Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Mike Brink is a genius puzzle solver. He is approached to solve the mysterious Dragon Puzzle box but has to leave the country immediately. We’re jetted off to Japan where Mike and Connie are put in perilous danger while trying to help the emperor and empress.

This book was not it for me. I had a hard time following with all the random Japanese words interspersed. The author annoyed me calling Mike by his full name constantly. Mike Brink during the entire book isn’t necessary. She did the same thing with Rachel at the end. Mike’s therapist was an unnecessary sidetrack in the story.

Overall, the puzzle solving parts were good but the rest bored me.

this book was amazing from start to finish. this author really knows how to tell a story. im new to his work so i havent read the frist one before this but plan to go back and pick it up. i plan to read more from him as he is that good.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

I received this book through Net Galley. Regardless of whether I got a book for free or not, I always strive to give honest reviews.

I enjoyed reading this book. The entire time I pictured it as a Hulu TV series. I did not realize that this was a sequel to a previous book. Because of that I think it works just fine as a stand alone novel. There was a decent amount of back story from what I assume Danielle’s previous novel was about

The beginning jumps back and forth from two different characters stories. At first it was a bit confusing, but it eventually makes sense.

The plot line at first seemed to drag and then the last few chapters seemed a bit more rushed as the characters were on a time crunch to establish their goal. I would have liked a bit more character development of Brink. His biggest attribute it felt like was his brilliant mind.

I am not as familiar with Japanese culture but it was woven in and out of the book.

For those who enjoy a “thriller” adventure type of book, I think you’d enjoy it. There aren’t any major plot twists, but it’s exciting and very “mission impossible meets Sherlock Holmes.”

Overall an enjoyable read.

First off, this review is for an ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. To be published October 8th 2024.

Let’s start with the good. The premise: this novel stars the character Mike Brink, who went through a TBI that turned him into the world’s best puzzle master. Okay, cool. The puzzles are neat. He is called to Japan by the emperor himself to solve the world’s most difficult, dangerous puzzle. Okay. People who enjoyed Dan Brown’s novels will eat this up. The setting was interesting. I feel like Japan is underutilized as a setting in most fictional novels. And I do think that the author did justice to Japanese cultural without falling into the trap that so many white Americans fall into where they’re borderline fetishizing them or treading too close to the white savior trope. Mind you, it DOES get close to that at times, which I was afraid of since Mike is that genius style character. The secondary characters helped balance the scales on this.

Now for the bad, which is unfortunate, because I wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, I just could not get into it. I couldn’t stomach the main character. I understood going into it that he was supposed to be a savant. However, there is a very thin line between a Sherlock style super special genius and uh, *checks notes* the second coming of Jesus? I cannot say more without treading into spoiler waters, but the religious element took me by surprise in a bad way, so I think it’s only fair to warn people that it exists.

The hand-waviness at every turn about how incredibly special Mike Brink was had me borderline nauseated. I have a low tolerance for super special characters that are super special without the reasoning to back it up. Sherlock? Eh, treads the line sometimes, but I’m still a fan. House? God, his malpractice insurance must be insane, but sure, he’s a good time. Tony Stark? He gets annoying sometimes, but he has flaws that make him human and also, he is my boy.

What it boils down to: if you like puzzles, genius-type characters that are 130% just two dimensional caricatures of the idea of a genius, and liked novels like the Da Vinci Code, you will probably enjoy this. If you like it when they bring religion into something that definitely did not call for religion, you will like this. But if you have a low tolerance for any of those things? I’m sorry, but you will only tolerate it at best and hate it at worst. Unfortunately, I am in that latter group.

The Puzzle Box is a book that combines puzzles and mysteries into an interesting story. The protagonist, Mike Brink, has a unique talent for solving puzzles due to a brain injury he suffered in his youth. He is invited to Japan to solve the unsolvable Dragon Box. The adventure takes you from New York to Japan, where you are immersed in the country's culture, history, and landscape. The story will keep your attention and you will root for Mike while also questioning who he can trust. While the book has a substantial amount of history, the character development could have been more pronounced. This book is the second in the series, but you do not need to read the first one to enjoy it. Connie, Mike's support dog, is needed more in the book Thank you to Random House, the author, and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own. #ThePuzzleBox #NetGalley

4.9 / 5.0

Right up there with ‘The Starless Sea’ for me. This book is fantastic! Fast paced, inquisitive, and adventurous storytelling at its best. I know this will be a re-read for me and recommend it to everyone! If you can read, read this book.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC and to the author for writing such a darn good book!

I loved every second of this book! I love puzzles and adventure quests and this combined the best of both. On the surface it may seem like it’s only about solving puzzles, but it’s also a story of friendship and self-discovery. I will definitely be going back to read the first book of the series!

I really loved it!

This wasn't my usual type of book so I decided to take a chance and I'm glad I did!

I wasn't the hugest fan of The Puzzle Master, but really liked the character Mike Brink. I felt that there was a lot of potential with him. And most of it comes out in the Puzzle Box.
It feels reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, with a race around Japan, a trusty local sidekick to help and clues spread all around. The story is built around a historical contest that Brink has been invited to compete in. The Dragon Puzzle box. A deadly puzzle box that can only be attempted to open every 12 years during a full moon. And of course, there is another group that wants what the box hides.

The characters all are built on and you see new sides to Mike Brink as he progresses through the story. I was engaged throughout and wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I had never heard of Japanese puzzle boxes and now am intrigued to find one to try.
While not particularly enamored with the ending, this had all of the elements of a good story. I learnt something by reading it, which I always look for.

Right from the start The Puzzle Box has non stop action, plot twists, reveals, and plenty of harrowing escapes. I assumed this book would be along the lines of Dan Brown minus the Jesus aspect and it is somewhat, it incorporates the Japanese Shinto religion instead, however the author is aware of the comparisons obviously and worked it into this book by having the main character Mike Brink have a moment when something reminds him how popular The DaVinci Code was.

I once again have read a book that I had no idea was part of a series however The Puzzle Box can be read as a standalone. The protagonist, Mike Brink, is a savant with unparalleled puzzle solving and pattern recognition abilities in addition to a photographic memory, all of which he acquired after a traumatic brain injury in high school. Now he's in his 30s and creates puzzles for publications like the New York Times and spends time with his dachshund Conundrum (Connie), his therapist, and the one friend he has after numerous betrayals. The Puzzle Box explains fairly well previous gnarly puzzle adventures he's had, presumably in the first book The Puzzle Master, and the shady characters he encountered along the way. In this installment he is invited to Japan by the Imperial Family to open a historical and thought to be mythical box- The Dragon Box- which has killed all previous puzzle masters who have attempted to open it.

Despite the danger of this challenge, Brink takes it on, partly inspired by the desire to solve a personal tragedy that occurs directly after he receives this mysterious and abrupt invitation. What follows is not only the journey of him literally opening this incredibly dangerous box while being pursued by a variety of people who want to steal the box, but solving the figurative puzzle of who people are and figuring out who he is.

There were enough twists and turns and surprises that this book was entertaining, however, there is an overarching storyline involving his primary nemesis, who I am assuming from context is from the first book, which starts to become absurd. And while the entire plot requires much suspension of disbelief, Brink and his friends are protected by so much plot armor that it begins to get a little silly just how perfectly they are always able to find just the right way to get out of every single scrape. Granted, it's fiction, the story needs to continue, but it's a little too over the top given how much this happens and how much can be explained away by Brink being the most genius genius who ever geniused.

It also was interesting to read a story that incorporates so much Japanese history in addition to trying to address it in a manner that acknowledges sexism- Japan is one of the only hereditary monarchies that no longer allows women to succeed to the throne (they did historically which is covered in the book). I was wary of this book fetishizing Japanese culture, particularly as the author is from my understanding, not Japanese. The author avoided that to the best that I understood, and much like the Dan Brown comparison, I believe she was aware of this pitfall as there is a white male character who DOES engage in racial/cultural stereotyping and gets beat up for it. That said, as I am not Japanese I cannot fully assess if the culture and history was in fact addressed respectfully or without errors or blind spots.

Ultimately this book is a fun, entertaining read, with not the most fully fleshed out characters, but they're well written enough as to not be stereotypes, and enough happens with them that this is at the very least, absolutely not boring. After reading this I want to go back and read The Puzzle Master.

Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

Master puzzle maker/solver and savant Mike Brink is back, and this time he's been invited by the emperor of Japan to open the legendary Dragon Box, the most difficult and dangerous puzzle box ever created. Not only can it be attempted just once every 12 years, but the previous solvers were all killed attempting to open it. In addition to racing against time to solve one of history's greatest mysteries, Brink finds himself the target of his nemesis Jameson Sedge despite the fact that he witnessed Sedge die two years earlier. Traveling with one of a pair of sisters whose loyalties he's forced to question, Brink must solve the most challenging and deadly puzzles of his life.
This story was a wild and complex adventure. There were some elements that reminded me too much of The Da Vinci Code, but, the book actually makes mention of that novel, clearly admitting that it was inspired by the Dan Brown formula. The adventure and the puzzles steeped in Japanese history were different and interesting, though at times there was too much of an information dump, some of which definitely could have been trimmed. What started as a new adventure for Brink switched to being a direct sequel to the first book about midway through and ended up having a very big sci-fi element to it that lessened the impact of the story for me. The many, many puzzles were a bit overmuch, so much so that after explicit descriptions of Brink solving them, the narrative eventually turned to "he finished solving them." I think fewer puzzles and steps would have been better. On top of it, the sci-fi element and Sedge's part in the story were pretty farfetched, and its resolution also ended up being glossed over. For an adventure story somewhere between Dan Brown and Tomb Raider, it was exciting, but the overly unrealistic elements lessened the overall impact of the novel for me. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

A nice light escape and a good beach. read. Nicely written. Good luck with the book and thanks for the opportunity to read.

I loved this story - fast paced, smart, lots of twists and characters you aren't sure can be trusted. I loved all of the puzzles included.

The Puzzle Box is the second of Danielle Trussoni’s books to feature the adventure of puzzle master Mike Brink, a former star athlete who acquired savant syndrome following an injury. This book takes place in Japan and centres around Brink trying to solve the Dragon Box, a Japanese puzzle box that had previously defeated its opponents. It was nice to be reunited with characters from the first novel, but this second instalment, while still enjoyable, didn’t hit the same mark for me as the first book did. The pace was much slower and didn’t deliver the same “edge of your seat” excitement than the first did. That being said, I appreciate the care the author takes with the puzzles and love their inclusion in the book. This was an enjoyable read, and I give it 4 out of 5 Conundrums.

This is the second installment in this unique series about a man with a phenomenal ability.

Mike Brink suffered a traumatic brain injury after a football game that left him with a brain that feels completely rewired. The injury also left him with the uncommon capability to solve puzzles, be they easy or extremely difficult. This talent changes his whole life and in this narrative leads him to Japan and the infamous Dragon Box puzzle which has defeated all attempts to open it for 150 years. Armed with the knowledge that he could very well die on his attempt his miraculous ability leads him to try.

Some of the medical and scientific jargon can be confusing but the story kept me interested and pulling for Mike to solve the puzzle. It also opened my thoughts to the abilities of AI and the dangers that implies if it is in the wrong hands.

In the end the most important puzzle may be Mike, himself.

What a fabulous follow-up to The Puzzle Master! I love that Mike Brink is back doing his thing as the master puzzle solver, this time in Japan! Mike gets an invitation, presented by a messenger from the Emperor, to go to Japan and open the Dragon Box. No one has been able to open it since it was created in 1868 by Ogawa, and anyone who has attempted it has died or has never been seen again. Of course, Mike can't say no to this once in a lifetime challenge, but it has to happen right now. The Box solution must be found under the full moon during the Year of the Dragon, which gives him only about 12 hours once when the event begins. In those 12 hours, he, the messenger, Sakura, and his best friend, Rachel, end up fleeing for their lives and traveling Japan to find missing clues to figure out all of the 72 steps it takes to solve the Dragon Box.

You are taken on a whirlwind of a thriller in this book and I could not stop reading this one to find out how it all resolved. I loved the snippets of Japanese history that explained the Dragon Box, Ogawa, and details about the Imperial family. When Mike and Sakura ended up in different cities of Japan, you got a little bit of the flavor of that location and I found that it added to the story. Mike is the same savant from his TBI in the first book, Rachel is there supporting him near the end of the quest, and Sakura becomes a new friend and supporter who is quite brilliant in solving puzzles in her own way. The friendship between Sakura and Mike developed over the course of the book and I found her to be a sympathetic character with a lot of family baggage to work through. Sakura's sister, aunt, and parents have a lot of history with the Imperial family and Sakura has to deal with the tragedy in her background as well. I would enjoy reading more about her story. Looking forward to Mike's next adventure!

If you enjoyed The Puzzle Master, I highly recommend The Puzzle Box. If you didn't read the first book, you could read this one without too much confusion, and I highly recommend this thriller for you as well.

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book 2 featuring the great puzzle master Mike Brink as he is invited to Japan to open a mysterious 19th century Dragon Box
This box has been shut for over 150 years and dates back to the times of samurais and shoguns. Every 12 years, when the year of the dragon comes around, the Imperial family invites puzzlers to open the box - inviting the puzzlers to deal with the booby traps and dangerous poisons that kill.

Brink is up for the test. Or is he? He is facing off a rival and chases by Japanese enemies. He is fighting off his own self doubt and personal issues. Can Brink open the box? Should he?

This is book 2, but it could be read as a standalone. It's pretty consuming and a perfect dessert to any puzzle lover!
#thepuzzlebox #danielletrussoni
#randomhouse

Mike Brink, one of the world’s greatest puzzle masters, has been invited to Tokyo to open the Dragon Box, a famous puzzle box that has remained unopened for more than one hundred fifty years.

Emperor Meiji, who commissioned the box, placed an Imperial secret within it then hid it far from the palace. Only two people knew the solution, Meiji and the box’s blind creator Ogawa. Since that time, every twelve years there has been a contest to attempt to open the box but every puzzle master has died trying - the box is filled with lethal tricks and poison. Brinks’s attempt will take him across Japan and will put him against terrible villains, some from his past, as they race to uncover Meiji’s secret.

From the description this sounds like the sort of book that I would love. I’m fascinated by puzzles of all types and those who solve them. However, I had forgotten the I read the first Mike Brink book and didn’t like it. Brink is either a man with serious mental illness which, now, with, MINOR SPOILER ALERT, the death of his therapist, isn’t being treated, or a little too “woe is me, I’m a tortured genius” to be borne. Ease up, Mike. There are people who are starving to death. You could have bigger problems.,

And while I do love puzzles, and love the idea that someone wanted to pick up the Dan Brown mantle, making Mike Brink Jesus was really not the way to go, in my opinion. Not for me, and I won’t be reading any more of these.