Where Should You Start Reading Danielle Trussoni?
Danielle Trussoni's novels span distinct genres, meaning your ideal starting point depends on what kind of story you enjoy most:
- For Supernatural Thrills and Mythical Lore: Start with Angelology (2010). This international bestseller blends biblical myth, historical secrets, and fast-paced adventure into a high-stakes war between scholars and angelic descendants.
- For Cerebral Mysteries and Cryptography: Start with The Puzzle Master (2023). It introduces Mike Brink, a genius puzzle constructor who gets pulled into decoding complex, potentially supernatural mysteries.
- For Gothic Suspense: Pick up The Ancestor (2020), a atmospheric standalone novel set in a remote alpine castle, focusing on family secrets and genetic anomalies.
- For Poignant Real-Life Drama: Start with her debut memoir, Falling Through the Earth (2006), which explores her relationship with her father, a Vietnam War veteran.
The Angelology Series Reading Order
The Angelology series is a highly serialized story that follows Sister Evangeline and researcher Verlaine as they uncover the hidden, dangerous world of the Nephilim (angel-human hybrids) and the secret society of Angelologists who hunt them. Because of the ongoing narrative arc and evolving relationships, you must read these in order.
- Angelology (2010) – Introduces Sister Evangeline, a young nun in a New York convent, who discovers letters detailing a historical expedition that links her convent to an ancient battle against the Nephilim.
- Angelopolis (2013) – Picks up the story in the aftermath of the first book's climax, moving the chase to Europe, specifically Paris and St. Petersburg, as Verlaine searches for Evangeline and tries to prevent a new celestial crisis.
- The Angel Lover (2024) – A bridge novella (often numbered 2.5) that directly follows the catastrophic events of Angelopolis. It reunites Evangeline and Verlaine as they deal with dangerous angelic entities and their own complicated bond.
The Mike Brink (Puzzle) Series Reading Order
This series features Mike Brink, a former football star who, after a traumatic brain injury, developed Savant Syndrome, giving him the ability to solve incredibly complex puzzles and see patterns in everything. While each book is a self-contained mystery that can technically be read as a standalone, reading them in order helps you appreciate the character's development and personal history.
- The Puzzle Master (2023) – Mike Brink is called to a maximum-security prison to help communicate with a mute prisoner who has drawn a complex cipher related to a mysterious crime.
- The Puzzle Box (2024) – Brink travels to Tokyo, Japan, to solve the puzzle of the Dragon Box, a legendary imperial artifact containing a secret that could alter global history.
Danielle Trussoni's Standalone Novels and Memoirs
Outside of her major thriller series, Trussoni has written gothic fiction and deeply personal memoirs that showcase her range as a writer.
Standalone Fiction
- The Pearl of the Orient (2015) – A historical adventure novella set in the 18th century, following a missionary and a young Vietnamese prince on a journey to Versailles to seek naval assistance from King Louis XVI.
- The Ancestor (2020) – A gothic suspense novel. When a woman inherits a legendary estate in the Italian Alps, she travels there only to discover dark secrets about her family's lineage and history of genetic isolation.
Memoirs and Non-Fiction
- Falling Through the Earth (2006) – Trussoni's raw, critically acclaimed memoir detailing her childhood in Wisconsin and her attempts to understand her father's psychological trauma from serving in the Vietnam War.
- The Fortress (2016) – A memoir about the breakdown of her marriage while living in a medieval stone fortress in the south of France.
What to Know Before You Start
Trussoni's fiction is heavily researched, blending real-world history, theological lore, cryptography, and geography. If you are starting the Angelology series, expect a dense, slow-burn mystery that prioritizes atmosphere and lore over simple action. The Mike Brink series is faster paced, appealing to fans of cerebral thrillers like the works of Dan Brown, but with a unique focus on mathematical patterns and cognitive anomalies. If you are looking for her short story contributions, she also published a piece in the anthology Unnerving Magazine #15 (2021).