The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni

Angie Kim, author of the bestselling novel Miracle Creek, describes The Puzzle Master as “The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + sprinkle of Stephen King.” I can’t speak for The Silent Patient, but I’ve read The Da Vinci Code and my share of Stephen King. After finishing The Puzzle Master I had to think about why Kim references Stephen King and came up with King’s novel The Institute (a fantastic read, by the way) in which a character follows a maniacal obsession. And I can definitely attest to The Da Vinci Code analogy. I would say that The Da Vinci Code is to ancient Christian mysticism as The Puzzle Master is to Jewish metaphysics (with some supernatural elements thrown in).

Jess Price has been convicted of murdering her boyfriend in a mansion she was housesitting.  Now, Jess is confined to prison and has elective mutism (aha! I just figured out the connection to The Silent Patient).  The Puzzle Master opens as the prison psychologist summons Mike Brink, a neurodivergent creator of elaborate puzzles, to decipher a tantalizing puzzle fragment that Jess has drawn. The prison psychologist, sympathetic to Jess’s plight, is eager to facilitate a meeting between Jess and Mike in hopes of discovering what happened the night Jess’s boyfriend was murdered. 

As soon as they meet, Jess and Mike experience an instant mind-connection. Mike wants not only to decipher the mystery of Jess’s puzzle, but also to reveal the mystery of Jess herself. What follows their encounter is lucid, interactive dreaming; power intrigues; historical research; and madcap adventures (because, of course, there’s an evil fanatic on the loose of the harness-the-universe variety).

My favorite aspect of the novel is the developing relationship between Jess and Mike. Theirs is initially a meeting of the minds—necessary due to her incarceration—but soon they connect in dreams where they work on untangling the puzzle’s global significance and engage in romantic interludes. I really enjoyed their interactions and the way the author depicts their growing respect and love.

Less compelling for me in this novel is the amount of theological exposition (I admit that for some readers, the religious and supernatural elements may prove the most intriguing). I also think the author could have condensed the aforementioned madcap adventures—a few too many chase scenes vs. character scenes for me. (Interestingly, the charge of plot vs. character imbalance was levied against The Da Vinci Code as well.) Overall, the novel kept my interest and taught me things about puzzle making and ancient Judaism.

Readers who enjoy puzzles, mathematics, religious mysticism, and creepy dolls (Yes! creepy dolls!) will find much to appreciate in The Puzzle Master.

I received a copy of The Puzzle Master from Net Galley.