About this episode
True Crime Tuesday presents: The Puzzle Box with Researcher/ Award Winning Author, Danielle Trussoni! 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. 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 crisis, Emperor Meiji locked a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box. Only two people knew how to open the box—Meiji and the box’s sadistic constructor—and both died without telling a soul what was inside or how to open it. Every twelve years since then, in the Year of the Dragon, the Imperial family holds a clandestine contest to open the box. It 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 just any puzzle master. He may be the only person alive who can crack it. His determination is matched only by that of two sisters, descendants of an illustrious samurai clan, who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure. Brink’s quest launches him on a breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone 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. On Today's TCT, Danielle Trussoni joins the program to talk about her time in Japan, what inspired her to write about this wonderful country and culture, and about the character of Mike Brink and the disorder of his brain that fuels his passion for solving equations and puzzles! Get your copy of "The Puzzle Box" here: https://bit.ly/4dk6H8S Learn more about Danielle and her other works here: https://danielletrussoni.com/ PLUS DUMB CRIMES AND STUPID CRIMINALS W/JESSICA FREEBURG! She couldn't deal with it, flashed her chest, and then kicked a deputy in the face, and now you can watch the video! https://atlantablackstar.com/2024/09/21/i-cant-deal-with-this-woman-kicks-deputy-in-the-face-after-calling-cops-to-report-that-her-son-was-kidnapped/?v=i3g4thzxgcnkj7dbpdognxwicui2h4deunl84pgocucaaagsftux7a&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark Check out Jessica Freeburg's website and order her new books: https://jessicafreeburg.com/books/ Sign up for the ghost Stories Inc. Paranormal Events and save 20 percent off the ticket price by using the code: DARKNESS20 here: https://jessicafreeburg.com/upcoming-events/ There are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store! https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/ #crime #truecrime #truecrimepodcasts #truecrimetuesday #danielletrussoni #thepuzzlebox #mikebrink #crimefiction #thriller #sakura #conundrum #rachel #ume #japan #synesthesia #akashicrecords #artificialintelligence #emperorofjapan #murder #amaterasu #dumbcrimesstupidcriminals #TimDennis #jessicafreeburg #paranormalauthor #floridaman #drugcrimes #foodcrimes #stupidcrimes #funnycrimes #airplanecrimes #sexcrimes #syringesickosquirtingspree