I did enjoy The Puzzle Master, though I also had some issued with it. What did I think of this next installment in the series? Check out my Review with Spoilers for the Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni!
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni: Jen’s Quick Take
- Published on October 8, 2024 by Random House; 336 pages
- A fun thriller format perfect for fans of books like The Da Vinci Code
- Set in Japan, this book features protagonist Mike Brink attempting to open a legendary puzzle box that has remained unsolved since the 1800s.
- The Puzzle Box ditched the plot elements (weird insta-love, excessive info-dumping, haunted dolls) that I felt detracted from the story in The Puzzle Master
- Do you have to read The Puzzle Master before The Puzzle Box? While the books share some recurring characters, I think you can read The Puzzle Box on its own!
Review of the Puzzle Box With Spoilers
If I think an author has something interesting to say, I will never give up on them after one book.
I felt that The Puzzle Master incorporated a few too many ideas (the cypherpunk movement, Bitcoin, telepathy, Jewish mysticism, feminine mystery cults, demonic possession, and a haunted doll, to name a few.)
Plus, I took issue with the instalove: the fact that the main character, a super-analytical guy who designs puzzles, meets and falls instantly in love with a woman locked in a psychiatric hospital for murdering her boyfriend.
But it was almost as if the author of The Puzzle Master read my mind (I think book one also had a telepathy angle!), because The Puzzle Box has none (well very few) of these elements. And NO haunted doll!
What did The Puzzle Box have?
- A fast paced escapist plot with a lot of action
- More focus on Mike and less on romance and niche intellectual issues
- A deep dive into Japanese history, including a fascinating deep-dive on gender and royal succession in Japan
- A great travelogue around Tokyo, Kyoto, Edo, and Kyushu
- References to The Da Vinci code (which this book definitely reminded me of!)
What Happens in The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni?
- Mike and his dog Connie are back
- He’s invited to fly to Japan to try to open the Dragon Box, a legendary puzzle box created at the beginning of the Meiji period, a time when Japan transformed from a feudal society to a “modern” nation. Emperor Meiji hid an important secret in the box.
- The box can only be opened in the Year of the Dragon (so every twelve years)
- Everyone who has tried to open the box over the years has either died or disappeared
Such a fun book! Dive in and then come back and join our Spoiler Discussion for the Puzzle Box!
The Puzzle Box Plot Spoilers and Plot Summary
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- Mike is invited to open The Dragon Box by Sakura, a young Japanese gamer. She is representing the Japanese emperor.
- Sakura and her sister Ume were raised by their Aunt Akemi after the tragic death of their parents. Akemi works for the Japanese royal family and Ume has embraced life running a female-only dojo.
- Ume is obsessed by the fact that the lineage of female rulers in Japan was ended with the Meiji Restoration, when male primogeniture was instituted. Akemi and Ume desperately want what is in the Dragon Box
What did you think of the book? Talk to me in comments! Questions are welcome and spoilers are fine!