This is my favorite in the series so far! So many things happen and finally we get some explanations into the Raj family curse. I listened to this on audio and the narrator really added to it. The accents were great!

Tempest has agreed to do one final magical tour but has realized how much she loves her small town, so much that she has rented the Whispering Creek Theatre, which is the theatre from which her mom vanished, 5 years prior.

Secret Staircase Construction is also under attack, with allegations of faulty work, which anyone who knows Tempest and her family, knows that is absolute baloney. On top of dealing with a lawsuit, weird things start happening in the theatre, alluding to the idea of the theatre being haunted.

There is a ton of relationship growth, some of which is completely unexpected.

Reading this made me feel like I was with old friends. I appreciated the explanations, and not having things dragged out longer than necessary. I hope there are more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this.

Booby traps abound in this installment of the Secret Staircase mystery series. Everybody knows the business is being targeted by a disgruntled client, but when said client ends up dead from a very Tempest Raj-esque magic trick gone wrong… well, things aren't looking so good for our heroine.

This was nice. I really enjoyed getting a chance to learn more about Nicodemus and Tempest's mom's story. There were a lot of subplots to hold onto, which muddled the reading experience. I'm not sure I want to keep going with this series, but I think that's mostly because of the writing style. Something about it prevented me from getting swept away and instead kept me aware that I was reading words on a page. But again, it was nice.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great installment to this series! I like this series because while it has a cozy premise, there's so many twists and turns that it reads more like a thriller than a cozy. There was action at every turn. I'll definitely keep reading this series, it's so fun and different from other mysteries.

An interesting work filled with magical realism, mysteries, and a sprinkle of intrigue. The plot is interesting and the characters have depth and personality ( which is so widely missed in recently published works). The work blends elements of adventure, romance, and the supernatural into an immersive reading experience. Overall a very nice read, 3.6 for me.

The author says it better than I could: “I melded so many of my favorite elements together in this new book: A gothic backdrop, a supposed haunting at a creepy old theater, a regenerating booby trap, a devious impossible crime, and lots of cozy fun with Tempest and her friends and family working together to solve multiple mysteries.“

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in this delightful cozy mystery series, featuring a family-owned construction company that specializes in creating secret nooks, hidden bookcases, etc. - Secret Staircase Construction. The main character is Tempest Raj, a former magician/illusionist whose family has a historic connection to magicians, of both Indian and Scottish heritage. She is now living at her family home in the San Francisco Bay area, which is filled with all kinds of quirky features, thanks to the family business, and she’s enjoying working with the business. In addition to the mystery in this book, a continuing theme is: Is there a family curse, by which the “eldest dies by magic”? In this one, we finally find out what really happened to Tempest’s mother and Tempest’s aunt, who once worked together as the Selkie Sisters illusionists.

In addition to the mystery, there’s an emphasis on family and friendship. There were several terrific side characters: her grandfather Ash, who cooks fabulous Indian-inspired food; her dad, Darius; her friend Ivy; her magician friend, Sanjay, and artist-stone carver Gideon, among others.

While you could read this as a standalone, I think you would be better off having read at least the first book in the series, Under Lock and Skeleton Key, to understand all the main characters and their background stories.

Bonus: There are a few recipes at the end of the book.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read. The audiobook was narrated by Soneela Nankani, who did a great job with the many characters and accents.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is one of my favorite mystery series in the past few years!

Tempest Raj has been trying to solve the disappearance and murder of her mother for the last five years. She moved home when her magic stage show in Las Vegas ended abruptly after a tragic accident, and now works for her father's construction company, Hidden Staircase Construction. As you might guess from the name, they specialize in hidden rooms, secret panels, puzzle walls and anything else whimsical and magic. Tempest creates the stories that fuel their construction, and with her experience in designing set pieces, she has found a worthwhile second career she loves.

She's finally ready to do a farewell show at the local Whispering Creek Theater, which is where her mother disappeared. She doesn't have all of the answers to her aunt and mother's deaths, but she is ready to stage a show that shares their stories. But when a local man (who had filled a frivolous lawsuit against Hidden Staircase Construction) is stabbed by a booby trap in the door of the theater, her attention shifts to solving the crime.

Tempest, her family and her friends are such great characters. The mysteries are laced with stage magic, and this one had plot twists I never saw coming. I imagine this is the last of this series, which is a little bittersweet, but I am sure I'll love what Pandian writes next!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

4 stars...except? I will start by saying that I have not read the first two books in this series. Usually, that doesn't make a difference. In this book, however, the first 3 chapters of the book (where the villain is introduced and clearly labeled as "this person deserves to die because of...") are clearly in the previous book. Without that critical introduction, I found this book really hard going. I feel like this could have been an amazing book if only I had read the first two books.

Midnight Puzzle
By Gigi Pandian
Minotaur
March 2024

Review by Cynthia Chow

For years Tempest Raj has been both denying and attempting to avoid the legendary family curse that declares that the eldest child of every generation will die on the magic stage. Tempest comes from a long line of stage magicians, but after being blamed for a sabotaged trick she stopped performing and instead joined her father’s innovative Secret Staircase Construction business in Whispering Creek, California. Their company is now in jeopardy as well now that their client Julian Rhodes is suing them for causing his wife’s fall, a near-fatal stumble that Tempest knows was caused by Julian himself. In what she knows is another set-up, both she and Julian are sent a message to meet at the latest construction project, where Tempest finds him stabbed through a door with a sword.

While she is not the immediate suspect for the death, the involvement of their construction company specializing in hidden staircases and rooms casts a shadow over their business. The mysterious protector/stalker Tempest and her best friend Ivy Youngblood have nicknamed “Moriarty” continues to both help and warn them from the case, but a possible tie to the deaths of Emma and Elspeth Raj make that impossible. Tempest has always known that the disappearance of her mother and horrific onstage death of her aunt were not accidents, and she has dedicated herself to finding the truth. When Tempest’s mentor Nicodemus the Necromancer (named so because of his tricks that involve killing and resurrecting his assistant) is himself injured in a career-ending act of sabotage, she and her friends will defy the police to continue their investigations by proving Julian’s guilt, their company’s innocence, and resolving the truth behind her family’s curse.

While this is only the third in the series, the ongoing plot and character developments feel as though they have been established dozens of books ago. That may be due in part to appearances by characters from the author’s delightful Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mystery series. Tempest’s struggle to resolve her family’s troubled legacy is resolved in a very satisfying conclusion, with a new adventure ready for her in the next installment. Tempest’s mixed heritage and Indian-Scottish family members charm with their love and good humor, and readers will fall in love with them as they share meals and creative business planning. The added element of magic tricks and construction make this a truly ingenious series, sure to draw in new readers who will be fascinated by these secretive professions. The writing is deft with clever dialogue and innovative plots, and Tempest continues to be an outstanding, admirable character.

If you love locked room mysteries and clever whodunits (not to mention amazing secret room designs!), this series is for you.

A Midnight Puzzle by @gigipandian is the latest installment in the Secret Staircase series. Like the first two books on the series, Tempest Raj finds herself in the middle on another impossible mystery. This series has interesting characters (I especially love Tempest’s grandparents!) and locked room mysteries that keep you guessing. Sprinkle in Secret Staircase Construction’s intricate projects and Tempest’s magician background and it’s just pure fun to read.

A note on the series: You can pick this latest mystery up as a standalone and read it, however - in addition to the whodunit in this novel there’s also an overarching mystery of what happened to Tempest’s mother. I think you’ll enjoy this book much more if you start at the beginning with Under Lock and Skeleton Key.

This mystery was ok. The cover made me think it was going to be a YA book. It’s not. It’s an adult mystery. This is part of a series of mysteries in the Secret Staircase Mysteries. That might be part of why I had trouble with it. I have not read any of these mysteries before. It’s about a family that has their own home renovation company where they build these secret passages or hidden doors that hide rooms and staircases.

In this mystery, someone is trying to take down the family business and blame them for a variety of murders going on in town. One particular person is trying to blame them for his wife’s death. He is blaming them for shoddy workmanship. He is trying to sue them. Among this lawsuit, Tempest gets a mysterious note to meet someone in the middle of the night at a theater. When she arrives, she finds a dead body and note, written by herself, asking the murdered person to meet her there. Now, Tempest must prove that she is not the killer.

I didn’t like the way they jumped around in the story. It was ok but not my favorite. It was an ok mystery and the storytelling was ok but it wasn’t my favorite.

Tempest Raj and the Secret Staircase crew do it again in this mystery set in a spooky old theater!

I like reading this series because of the interesting characters and amazing friendships and relationships that are highlighted in each book. There are also delicious sounding dishes prepared by her grandfather with a few of the recipes in the back of the book for readers to try.

This is book three in the Secret Staircase Mystery series and I was happy that some of the lingering storylines were resolved in this one. There is an intriguing set up for a new mystery at the end of this book. I can’t wait to read the next one!

There is so much for classic and cozy mystery fans to love in locked room mystery master Gigi Pandian’s A Midnight Puzzle, her third installment in her Secret Staircase Mystery series.

First, there’s her amateur sleuth, Tempest Raj, whom I imagine as a beautiful Marvel superhero spinning her way to solving “impossible” mysteries. One who has a rich backstory and wonderful supporting characters.

Deadly booby traps in a spooky old theater, where Tempest’s mother had vanished years earlier, selkie folklore and nods to the greatest mystery writers of all time and there’s no doubt Pandian is deserving of all of her accolades, including having won the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty and Deringer awards as well as being a finalist for an Edgar award.

Even though I did guess the murderer early on, there were plenty of fun plot spins to keep me turning the pages so to be fair, I dinged it half a star.

I wish Tempest and Grandpa Ash were real. I wish he would come riding his bicycle in my neighborhood and bring some of his delicious Indian treats. If you’re like me, you’ll be delighted to learn that Pandian included a few recipes at the end of book.

Last but not least, I also wish Tempest and I could be friends and hang out with her and Ivy at the wonderful library where Ivy works. I’d also love it if she’d help me to build me a secret bookcase door for my bedroom.

I highly recommend A Midnight Puzzle to all cozy mystery fans and look forward to going back and reading previous installments of the Secret Staircase mysteries.

In heroine Tempest Raj, modern-day queen of the locked room mystery Gigi Pandian has created a brilliant homage to the greats of classic detective fiction.

Secret Staircase Construction is under attack, and Tempest Raj feels helpless. After former client Julian Rhodes tried to kill his wife, he blamed her "accident" on the home renovation company’s craftsmanship. Now the family business—known for bringing magic into homes through hidden doors, floating staircases, and architectural puzzle walls—is at a breaking point. No amount of Scottish and Indian meals from her grandfather can distract Tempest from the they’re being framed.

When Tempest receives an urgent midnight phone call from Julian, she decides to meet him at the historic Whispering Creek Theater—only to find his dead body, a sword through his chest. After a blade appears from thin air to claim another victim, Tempest is certain they’re dealing with a booby trap… something Secret Staircase Construction could easily build. Tempest refuses to wait for the investigation to turn to her or her loved ones. She knows the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of her, she just has to put them together correctly before more disaster strikes.

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian and her sleuth Tempest Raj return in A Midnight Puzzle, where an old theater reveals a deadly booby trap, secrets, and one puzzle of a mystery. (GoodReads synopsis)

I haven’t read any other book in this series, so it was a privilege to see the protagonist solve not only the current murder but one that deeply affects her and her family. This book has so much creativity in it, not just the plot but the characters and their careers.

I wanted more Ivy because I am a librarian who loves classic mysteries. She is literally the person I related to the most and she wasn’t there enough. I found architectural puzzles/illusions or whatever Tempest and her family call them unique. Everything about this series intrigued me to the point of needing the previous 2 books.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

This third installment of The Secret Staircase Mystery series gets us closer to learning the truth about what happened to Tempest's aunt and mother years ago. Are their mysterious murder and disappearance, respectively, part of the Raj family curse or something more sinister? Tempest must also try to clear the reputation of the family construction business while solving the murder of the man accusing The Secret Staircase Construction Company of his wife's near death accident.

There is a lot going on in this book. I highly recommend you read at least the previous book first to understand the backstory and some of the characters a little better. I really enjoy this locked room mystery series. Interesting murder scenarios, terrific architecture and stage magic references and absolutely fantastic food descriptions are hallmarks of this series. Tempest's grandparents Ash and Morag are always my favorites.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

I love this series so much and was so excited to be reunited with the Secret Staircase crew.

Gigi Pandian does locked-room fair play mysteries SO well, and she does not disappoint in this third outing of Tempest Raj and her friends, starting off with an inventive murder: a booby-trapped sword slicing through the front door of the theatre Tempest is renting to stage her final illusionist show - which also happens to be the same theatre her mother disappeared from five years ago. Not only does Pandian pay hommage to classic mysteries, she also clearly does her research into magicians and illusions, alongside the inventive creations of the Secret Staircase company that are so fun (and detailed!) to picture. The mystery is intriguing, with all of its twisty, impossible pieces; the characters continue to be loveable, especially as Tempest realizes all of the support she has around her in her family and close friends. The traditional “gathered” reveal of an impossible crime is bigger and more majestic this time, using Tempest’s skills as a magician to stage the biggest show of her life, which I absolutely loved. Finally, there’s some well deserved closure to the mystery behind the Raj family curse, which is satisfying and will allow the series to branch out and transition.

A Midnight Puzzle is a story of protection, family, misdirection, the impossible, and justice. It marks the end of this part of a ‘trilogy’ of sorts, and I can’t wait to see where Pandian takes this series next. Thank you to Minotaur, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫?”

This was the first book I have read by Gigi Pandian and I'm really glad I found this author. This is part of a series but I thought it was fine as a standalone. I would like to go back and read the other two books. I was entertained through out this book. I felt like this had great pacing and plenty of possible culprits. This was a fun mystery that I couldn’t get enough of and can't wait to see what Gigi comes up with next. I would recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

One of the things I appreciate about Gigi Pandian is that she knows when it’s time to provide her fans with some answers. I mentioned in my reviews of the first two Secret Staircase books that the mysterious disappearance of protagonist Tempest Raj’s mother played a significant role in both novels. Some authors would try to draw the plotline out as long as possible, but Pandian wraps it all up in A Midnight Puzzle, ending the trilogy on a satisfying note.

That’s not the only mystery in the book, however. Tempest is a onetime magician whose Las Vegas career ended in disgrace; she now works for her family’s construction company, which specializes in architectural puzzles, like hidden rooms and, yes, secret staircases. A client is threatening to sue them, claiming his wife was injured by one of their creations. When the man is killed by a cleverly-designed booby trap, apparently lured to the spot by a note from Tempest, she is justifiably concerned the police will assume she had something to do with it.

The location of the murder happens to be the Whispering Creek Theater, where Tempest’s mom disappeared five years ago. Magic junkies and curious onlookers start flocking to the site, livestreaming their conspiracy theories—could her mom’s ghost be haunting the place? When Tempest’s magician mentor is seriously injured there as well, she needs to determine what’s really going on at the theater.

Even though A Midnight Puzzle is a conclusion of sorts, Pandian knows how to keep her readers hooked—the last page of the book teases a new crime for Tempest to investigate, a murder in a library devoted to locked-room mysteries. Tempest may have taken her final bow onstage, but as a sleuth, she’s just getting started.

I was SO excited to get my hands on A Midnight Puzzle, book 3 in Gigi Pandian’s Secret Staircase Mystery. @gigipandian This series is seriously so much fun–it’s the perfect catnip for book lovers who have dreamed of having a house with a secret staircase leading to a reading nook filled with books. A space where no one could find you to interrupt your reading. I’ve read all three now (I listened to books one and two and they were great on audio) and am such a fan. There are so many things to love–wonderful characters, especially Tempest’s family (I would so love to be adopted by her grandfather). Tempest herself is daring and determined, and as a librarian myself, I’m a bit partial to her best friend Ivy. If you haven’t read books one and two, you must promise me to do so–you won’t regret it and this entry answers so many questions from the first two books. Such a great read that kept me turning the pages.

4 books into this series and I still love the overall conceit of magicians solving crimes/murders and these books are bit more cerebral than typical cozy mysteries too. The core characters and their relationships are still the star of this series though with Tempests family and friends featuring more and more as the series goes on. In this books we finally get the wrap up to the overarching Raj family curse plotline that has been going for multiple books, and I found the conclusion to be as compelling as I hoped.

I did find this installment not as good as the first few books, but I think that might be because of the set up of this crime felt halfway started and then stalled as we pivot to the overarching plotline.

I would say that this book does a good job of being standalone and not spoiling the previous books, but also sums up anything a reader may have forgotten (or not know) from previous books so you don't get lost. A good cozy mystery, with updated takes on classics making it a solid choice for favorites of the genre.

This is the third installment in The Secret Staircase Mysteries by Gigi Pandian. Once again we are following along as Tempest Raj, a former Vegas magician, is trying to solve a murder in her hometown but this time the ties back to her own family’s past will play a much bigger role.
This was another fantastic cozy mystery from Pandian. I love that we finally got answers to the questions that have been tucked in the previous stories in the series. I was worried that getting these answers would mean and end to one of my new favorite series but the ending definitely left open the continuation of Tempest’s adventures in crime solving. I can’t wait to see where Pandian takes Tempest story next.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.