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A review by chrissie_whitley
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
3.0
3.5 stars
Mike Brink, celebrated for his New York Times puzzles, is drawn into a web of mystery when he is called to meet Jess Price, a prisoner convicted of murder who refuses to speak. She hands him a cryptic puzzle believed to hold the key to her crime, pulling him into an investigation involving ancient mysticism and powerful figures. As Brink follows the trail from prison cells to hidden archives, his obsession with Price entangles him in a dangerous game where each solved puzzle unlocks deeper mysteries — and new threats.
Mike's uncanny ability to see puzzles and patterns so vividly stems from an accident that altered his brain, forever changing his life’s trajectory. Trussoni skillfully reveals his backstory through snippets and flashbacks, developing Mike's character in layers. Cleverly, she includes space on the page for each puzzle, both solved and unsolved, making for an engaging interaction for the reader.
The pacing of this book is breakneck, which can be risky, and I think Trussoni lost control of her narrative about halfway through. Around this point, the story — along with the complex puzzle Brink is trying to solve to save Jess — starts to go off the rails, an unfortunate development from which it never fully recovers. And in thinking more about it, I believe it's because the focus shifts away from puzzle-solving and leans heavily into mysticism and lore. This shift is not what the reader signed up for, and it's not what was promised going into the story.
Despite the odd choice of insta-love and a chaotic second half, the story was still engaging enough to pull me along once I adjusted my expectations. Brink has a lot of potential for a series lead with his puzzling-solving noggin at the helm, and I look forward to a more focused and refined narrative in the second book.
Mike Brink, celebrated for his New York Times puzzles, is drawn into a web of mystery when he is called to meet Jess Price, a prisoner convicted of murder who refuses to speak. She hands him a cryptic puzzle believed to hold the key to her crime, pulling him into an investigation involving ancient mysticism and powerful figures. As Brink follows the trail from prison cells to hidden archives, his obsession with Price entangles him in a dangerous game where each solved puzzle unlocks deeper mysteries — and new threats.
Mike's uncanny ability to see puzzles and patterns so vividly stems from an accident that altered his brain, forever changing his life’s trajectory. Trussoni skillfully reveals his backstory through snippets and flashbacks, developing Mike's character in layers. Cleverly, she includes space on the page for each puzzle, both solved and unsolved, making for an engaging interaction for the reader.
The pacing of this book is breakneck, which can be risky, and I think Trussoni lost control of her narrative about halfway through. Around this point, the story — along with the complex puzzle Brink is trying to solve to save Jess — starts to go off the rails, an unfortunate development from which it never fully recovers. And in thinking more about it, I believe it's because the focus shifts away from puzzle-solving and leans heavily into mysticism and lore. This shift is not what the reader signed up for, and it's not what was promised going into the story.
Despite the odd choice of insta-love and a chaotic second half, the story was still engaging enough to pull me along once I adjusted my expectations. Brink has a lot of potential for a series lead with his puzzling-solving noggin at the helm, and I look forward to a more focused and refined narrative in the second book.