Having been a fan of puzzle-based horror ever since first encountering the Lament Configuration and films like "Cube," I was immediately attracted to the premise of "Puzzle House," which sees a group of six strangers drawn to the home of a renowned "puzzle master" to claim a portion of a massive inheritance most of them hadn't expected to receive.

I don't want to reveal much more as the fun of the story lies in experiencing it as the characters do but I will say that I was particularly impressed with the way the majority of it flowed, with satisfying bits of backstory and build-up for each major event that helped to keep things equally intriguing and propulsive throughout the tale's duration. I also really appreciated the more cerebral elements beyond the puzzles themselves, such as some clever twists and the fact that several of the characters thought and behaved like real, thinking, rational people as opposed to typical brain-dead horror fodder.

There are a few aspects of "Puzzle House" that certain readers might find a bit over the top, outlandish, or excessive but for me, everything ended up working and feeling as though it "fit"in the context of the story as a whole. Beyond that, any other minor issues I encountered weren't frequent or significant enough to note here.

Bottom line: If you're looking for an intense, no-holds-barred puzzle-horror novel with high stakes and a high level of execution (pun intended,) "Puzzle House" is definitely move-in ready.