The Puzzle Box

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 D