A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE - Gigi Pandian

Tempest Raj works in her family business, Secret Staircase Construction, which specializes in hidden rooms and hidden access to spaces in a home.  At the home of a former client, the Rhodes', a woman was killed and her husband, Julian, is blaming the construction company for faulty work. Now the company is struggling to overcome the bad press.

When Julian calls and asks to meet Tempest she agrees, hoping that they can come to some kind of terms. But when Tempest arrives at a historic old theater, she finds Rhodes dead, a sword through his chest. Swords that appear out of thin air are just the kind of magic that Secret Staircase Construction is known for. Tempest knows her family company will be the prime suspect(s) but she also knows they're being framed so she sets out to uncover the real killer before she or anyone in her family can be railroaded for the crime.

It's no secret I'm a fan of Gigi Pandian's work. These are really nicely written mysteries - not quite 'cozies' but close. The blend of magic and secrecy (Secret staircases?  Yes!) along with amateur sleuthing is really good. This particular series (this is the third book in the Secret Staircase series) has so far focused on the 'locked room' mystery (ie: a crime is committed in circumstances under which it was seemingly impossible for the perpetrator to commit the crime or evade detection in the course of getting in and out of the crime scene).

These mysteries are unique and the backdrop of the magic and secret construction is really outstanding, but what really makes this book (and this series) work are the characters and their relationships.

The mystery shelves in bookstores are filled with amateur detectives but Tempest stands out for how well rooted she is in reality (odd, given her work is manipulating reality) and the trust she has with her friends and family. I think it's this wholesomeness that really shines through the book as we want to know Tempest and her friends for real, and under Pandian's pen, we feel as though we do.

I look forward to each Gigi Pandian book because I know I'll get a solid mystery, I'll get to hang out with friends, and the little boy in me who loves the idea of secret rooms and hidden staircases will get to live vicariously.  This book falls right in line with all these wonderful thigns.

Looking for a good book? A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian, the third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries, is a delightful adventure, works as a standalone mystery, and has a great locked-room mystery to uncover.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

A Midnight Puzzle

author: Gigi Pandian

series: Secret Staircase Mystery #3

publisher: Minotaur Books

ISBN: 9781250880208

hardcover, 352 pages

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