Please see my complete review for this for the audio version which I recently requested once I saw available. Thank you!

In the third in the Secret Staircase series, our protagonist, Tempest Raj, is working for her father's company and still acclimating to her new career. In A Midnight Puzzle, the construction company is under attack and a former client, who is suing, is murdered in the night. Tempest needs to clear her name and that of her family's company.

As always, plenty of inspiration from the Golden Age of locked room thrillers and detective. Clever, charming and very fulfilling and an answer to the mystery of the Raj Family Curse!
#Stmartinspress #amidnightpuzzle #secretstaircase #gigpandian

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. Other than Ms. Pandian’s books, I have not read other locked room books. I enjoyed this story and feel it is a great addition to the Secret Staircase series. I am happy to note that Tempest and her Scooby gang will have more adventures. I will be looking into John Dickson Carr’s work.

The first arc of the Secret Staircase mysteries is done, and I'm simultaneously left satisfied and craving more. It was nice to finally get some closure on the Raj family curse and some other loose ends floating around from the previous books, in that uniquely magical way that Gigi Pandian writes. Parts of this one were a little extra fantastical and I felt like there were a few too many plot points happening, but the conclusion was still oh so satisfying. As usual Abra the rabbit is the star!

*Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Secret Staircase Mystery #3. Still adjusting to the end of her career as a stage magician in Vegas, Tempest Raj is settling in working for her family's construction business specializing in unique architectural features such as floating staircases and hidden rooms. Still haunted by the mysterious death of her aunt and her mother's disappearance five years ago she is researching these events After renting a local theater to present a show based on the events., a former litigagous client is killed by a booby trap at the site . Tempest and her friends must work fast to clear their names. Pandian is well versed in the Golden Age's classic locked room mysteries and pays homage to them in her creative and imaginative series. The warm quirky cast of characters are well developed and engaging. The plot twists can be somewhat challenging for this reader as they often involve sleight of hand and other devices of stage magic requiring close attention. I enjoyed that a continuing story arc from earlier books was addressed in this entry. An entertaining read and would recommend to any reader who enjoys a clever and different premise.

I always enjoy reading a 'locked room' mystery by Gigi Pandian. This is the third in this series about the amazing magician, Tempest Raj. While you can read it as a stand-alone, you're liable to get more enjoyment by having read the first two books in the series as this is the culmination of the three book arc about the disappearance and death of Tempest's mother and aunt. There are lots and lots of plots and sub-plots in this book which is another reason by reading the preceding two books will help keep all the characters straight. Ms. Pandian does an amazing job at this sub-genre of the cozy mystery, which I suspect is one of the hardest tasks to pull off.

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mystery series, so if you haven't checked out the first two, I would recommend going back and reading them first as the characters and greater plot build throughout. A midnight puzzle nicely caps off the first part of the series, providing closure for the main character Tempest Raj and her family, but with another cliffhanger, it sounds like the series will go on!

Tempest works for Secret Staircase Construction, as a former stage magician she helps to transfer some of her skills in illusion into the family construction company. Her father's company has just been hit with a lawsuit from on of their former clients who is claiming negligence after his wife was put into a coma. When the former client ends up dead, outside of the very theatre that Tempest rents she finds herself once again immersed in a police investigation. Can she find the killer before they kill again? Is this murder tied to the famous Raj family curse?

Another great read, I have really enjoyed this series. Although I'm glad that there has been development in the over-arching plot of the series, I wasn't quite as enthralled as I was with the previous two books. Don't get me wrong, the plot is intriguing, the character interaction, and the mystery as a whole were entertaining, but I've previously not determined the killer this early on. So it was just waiting for the details to unfold in the second half of the book.

I love that some of the secondary characters are starting to get a bit more page-time. It's nice to see the growth of Ivy and Gideon, and the mystery of Moriarty too. I'm curious where Gigi Pandian will take us with the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gigi Pandian, and St.Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this advanced copy. I received this copy for free but am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian tells the 3rd installment of the Tempest Raj magician. I read the first but not the second and it was great to reconnect with these characters. The plot, storyline, details of the magic tricks and the design architecture are very detailed. In the beginning of the book, the author kept inserting the same occurrences from book 1. A few times is ok but this was often and bogged down the story. It sounds like there will be another book. I recommend. Thank you to NetGallery and Minotaur for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

At last we solve the mystery of the Raj family Curse! Of course there is also another murder of a completely horrible person that Tempest needs to solve too. It is kind of nice that only nasty people end up dead in these books. Moriarty makes a nice return in this book too, and I finally got to meet Nicodemus the Necromancer and his fabulous paper artwork. I would love to see that! There is a good impossible, regenerating stabby door for Tempest to figure out and I will state once again that I would love to hire the Secret Staircase Construction company to build me a secret library.

While the big mystery of the curse is solved in this book, I was happy to read that Tempest will probably keep solving magical impossible murders. I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book to read and review.

I didn't know until I read for awhile that this was the third book in the series. It's a very good mystery with intriguing characters. The author did a job with the backstory but I still was rather lost and would have like more information or have read the first two books.

I’ve been reading this author for years, and I have quite enjoyed all her books including this latest in the Secret Staircase series. I can’t say I’ve been a huge fan of locked door mysteries, but this series has definitely sparked my interest. This latest book has poor Tempest trying to not lose hope about a lawsuit against her father’s business, and then the suer dies. That’s not all; his death might tie into her family’s curse. This book is filled with so many surprises, I was left trying to keep up. Illusionist magic is so cool, and it plays such an interesting part in these books. I’m excited to see where the author is leading us to in the next one. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Midnight is fast approaching as Ivy and Tempest, alone in Whispering House, are constructing a hidden staircase to lead from the foyer to the attic. Tempest has created sliding puzzle panels that would reveal a hidden door when the puzzle was solved.

But they’d found strange items when they opened the walls; now they were behind schedule . . . and Julian Rhodes was causing problems for them. After he’d tried to kill his wife, he blamed her fall on Secret Staircase Construction.

As Ivy wonders if the street is cursed, the two continue their work, finishing the cosmetic touches that consumed so much time. Their work this night [unknown to the others] would lighten the load for the other workers. But soon after Tempest’s mentor, arrives, Tempest receives a mysterious call from Julian. Perplexed, she heads to the theater to meet the man.

But when she arrives, she finds Julian dead.

Who is behind the man’s murder? And how will Tempest prove they are being framed?

=========

The book, a Secret Staircase novel, is the third in the author’s Secret Staircase Mysteries series. Although there is a fair amount of backstory here, readers may find it preferable to read the books in order [beginning with “Under Lock and Skeleton Key”].

Well-defined, intriguing characters and a twisty plot keep the pages turning as the unfolding story offers some surprising revelations. As with the previous books in the series, puzzles, showmanship, and stage magic all play a significant part in the telling of the tale as the story pays tribute to locked room mysteries.

Readers who enjoy the seemingly unsolvable mystery, clever sleights of hand, and locked room tales will find much to appreciate here.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#AMidnightPuzzle #NetGalley

Once again I find myself in the position of reviewing the third book in a series. I have very much enjoyed the first two books in this series (Under Lock and Skeleton Key, and The Raven Thief), and was eagerly awaiting the third, so I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review this ARC. Readers who have read and enjoyed the prior entries in this series will find a lot to like about this new work--the same found family cozy vibes, the luscious descriptions of food, and the seemingly impossible mysteries are all still present, as are the characters we’ve come to know and love.

I confess myself to have been less interested in the overarching mystery that has been driving Tempest through the series--and more interested in the mystery of the week flavor. In this book the overarching mystery comes to take center stage, which somewhat (but not a lot) influenced my enjoyment of the book. I also felt that there was something of a drop off in the tightness and creativity of the “impossible” mysteries in this book (though that might be because The Raven Thief set such a high bar in that regard). I’m also less interested in the budding love triangle, which is playing a more prominent role in this book.

Finally, I did predict the culprit a pretty long way out, whereas some of the other books in the series kept me guessing all the way until the end. So overall I’d say that this is a slightly disappointing, but overall still quite enjoyable entry in the series. However, as a warning, if you aren’t already reading this series--begin at the beginning--this is not a series that you can dip into and out of with no regard for order. If you enjoy locked room mysteries, found families, and mysteries that are more concerned with entertaining you than “realism,” this would be a good series to try--just start at Under Lock and Skeleton Key.

What I am most grateful to this book and series for is introducing me to John Dickson Carr--one of my favorite mystery authors, and also bringing its usual brand of charm and whimsy to my life.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

The Midnight Puzzle, by Gigi Pandian, is a creative mystery novel centered around some very unusual personalities that almost give this story the feel of being a fantasy. But then, these characters are stage magicians who live and breathe their craft in various ways.

Since this was my first Secret Staircase Mystery, I was unfamiliar with these personalities, so it did feel that there were a lot of characters and backstories to keep track of. For instance, Tempest Raj, the protagonist, has had her stage career ruined by a tragic accident, but it was never clear to me exactly what occurred. I felt the same way about the fates of her mother and aunt. Actually, there were several stories tucked into this book, perhaps too many to fully describe. In the end, motives might have been revealed, but many details were not.

Tempest’s mentor, Nicodemus, is a fascinating character, and the concept of a construction company with the mission of bringing a bit of magic into people’s lives is fabulous. Those are a couple things I will certainly remember for a long time. It was a fun read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this opportunity.

The third book in the Secret Staircase Mystery series does not disappoint. We once again get to follow Tempest and her family as they navigate the mysterious death of a former client. These stories are so fun, and readers get fully immersed in Tempest's family dynamics, their culture, and even their recipes! Each character is beautifully complex and developed, making every aspect of this story immersive and fascinating. Definitely another winner.

Thank you so much to Gigi Pandian and St. Martian's Press for the Digital ARC of this book. I love a good mystery book and this one was great. It has a great story line and great characters. This is the 3rd book in the series so I will be going back to read the first 2. looking forward to reading more from Gigi.

Very engaging story. Having never read this author before, I am feeling that the book is part of a series but if so I was able to quickly figure out the characters. The villains were not apparent and it was not one of those stories where the reader can figure out who did it in the end with little effort. Overall it was well written and enjoyable.

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mystery series. Tempest and her family are in the midst of dealing with legal attacks coming from former client Julian Rhodes. Julian is attempting to blame the family's business for his attempt to murder his wife. Tempest receives a late night call from Julian requesting a meeting at Whispering Creek Theater. She arrives to find Julian has been killed with a sword that came from a booby trap. Tempest is forced to clear her name and her family's.

This is one of the most creative cozy mystery series out there! Tempest is a great character. I am always drawn into the descriptions of the family's business and the work they do on properties. Can someone please build me a secret library with a room? It sounds like such fun! The mysteries are top notch. I look forward to reading more books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is wonderful and the characters are well developed. I think I would have benefited by reading the earlier books in this series first, but I was able to catch on to the situation rather quickly. I do think there are a LOT of moving parts in this book, to the point of distraction. So many plots, subplots, and interconnected stories. And I don't understand the huge emphasis on showmanship; I'm sure it's because because I can't relate to magicians and their huge egos. Additionally, there are things that I never could visualize, which caused me to give this book the rating that I have. I never could follow the construction of the shadow stage, the layout of Fiddler's Folly or even the hidden staircases. And if I can't visualize some of the major components of a story, then it loses me. A large part of enjoying a book is the way it plays in my head, and this one didn't do it for me. I do not recommend that this book is read prior to the earlier volumes.

The ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

I think this will be a nice cozy mystery for the target audience! I can't get past all the repetition in certain words within the first few chapters. It was rather aggressive as it kept happening. Especially the phrases/titles since they were capitalized. The writing style was not working for me, as it was reading like middle grade, even though it doesn't say anywhere that it is middle grade. I have to pass on this one, unfortunately.