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The Puzzle Master
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
7 posts | 14 read | 5 to read
Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle-maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology “In short: The Puzzle Master = (The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + sprinkle of Stephen King) x gorgeous writing.”—Angie Kim All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. 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, calculate equations, and see patterns in ways ordinary people can’t. But his condition has also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people. All of this changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder. Traumatized by the crime, Price hasn't spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When she draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain the crime she committed, and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack a strange and alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with the woman who drew the puzzle. Price 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 mysterious prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia, one of the most controversial men in the history of Kabbalah. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are dark 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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wildwoodreads
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Pickpick

The Puzzle Master took off from the very beginning and didn‘t slow down. It was a great atmospheric read that‘s perfect for this time of year.

My main problem with this one was that the author just tried to do a little too much in one story. But other than that it was a quick, fun read.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/11/15/the-puzzle-master-review/

60 likes3 stack adds
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Hooked_on_books
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Bailedbailed

This book is much too slow moving for its purpose as a DaVinci Code knockoff. Then, it introduced a paranormal element that really didn‘t work for me. Then that element became the focus and I‘m bailing at the 80% mark. Not worth finishing.

vivastory I admire you being able to bail so close to the end. It'd drive me crazy lol 9mo
Hooked_on_books @vivastory Most of the time if I got that far, I‘d stick it out, but I was just so annoyed with where the book was going that I reached my breaking point. I think that‘s only happened once before that far into a book. 9mo
47 likes2 comments
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PageShifter
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Panpan

This book had a bit too much everything for me. Past storylines were interesting but I wasn't really intrigued by the present storyline. I think I had expected to get more of puzzle solving and less religion and religious references.

I enjoyed the parts where Mike was describing how he sees the world. Unfortunately I couldn't relate to characters, they felt flat :/ Insta-love felt totally random and came from no where.

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Reecaspieces
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Pickpick

This book is unique with a twist. Check out my review. I loved it!

https://reecaspieces.com/2023/06/21/the-puzzle-master-by-danielle-trussoni-bookr...

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paper.reveries
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Panpan

This one was a messy cocktail of too many topics for me to enjoy a single one of them. The author was very much inspired by The DaVinci Code: a young athlete suffers a massive concussion but miraculously develops savant syndrome, allowing him– among other incredible talents– to solve any puzzle given to him. He's called into a prison to help solve an intricate one, and he falls into a mystery older than time itself.

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PatriciaU
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Pickpick

Trussoni is known for unusual interpretations of mythical beings (check out her Angelology series) and here she tackles one of the most terrifying, the golem. There‘s one scene involving a living doll parting the curtains in a room that literally gave me nightmares. Full review at https://itsallaboutthebook.org/2023/06/01/the-puzzle-master-by-danielle-trussoni...

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ReadingOver50
The Puzzle Master: A Novel | Danielle Trussoni
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Panpan

The premise of the book sounded interesting. The blurb talks about an ancient mystery, puzzles and the supernatural. It all sounded great. But the actual execution of the story was not good. The first half was ok but the second half devolved into a mess of ideas. The story read like a text book about mathematics, religion and philosophy that made me lose what little interest I had left in the book.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley

Bluebird Ugh! I hate when a book with an intriguing premise doesn‘t pan out! Thanks for your review! (edited) 11mo
72 likes1 comment