Imprisoned for murder but refusing to speak of her crime, Jess Price draws a puzzle that her psychiatrist believes may explain what happened, and celebrated puzzle constructor Mike Brink is asked to take a look. Soon, Mike realizes that Jess is hiding something more terrifying than her crime, which leads him to the God Puzzle, a prayer circle created by the 13th-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. From New York Times best-selling Angelology author Trussoni.

Using both prose and epistolary styles, Trussoni (The Ancestor) weaves a modern cautionary tale of obsession, humankind's search for immortality, and answers to some of life's most pressing questions. A traumatic football injury in high school changed the life of Mike Brink, causing acquired savant syndrome, a rare medical condition where the person obtains extraordinary intellectual abilities. Since that time, Mike has become a genius at puzzles and has devoted himself to puzzle creation and mathematics. This ability envelops him in a centuries-old puzzle that holds a secret that could change humankind. He is on borrowed time to solve the mystery and save the life of the mysterious woman he loves. The adventure takes him from a New York prison, to a rare-book library, to the very height of the high-tech world of cybersecurity. VERDICT This page-turner incorporates motifs of religion, security, meaningfulness, and loss into a mystical narrative that traverses different centuries focused on the same puzzle quest. This is a literary Da Vinci Code—like title that readers of quest-based thrillers and mysteries alike will enjoy.—Laura Hiatt

Trussoni (The Ancestor) blends the cerebral and the supernatural in this impressive thriller that sees renowned puzzlist Mike Brink drawn into a mystery with ancient roots. A high school football injury left Brink with sudden acquired savant syndrome, in his case granting him synesthesia and a remarkable ability to see patterns. Jess Price, once a promising novelist, was convicted years ago of murdering her boyfriend in Upstate New York. She has remained uncommunicative since, until she draws a puzzle and requests that her prison psychologist employ Mike's help to solve it. Soon, Mike learns there's something more sinister behind Jess's silence than the murder conviction, and he winds up on the run, scrambling to solve her puzzle and stumbling into questions of Judeo-Christian mysticism. Meanwhile, he garners the attention of billionaire Jameson Sedge, "part of an underground collective of futurists and trans-humanists who believed that ancient esoteric methods could be combined with technology to create eternal life." For a brilliant guy, Mike makes some dumb fumbles (it's common knowledge that one can be tracked by their phone), but his puzzle-solving skills impress. Fans of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels would do well to pick this up. Agent: Susan Golomb, Writers House. (June)