A 19th-century secret lies at the heart of a gripping plot that combines Japanese culture, female samurai, and a puzzle savant with unusual skills in The Puzzle Box, Danielle Trussoni's astounding sequel to The Puzzle Master.
The Puzzle Box brings back Mike Brink, whose brain injury during a high school football game left him with acquired savantism. Now a well-known puzzle creator, Mike sees interlocking patterns in everything.
The imperial family of Japan hires Mike to open the legendary Dragon Puzzle Box, unopened since a blind mechanical master built it in 1868. No one has survived trying to open the box, which is loaded with lethal traps. It can be accessed only once every 12 years, during the first full moon in the Year of the Dragon. No one knows what the box holds, though legend suggests it contains vital secrets. A band of female samurai, underground for decades, also want what's in the box.
Trussoni (Angelopolis; The Fortress) mines extreme suspense through Mike's attempts to open the box, which tests every aspect of his skills. Trussoni continues to explore her complicated character with depth and verve: Mike's genius at puzzle solving led to his solitary existence, and he's reluctant to let many into his inner circle. His closest relationship is with his emotional-support dachshund, Conundrum ("Connie for short"), who accompanies him to Japan.
The Puzzle Box's thrilling plot features fascinating details of Japanese history and culture, a bit of espionage, and the ultimate puzzle-solving challenge. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer