Hopefully no spoilers here!

Four and a half to five stars – superbly entertaining, interesting & intriguing, neatly crafted fun read. I snapped up The Puzzle Master as a pre-order, trusting the particular power & intensity of Trussoni’s writing, and I was not disappointed. As a native New Yorker (state not city), I found her depictions of upstate prison, repurposed historic buildings, Hudson River milieux, and even thruway rest stops authentic, her prose swift and clear. As with some of her previous works, this accuracy around things I know leads me to trust her descriptions of those I don’t. The narrative moves quickly, pulling the reader along in a torrent both streamlined and peppered with details: very specific antiques, fashion details, architectural details, places, times. As a work of fiction, one knows it’s not all real, but where does the reality leave off and the fantasy begin? The story leaves us with a lot of questions, both in terms of potential sequels as well as internet queries and further reading ideas.

I also appreciate the way she creates time context not merely with dates but particular timely details; for example, pandemic issues, the addition of vaccine references to travel and visitation logistics.

If I could ask Ms Trussoni anything about this novel, it would be for clarifications regarding the two versions of a certain artifact, because I’m having trouble sorting out how the “correct” one was apparently applied where it was. (Trying to avoid spoilers.)

I found The Puzzle Master almost “unputdownable,” and am grateful to have read it over a couple of days that happened to be quieter than usual. You know how one can get cranky upon having to stop reading a really engrossing book. This is one of those.