Starred review from August 19, 2024
Puzzle savant Mike Brink attempts to unearth a 19th-century Japanese secret in Trussoni’s astonishing sequel to The Puzzle Master. In 1868, Emperor Meiji hired a blind mechanical master, Ogawa Ryuichi, to build a lethal contraption accessible only once every 12 years—on the full moon in the Year of the Dragon—to house crucial imperial secrets. In the decades since, Meiji’s descendants have hosted regular competitions to open the Dragon Box, but no one has ever survived the attempt. In the present, the imperial family has hired Brink to come to Tokyo for the job. Meanwhile, a long-hidden group of female samurai newly aligned with Brink’s nemesis, Jameson Sedge, becomes interested in claiming what’s inside the box. The narrative’s solitary puzzle-solving and tense espionage are equally thrilling, while Trussoni’s depiction of Brink as both a puzzle-solving genius and someone learning to trust his own abilities lends the plot surprising emotional depth. Best of all, the puzzle-solving sends Brink on an immersive sprint through contemporary and historical Japan, with plenty of shrewdly delivered trivia and thematically rewarding solutions along the way. This clever and satisfying novel cements Mike Brink as an action hero for the ages. Agent: Susan Golomb, Writers House.