked the puzzles and how they related back to each "guest".

My only gripe is the characters could have been fleshed out a little better. I found myself going back more than once to remember who someone was. However, that didn't take away the fun of the plot. A solid 4 stars.

I have to add this book to my list of books I read in a day. This definitely gives SAW vibes honestly. If you enjoyed that movie, add an escape room and you've got this book. This was a great read. Definitely recommend for my horror fans.

First, as always, thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review.

What do you get when you take the movie ESCAPE ROOM, mix in a healthy dose of SAW, add a sprinkle of TEMPLE OF DOOM, and just a pinch of 13 GHOST, and mix it all together with the twisted mind of Duncan Ralston? You get his newest book - PUZZLE HOUSE.

Sound intriguing? It most certainly is.

While the beginning is slightly confusing, Duncan manages to wrap everything up at the end - in an extremely twisted, and completely unforeseen, way.

I'm not going to rehash the story here; there are plenty of reviews that have already done that. But I would like to go through some of the "good, bad, and ugly" to give you a feel for what you're in for with this wild ride of a story.

The Good: Well, in a nutshell, Duncan's prose. His writing is very easy to read, and flows naturally - almost effortlessly. It's concise, and deliberate, without much extra (for example, he doesn't take four paragraphs to describe a fountain pen like some "king" of horror might do).

The Bad: There isn't much that I could tag as "bad". Each room that the characters had to survive had a distinct purpose towards the end of the story. Contrary to my statement in the "good" section, I may have liked a little more backstory on the construction of the house -maybe he could have added an epilogue that went into the past, where Vasiliev got the idea to "remodel" the house without anyone questioning it. That was a little plot-hole that wasn't really addressed.

The Ugly: I have to admit, a lot of the other reviews are spot on with their statements about flimsy character development. They're too cliché - for example, there's a sadistic prison guard (who was annoying) and a politician with no morals. Both have been overdone. And while the lack of novel characters doesn't detract from the overall story, it does make it hard at times to really care whether the survive or not.

All in all, PUZZLE HOUSE was a fun read, and left itself wide open for a sequel - which I hope is in the works, because it certainly deserves one. Or, maybe a prequel. Possibly both? Only Duncan knows, and hopefully he'll let us know soon. If you've never read anything by Duncan, you can't go wrong starting with this one.

I received an Arc copy for an honest review
4.5 stars

Puzzle house is an imaginative and ransacking mystery, hell bent on take your full attention off of everything else and holding you hostage.

This is a book you can't and won't want to keep down with highly complex characters you can root for, blurred lines between "good" and "evil", as well as a thrilling mystery set in a tone setting house similar to the widely popular movies, knives out.

Puzzle house is one book, mystery fans would want on their shelves.

I thought I would be super into this one based on the description, but unfortunately I didn't super care for it. The characters were a big one dimensional and the ending left much to be desired. The puzzle elements could have been much cooler.

This book reminded me of so many different things, but all put together to create a story that I could not put down! If you like Saw and conspiracy theories then you will LOVE this book. There's so much to unpack and I loved trying to figure things out alongside the characters. I really didn't expect it to go in the direction it did which I thought was great.

Fast paced with many twists and turns, Puzzle House kept me on edge at all times! I loved discovering each character’s dark secret. Who will get out alive and survive the traps and puzzles?! I never would have guessed! Such a fun and intriguing read.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for the pre-release e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read a lot of Duncan Ralston books, and after finishing Puzzle House, I realize I need to read some more Ralston stories. Puzzle House is a fabulous story with lots of violence, drama, and animosity. 

A group of six strangers are notified of Alexei Vasiliev’s death and they are the beneficiary. When they all arrive on the day of reading the will, they find out there is more to receiving Alexei’s millions. They have to complete six puzzles. They can leave right away with nothing, or they can work together and complete the challenges. - they all agree to stay. They quickly learn that these puzzles have consequences, some of which can be life or death. 

Ralston has crafted a story of unique puzzles and with special outcomes. The characters are all relatable, with enough background information to get a good feel for the players in this story. The setting, being in a house filled with puzzles, is quite imaginative. I bet it was a blast coming up with these puzzles and the outcome of each player, with the choices they have to make to get to the end. There are lots of twists and turns. Things happened that no one could possibly predict. It ends with an unresolved situation, keeping open to the possibility of a second book.

I highly recommend this story for a fast and bloody good time. Ralston has a fantastic imagination, and it shows in this book.

Thank you #NetGalley for #PuzzleHouse

Three stars because the first 50-60% was really, really good.

The set up for this one was great. And I loved the whole Saw-like puzzle vibe. But it felt like the author had two completely different partial books and then mashed them together. I love twists and turns but the main one in this one was just a bit too much for me.

I do think there's an audience for this book. I'm just not part of it.

Six complete strangers are called to the home of the "puzzle master" Alexei Vasiliev for his will reading. Considering only one of these people has ever even met Vasiliev is pretty intriguing considering the amount of money each person is being promised. The catch is that they must make their way through six interconnected escape rooms within Vasiliev's house.

Once inside the participants soon find that the Puzzle House is much deadlier than they first expected and they are obviously being watched. But by who? What is the ultimate goal?

I don't know why I keep being surprised by Ralston's abilities. This is the third book by him that feels so wholly unique and yet has his obvious voice. I had such a fun time read this. Its a quick read but still is filled with Ralston's unique form of comedy along with the gruesome horror you yearn for when picking up one of his books. I kept finding myself coming up with conflicting predictions about how the book would turn out and still didn't see the end coming. I absolutely demand a sequel though leaving it exactly as written is just as powerful and fulfilling. Definitely recommend to horror fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Was really excited because it reminded me of Hellraiser but honestly was so bored I didn’t care about the characters so I was hoping the puzzle mystery would be what drew me in but also that was boring. Not a fan of the ending either