This was very entertaining. It was so fun to read. Great characters and loved the story line. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

unputdownable, suspense, legerdemain, family-dynamics, family-business, relatives, relationships, friends, friendship, cultural-exploration, illusionists, small-business, small-town, carpentry, amateur-sleuth, verbal-humor, pet-bunny, cozy-mystery, traps, murders, local-law-enforcement*****

The publisher's blurb is pretty good so I won't repeat that. I loved this masterful mystery with all of its quirky characters! Try to fit all the pieces together to solve the murders (they were NOT committed by a ghost!) before the end and enjoy!
The Secret Staircase is a niche construction company run operated by family who live in a tree house.
I confess that I have loved every book that Gigi Pandian has published.
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#SecretStaircaseMysteries3

Life is never dull or predictable for Tempest Raj. Unfortunately, it’s not always in a good way. Tempest was a magician, who now works in the family business,Secret Staircase Construction, designing rooms with magical surprises. But one client, Julian Rhodes is determined to ruin their business. When he is murdered in an unusual way, the finger points directly at Tempest. Not only must she clear her name, but she also needs to figure out who is behind this impossible crime.
As the plot thickens, Tempest is also determined to discover what happened to her aunt and her mother. Could this latest mystery somehow be connected to their deaths? Tempest won’t stop searching until she finds answers.
I’m a total nerd when it comes to magic and magicians. I love all the tricks and the oh so clever rooms that Tempest creates. I would love love for Secret Staircase Construction to be a real company. Who knows maybe some sleight-of-hand and a few illusions will add a bit of magic to my own home library.
This was another intriguing, cozy mystery. I don’t want to fall into spoiler territory, but I was glad that Tempest finally got some answers about the Raj family curse. An enjoyable series and I hope there will be more!

"A Midnight Puzzle" is a cozy mystery. This is the third novel in the series. You can understand it without reading the previous books, and none of the previous mysteries were spoiled. There was some bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.

The main characters were interesting and generally likable. This was a clue-based mystery. I kept thinking 'if Tempest would just listen--really listen--to what her mentor is saying...clues, girl!' But she didn't want to think anything bad about her mentor and so didn't think over what he said about the past. While I had much of the mystery solved fairly early on, I didn't guess specifically whodunit until Tempest figured it out and set up an elaborate performance/trap to prove their guilt.

I really enjoyed this book. While I haven’t read the previous books, I was still able to follow along. I do think reading the prior books would have made the book even more enjoyable, the backstory was summarized in this book and at times I wished I had the whole story. I will be going back and reading books 1 and 2.

A midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian

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

An interesting cozy mystery involving the theater. Many twists, turns, and secret rooms. Quite a number of enjoyable characters………. I enjoyed reading this novel.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

This is a really unique mystery series that I have been really enjoying. I love the puzzles and trying to figure them out with the characters. I loved both books in the series so far.

A lot of loose ends get tied up in the latest Secret Staircase book and I hope it's just the end of a story arc and not the series! Tempest is preparing for a farewell show when she finds the body of a difficult client on the steps of the theater. Conspiracy theories abound since this was the theater her mother disappeared from and rumors of curses begin to swirl around Tempest and her family. But, as Sherlock Holmes said, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains- however improbable - must be the truth.

How does a presumed dead person set a booby trap at a local theatre many years after her disappearance? When a former client sues Secret Staircase Construction, Tempest's father's business, then is murdered by the booby trap at a theatre Tempest has rented, the police are very interested in the case. Too impatient to wait for the police to clear her mother's name, Tempest embarks on a mystery so long in the making that leads her to some painful truths. An excellent addition to this series.

Gigi Pandian's Secret Staircase Mysteries just keep getting more and more entertaining. In the third in the series, A Midnight Puzzle, the reputation of Secret Staircase Construction, Tempest Raj's family's business, is threatened. Client Julian Rhodes' wife is seriously injured in a fall at home, and Julian is blaming the company for shoddy construction. But when Tempest is summoned to an old theater she is renting for her final show as a stage magician, she witnesses a brutal murder that calls into question everything she knows about the theater, her client, and who may be trying to incriminate her and ruin the business. What begins as two attacks turns into an opportunity for Tempest to find out what really happened to her aunt and her mother, also magicians, and perpetuated the family curse.

Secret Staircase Construction is in the business of renovating structures to include "architectural elements like a built-in bookcase that slid open to reveal a secret library, a reading nook accessed by stepping through a door hidden behind a portrait, or a faux fireplace that led to a playroom when you pressed bricks in the right order." Tempest joined the company after a disastrous show that ended her own career as a magician, but she has found she really enjoys working as a designer of architectural puzzles instead of magic effects. She is surrounded by her half-Indian, half-Scottish family and characters we have come to know in previous series entries, including an elderly magician preparing for his last tour, two men vying for her attention--one a magician, one a sculptor--and her librarian best friend and coworker, Ivy. Hovering in the background is someone she has nicknamed Moriarty, who may be either a nefarious stalker or a besotted supporter. And then there's Tempest's over-sized lop-eared rabbit, Abra (short for Abracadabra).

I absolutely love reading about the uber-creative changes the company has made to clients' homes and about the life of a stage magician, and I admire the author's research to make them feel authentic. The mysteries are all intricate, with suspenseful conclusions. In future entries, I am hoping for more depth to Tempest's character, now that she can hopefully leave the past behind and more forward in her new career.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press--Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Such a fun series! I really love the way Pandian has crafted magic and family and mystery into a series that is not only intriguing as a long game but also in the individual mysteries of each individual book. Her characters are complex and flawed and deliciously human for both factors. I love the way she continually shifts the reader's expectations, using misdirection with as much skill as her heroine Tempest. I did find the big wrap up to the murders of her mother and Aunt to be a bit convoluted, but still satisfying. I was afraid this was going to be the final book, when that mystery resolved itself, but liked that there was a cliffhanger without being a cliffhanger (that is, something is left on resolved but it's brought in with so little detail that it's not irritating but simply intriguing) at the end, which strongly indicates that more books will come. I am delighted about that, because this is a very fun series and I cannot wait for the next installment!

A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian is the third in the Secret Staircase Construction series and as usual Tempest Raj has a murder to solve as well as constructing hidden rooms and other fun architectural marvels. As always, a fun protagonist and lots of twisty turns before finding out who done it.

This is a nice cozy murder mystery that takes places in the theater. If you love theater, cozy murder mysteries and puzzles, then this may be the novel for you. I really enjoyed the Nicodemus character. He was definitely my favorite character. In fact, I preferred him over Tempest. I think the characters were written well enough and the storyline was easy to follow.

A fairly entertaining story with plenty of nods to the Golden Age of detective fiction. The premise of having so much of the story relate to stage magicians just isn't one that I personally find that interesting, as the illusions and stagecraft are so intensely visual that it's hard to get them to come across plausibly on the page. For my brain, anyway.
It was not difficult to pick out the villain just based on the options and basic principles of misdirection, so it didn't feel too surprising at the end.
My favorite part, though, is the Locked Room Library with its train car meeting room, and all the shout-outs to clever writers of the past, like John Dickson Carr. If you enjoy genre fiction of the cozy mystery type, you might find this fun.

Tempest Raj is back again with another murder to solve, and this murder may solve more than she realizes. The Secret Staircase Construction is involved in a lawsuit brought on by a former client, Julian Rhodes who claims the shoddy work of the company caused his wife, Paloma to fall nearly to her death. But when Julian is murdered outside the theater that Tempest has rented, suspicion and rumors begin to appear everywhere on social media. Including a paranormal investigation into Emma Raj’s (Tempest mother) ghost having a hand in his death. Luckily, for Tempest, her best friend Ivy, smitten friend Sanjay, co-worker Gideon and with the support of her family, she might just be able to solve the case!

This is the second book I’ve reviewed by Gigi Pandian and I was just as enthralled in this book as I was the first. Gigi has a wonderful way of letting clues out without you realizing she has handed you another piece of the puzzle. I honestly want to have Secret Staircase Construction build me a hidden door that leads to a secret library, the descriptions of the mechanisms and illusions created are just as much a part of the story as is the mystery itself. You can feel the concern, love and warmth of Tempest’s family, the descriptions of her grandfather Ash’s cooking make me want to go eat Indian food and the genuine love of family comes across in the writing. Tempest’s friends and co-workers are a big part of her life and I enjoy the friendship, the way the characters interact with each other creates another layer to this lovely book. This is a good mystery, has intriguing characters and is a wonderful story to boot, don’t past this book by. Now, I just need directions to Hidden Creek.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian. This is the third book in the series and it can be read as a standalone. Tempest and her quirky family and friends are really growing on me. I love the inventiveness of the construction company, and the addition of magic and puzzles is always intriguing. The story was so interesting and complex I couldn’t wait until the big reveal. I always love the bonus of recipes too. If you want an immersive read with original characters and a fun story, don’t miss this book!

I just love this series! The quirky characters, magic and elaborate puzzles make it so much fun to read. This one involves Tempest trying to finally solve the family curse as well as the new murders that take place. Can she solve it in time to prevent another loved one's death? A Midnight Puzzle is full of twists and turns. Some of the events near the end of this book were quite surprising! I didn't expect them at all. The way it ended made me wish the next book was out already. I can't wait to read it! Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Expected publication is March 19, 2024.

As usual Gigi does not disappoint. This is yet another twisty puzzle for Tempest and us. I love this series. I love most everything this author writes. I really enjoy her other series featuring Jaya Jones. I hope both series will continue for a very long time.

Secrets, lies, and booby traps! Tempest has her hands full trying to figure out the puzzle of the murders of the past that she is sure ties into the recent murders at the old historic theater she rented. This book was a page turner that kept me reading well into the night. Wonderful well drawn out characters and a twisty plot. 5/5 *****

I enjoy reading about Tempest Raj, her friends and family, and her magical misdirection, architectural or magic. This story deepens into the Raj Family Curseas and several new murders. There were many twists and turns, dead ends, and hidden doors, and it was fun to try and solve the murders and curse along with Tempest. I have become a huge fan of Gigi Pandian's locked room mysteries! I love the references to other mysteries written in the same genre -- my reading list grew significantly!