Saw-lite(gore-wise), which I certainly appreciated. Having avoided most of Duncan Ralstons better known works due to a weak stomach, I somehow thought this would be a good fit. A wild thought, considering this is about 6 strangers fighting to beat a dead-mans puzzles for a life changing prize. That being said, this is not a book with heavy graphic violence. It was definitely far below my threshold and that was great!

The first half of the book I read without putting it down. Excellent introduction to the characters. I found Puzzle House fizzled after that, and I was itching to get to its conclusion. Somewhere about halfway through, we changed lanes. Changed directions so significantly, and I wasn't a fan of that direction. The ending left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Puzzle House.

I enjoyed the first half of this book, but found it hard to engage with the second half once the secrets behind the puzzle house were revealed. I liked the puzzles themselves and the characters were engaging, but found it difficult to engage with the overall mystery

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!

This one was unfortunately a bit of a miss for me. In theory it had everything I love in a book: locked room murder mystery in the literal sense, puzzles, wealthy people, a group of strangers trying to piece it all together! Unfortunately the ending totally took me out of it and was a bit of a “what…. For real that’s how we’re ending this??” Kind of moment.d

Thank you NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC of The Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston. With the death of Alexei Vasilier, 6 strangers are summoned to the reading of his will. They are each bequeathed with a portion of his multi-million dollar estate. Alexei is a master puzzler maker and in order to get the money, the 6 strangers must solve 6 puzzles, in a house with 6 escape rooms.. Do they all make it out? Read to find out!

Honestly, this is not what i was expecting. the beginning was very promising- with a Saw/ escape house vibe. As the story progressed I found that I didn’t care about the characters at all- and their vast knowledge of demons and religions was weird considering that’s exactly what they needed to solve the puzzles. The book takes a turn and mentions lizard people and has flying demons? I was completely checked out by the 80% mark.

I couldn't put this book down and LOVED 90% of it. The ending threw me and I am taking away a star because I felt like it went from psychological thriller to science fiction and left me feeling kind of disappointed. Overall a gripping story and clever/creative plotline. Still recommend for an entertaining, quick read.

Puzzle House is a fun horror novel with a unique premise. Six strangers are invited to the reading of an eccentric billionaire’s will. Only one of them actually knew the man–Joy Reese, his ex-wife. It quickly becomes obvious that this billionaire doesn’t intend to just hand over his fortune. He intends to make them earn it, through proving their wits through a series of puzzles.

This book is entertaining and fast-paced. There are lots of twists in the plot, not just in the types of puzzles they’re forced to solve, but also in the reveals of each of the characters’ dark secrets. The puzzles were clever, and the consequences of failing to solve them in time were quite severe. There’s quite a bit of intelligent research put into the puzzles, but I can’t elaborate more without including spoilers. That said, some of the turns in the plot were a little over the top, but it was just so fun that I didn’t care.

This book is just over 200 pages, and Ralston doesn’t waste any of them. I grew to love a few of the characters, but I do wish that the book could have been just a smidge longer, so I could learn more about the backstories of some of the other characters.

I read and loved Ralston’s horror novella, Woom, but this book is quite different. While still a horror, it’s far less gory and disturbing. This novel also doesn’t come together under a unifying theme at the end, which Woom did, resulting in it being (in my opinion) a horror masterpiece. This book is more of a mainstream horror thriller action film. However while I’m saying this book isn’t as disturbing, it still might be disturbing for many (most? I’m not sure), so I would check my triggers before reading.

This is an entertaining, intelligent, and short horror thriller with lots of twists and complex characters.

puzzle House book on a wooden backdrop. An open book of a picture of an Escher lithograph of staircases

I loved this book!! I could not put it down from page 1. It was a fun combination of And then there were none and Saw. Puzzle House was the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. The ending had a twist I did not see coming and I hope there will be a second book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wicked House publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Like escape rooms? This book is for you! Puzzle House was an quick read that had my attention from the first chapter! Nothing like a game of “escape or die” created by a complete psycho to keep you reading! The twists and turns in this crazy story will keep you reeling, I didn’t want to put it down! Hoping the ending was a hint to a future sequel! I am definitely a new Duncan Ralston fan!

Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston is an entertaining homage to classic horror movies like The Haunted House On The Hill or Thirteen Ghosts. a mysterious puzzle master dies and five strangers and his ex-wife are summoned to his estate and tasked to solve a series of complex puzzles for a chance to win $150 million. of course, things are never as simple as that.
Puzzle House is riveting, action driven and leaves the reader wanting more. the end is very open ended, so sequel, maybe?
so, to sum up:
highly recommended
4 1/2 stars out of 5

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this, and I can’t decide how to feel.

This book definitely kept me intrigued and I wanted to know how it would end, the ending was just ‘meh’ though. I also felt like the ending was sorta random??

This book was a great concept (literally Saw meets an escape room) and I can see why people could enjoy it, I just don’t think it was really for me.

PHEW this was a crazy ride of a book! I didn't know what to expect this being my first read from Duncan Ralston and I can unhesitatingly say that it will not be my last. Puzzle House is an exceedingly clever and layered horror book, the Mesopotamian influences were a pleasant surprise and I ended up doing a lot of my own research into things mentioned in this book. Speaking of research, the amount of time put into it here had to be tremendous! The escape room scenes were dizzyingly claustrophobic, I found my heart racing and had a sense of dread continue to build throughout every single intense scene. It's a rare find, in my opinion, when writing evokes such a reaction and yet you cannot stop reading. I HIGHLY recommend this to horror fans who don't mind graphic descriptions and that confining feeling of dread when experiencing a book, because that's exactly what this book was for me, an experience.


Thank you so much to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for my advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

Honestly it was well written and kept my attention! There was just a lot of greek mythology which isn’t at all my cup of tea and I found myself skipping over some of that stuff to get through it. If you’re interested in that and horror books this genuinely could be a better read for you! The author paints a really graphic picture which helps me picture the scene which I really liked but again the basis of the book and the “explanation” behind everything just wasn’t for me.

OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow did I enjoy this. ARC received from Netgalley.

It took me a minute to get into it but once I was in I was IN. I loved everything about this. The puzzles were done in such a creative way, using a topic that's always really interested me too. And the references to Evil Dead were truly *chef's kiss*. I wish other escape room media had such unexpected endings. Easy 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this fast paced escape room thriller from Duncan Ralston. I didn't want to put it down once everyone was in the house and the puzzles began. I also like that the author took a chance with a weird/unexpected ending. My main complaint is that some of the information that certain characters needed to know to solve the puzzles seemed very unrealistic. Overall, I would say the writing wasn't great, but it was a fun, fast paced read that I enjoyed. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

** ARC provided by NetGalley **
The Ghostland Series was pretty amazing and crazy so I knew this book would be no different. Not only was the story-line wild and action packed, there is so much detail and bits of history thrown in to really suck you in. For me this read like a mashup of House on Haunted Hill, Escape Room & a pinch of the film Identity. Not only are the characters fighting for their lives while solving near impossible puzzles, they are each competing for what they believe is a vast amount of money while in an unknown and dangerous location. Only once things take a deadly turn there's no going back for anyone. I really enjoyed this book and how intricate some of the puzzles were. I did not see a lot of the book coming and the only thing I'm not a fan of was the abrupt ending. Perhaps this is not the actual end of the Puzzle House realm as the world they are in drastically changes by the books end. Really enjoyed this and will continue to keep an eye out for more from the author!

I guess never show up for a puzzle masters will and testament. Lovers of escape rooms will enjoy this fast pace read and cheer on the "lucky" players as they navigate puzzle house. Also I need to know what happens next as the novel ended on a cliff hanger 🤔

Imagine for a moment that you were notified that you were named a beneficiary to a rather wealthy yet eccentric tycoon who made his money from puzzles, despite not knowing the man personally. Better still, you had never heard of him before getting the aforementioned news. For many folks, regardless of what means they may or may not have, it would be more than fair to assume that they would jump at the chance to take home a fraction of the wealth the dearly departed left behind.

But would you be willing to risk your life for said fortune?

That’s the opening plot point for Duncan Ralston’s latest novel, Puzzle House.

Cover of Puzzle House
Wicked House Publishing

Set in California, six (though seven on a technicality) strangers are invited to the reading of the last will and testament of one Alexei Vasiliev, a world-renowned Puzzle Master. All that is requested of the potential inheritors is that they solve the deceased’s final puzzle, namely his mansion, which has been converted into a multi-level escape room. The reward is great, but after the first puzzle, it becomes clear that solving the labyrinth is a matter of life and death.

In this cruel and macabre game, we primarily follow three contestants: Henry Hall, a detective-turned-prisoner who killed a fellow officer of the law; Joy Reese, an actress who is also the estranged widow of the late Vasiliev; and Dr. Oscar Evans, an epidemiologist who is coming to terms with his own all-but-pending death due to cancer. They, along with the other “guests,” all have their own reasons to want to take home the riches promised, but some are more willing than others to cut out the competition—killing them, if necessary.

Off the bat, I will say that Ralston has mastered the art of keeping his readers’ attention, as one could easily devour this book in an afternoon. Rarely did a chapter end without me wanting to jump right into the next one. The pacing of the story was never an issue, nor was the author’s ability to make people worth reading about.

Within a chapter, Ralson successfully presented the members of the main trio as fully developed people, realistic characters with admirable traits and human flaws. Not once did I question the legitimacy of anyone’s actions, so Ralston gets an A+ when it comes to the cast.

The biggest letdown of the novel for me was its depth. The end was somewhat predictable even though it threw me for a loop, and I desperately wish our author provided better substance to go along with this horror show. Again, I never questioned the motives of our protagonists or antagonists, but elements of this novel left me with my hands held out, asking for more, like my name was Oliver Twist.

I craved more details on the ancient Egyptian lore that was a backbone to this tale, ached to learn more about the mysterious shadowy corporation and the shady lawyer who lured everyone into the death trap that is Puzzle House, and I would not have complained about getting more insight into the other players of this game, especially Henry’s main antagonist. I’m not exaggerating when I say that when I turned the final page, I flipped back and forth a few times before asking out loud, “That’s it?!” My disappointment, however, could be easily rectified with a sequel and/or prequel. I will be waiting for that, Mr. Ralston, and I expect many other readers will be demanding the same.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to lovers of horror, gore, and mystery thrills, especially to those who enjoy Hellraiser, the Saw franchise, and The Cabin in the Woods. Eager readers can expect Puzzle House to be available in mid-September.

I’m always on the hunt for good horror books; I fell in love with James Herbert’s twisted mind at the tender age of 11 and have been seeking that delicious feeling of heart-pounding fear ever since!🫣

I saw Puzzle House on NetGalley and - loving anything escape roomy AND billed as a horror - hoped I was in for a creepy read. While it may not have left me in the crapped-pants state I was hoping for, I did really enjoy it. Mainly for the weird setting rather than any connection with any of the characters; I can’t say I was bothered when various characters were (occasionally slightly gruesomely) killed off. Although saying that, I did enjoy the dynamic between the convict and the prison guard, their barely controlled disdain for each other provided a few amusing moments.

While this started off strong, for me the ending kind of ruined it. What started off as a fun (albeit obviously twisted) game of high stakes suddenly turned into a weird, gargoyles-come-to-life, perpetual-night, demon-roaming reimagined world story that ended on what I assume is meant to be an opening for a sequel. But for me that ending came of out of nowhere, I feel like this would have been a better story if it had just ended a couple of chapters earlier. But perhaps I missed the point of it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Either way, I enjoyed most of this. There’s a lot about ancient cultures and theology, which I always enjoy reading about. As horrors go, there were a couple of creepy moments but nothing to write home about. I’d still recommend it though, it’s a short read and it definitely entertained me 🖤

Creepy, and definitely a book for fans of the Saw franchise. The perfect mix of plot and spooky. Give this a try if you are wanting a scary read this fall