The Puzzle Box: A Novel

The world’s greatest puzzle master sets out to solve the most dangerous enigma of his life—or die trying—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master, hailed as "thrilling" by David Baldacci

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, a mysterious nineteenth-century puzzle that has remained unsolved for over 150 years.

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 national crisis, Emperor Meiji placed a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box, locked it, and hid it in a temple far from the palace. Only two people knew how to open the box: Meiji and the box’s sadistic constructor, Ogawa. Both died without telling a soul what was inside, or how to open it.

Since then, the Imperial family has held a clandestine contest to open the box every twelve years, in the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon Box 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 any puzzle master. With his uncanny abilities, he may be the only person alive who can crack it. Yet, his determination is echoed by a radical group—headed by two sisters descended from an illustrious but disgraced samurai clan—who have vowed to claim Meiji’s secret. They know that the box’s contents have the power to change the fate of Japan, and the world. When they align with Brink’s archrival, Jameson Sedge, Brink is up against the most dangerous challenge of his life. 

Mike Brink’s quest to open The Dragon Box launches him on breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone to historic Kyoto 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.

Story Locale:19th and 21st century Japan

About the Author

Danielle Trussoni is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Ancestor, Angelology, and Angelopolis, all New York Times Notable Books, and The Puzzle Master, chosen by The Washington Post as one of their Best Thrillers of 2023. Her memoir, Falling Through the Earth was selected by The New York Times as one of the Top Ten Books of the Year. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and winner of the Michener-Copernicus Society of America Fellowship, her work has been translated into more than thirty languages.

Author Residence: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Author Hometown: New York, NY