Review: The Puzzle Box (Puzzle #2) by Danielle Trussoni

The Puzzle Box (Puzzle #2) by Danielle Trussoni

Blurb from Goodreads:

It is the Year of the Wood Dragon, and the ingenious Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo, Japan, to open the legendary Dragon Box.

The box was constructed during one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods, when the samurai class was disbanded and the shogun lost power. In this moment of crisis, Emperor Meiji locked a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box. Only two people knew how to open the box—Meiji and the box’s sadistic constructor—and both died without telling a soul what was inside or how to open it.

Every twelve years since then, in the Year of the Dragon, the Imperial family holds a clandestine contest to open the box. It is devilishly difficult, filled with tricks, booby traps, poisons, and mind-bending twists. Every puzzle master who has attempted to open it has died in the process.

But Brink is not just any puzzle master. He may be the only person alive who can crack it. His determination is matched only by that of two sisters, descendants of an illustrious samurai clan, who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure.

Brink’s quest launches him on a breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone to an ancient cave in Kyushu. In the process, he discovers the power of Meiji’s hidden treasure, and—more crucially—the true nature of his extraordinary talent.

 

This is an interesting series but maybe I'm not smart enough to read them even though I like puzzles and do a few every day.  The affliction/miracle of Mike Brink is a bit hard to take at times.  This was twisty as usual but after a lot of build up, the ending was very abrupt.  Too abrupt for my taste.  Still a solid series!

The Puzzle Box comes out next week on October 8, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.  

But Cullen was right. There was something about Mike Brink that exhilarated her. He was more than a friend and more than the subject of her work. He inspired her. He made her believe in things that she hadn't believed in for a long time. He made her see that the here and now was awe-inspiring, magnificent. That there was a place in the world for her. He gave her faith. She believed, with all her heart, that Mike Brink had come into her life for a reason. He was her friend and collaborator, the focus of her work. Their relationship was unique, a once-in-a-lifetime connection, and she wanted to protect it from anything that might alter or taint it. Including love.