One of my favorite things about this series has been the descriptions of the clever secret architectural constructions of "Secret Staircase Construction". While there is less whimsy in this third in the series novel, Pandian continues to build interesting plots. I was afraid we were reaching the end of the series with Tempest's final discovery of the story behind her aunt and mother's disappearance and death, but a last page knock on the door seems to happily augur a continuation.

I listened to the first half of the audiobook (narrated by Soneela Nankani), but midway through I decided that I wanted to move more quickly through the plot. The narration was good, if a little distracting with the multiple characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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 Constructions. 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 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 was a fun book. I enjoyed the first books in the series, and this one followed suit, although I felt this was a little darker, and not quite such a light read as the first ones.

Tempest is working for the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, which is struggling after a former client, Julian, tried to blame them for his wife's death, despite the fact that he had attempted to kill her. When Tempest gets a note asking her to meet Julian at the theatre. she finds him dead, the victim of an apparent booby trap. When a second person dies, Tempest is hot on the case.

Filled with the usual misdirections, booby traps and secrets, this is a good quick moving twisty plot. We meet the same friends and family, and I am always delighted with the mixture of Scottish and Indian traditions and yummy food. Tempest finally gets some details of her aunt's death and her mother's disappearance years before.

I listened to the book and really enjoyed it. The narrator did a great job of keeping the 'voices' distinct - an essential part of enjoying an audiobook for me. The pacing was well done, and made for an enjoyable book to listen to.

While this book is said it can be read as a standalone, there's a missing sense throughout the book that I should have read the previous ones first. But the story did move with its own reminder of past events, well, actually, too many times, because over and over again, the book reminded you of what happened before this. These reminders, after a few times, it became so repetitive that I was a bit annoyed. With that plus so many extra unnecessary characters, the story and intrigue itself unfortunately got pushed to the back and not centralized to keep this truly interesting. The wonders and the puzzles were well crafted, only to be upstaged by the repetitive backstories and characters that didn't add much to the punch of the matter. I was excited to read about into a magician's world and the slight of hands and all that encompassed this book, but major roadblocks made this difficult to truly make it a completely fun ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

A Midnight Puzzle
By Gigi Pandian
Read by Soneela Nankani
Firstly, I can't state enough how much I love Soneela Nankani as a narrator in such books as The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra.
However...
This particular audiobook placed even the formidable Ms. Nankani out of her vocal depth.
She was required to master no less than FIVE, count 'em: FIVE accents. No mere human I have ever heard has done that, nor could they be expected to.
In this audio, there were characters of American (natural for the narrator), Indian (again easy-peasy for this particular narrator), Scottish-difficult even for a lot of Brits, many of whom converse with Scots frequently, Ecuadorian, AND British nationalities. Much of the time the characters with these accents were having conversations with each other. The accents were so muddled, it distracted me from actually hearing the story for about the first quarter of the book.
After I managed to train myself to listen past the vocalizing, I went back and began again to catch up.
There was a lot going on in this book. Mainly, there was Tempest, who frankly wasn't the all that and a side of fries she was treated as. She had a best friend, a dad, a grandfather, a grandmother, a mentor, two hot suitors, a retired cop, and a mysterious stalker/admirer enamored with her for reasons I wasn't able to glean. She was a bit of a hot mess who spoke in imagery and seemed to not be able to finish anything. She left a lot to be handled by her acolytes who gratefully took up her tasks so she could flit from place to place with little purpose or explanation.
That said, the imagery was well written, and took a ton of ingenuity to dream up. There was definitely a need to suspend your disbelief instinct in this cozy mystery. The imagery, at times, became a bit overwhelming and I found myself half listening.
In all, this was an okay listen. I don't feel like going back and listening to the first, and I am fairly certain I won't be snagging the follow up (should there be one) unless it becomes available in my library.
Definitely don't expect to be enthralled, be prepared for the far-fetched (maybe even the un-fetchable), get ready for the words "booby trap" to become a trigger for violence, and have your patience on hand, as red herrings and word salad abound.
My deepest thanks to NetGalley for this advance digital audio in exchange for my (always honest!) review!

I wish I had known that this was the third book in the series as I like to read in order, but this book was great as a stand alone book too.

I love the cast of characters and there were so many twists - I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook. Tempest is a great main character - strong, clever, and entertaining, and the fact that her family designs “architectural misdirections” made this book unique and fun.

Thank you to #!NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I did not see those last couple of twists coming and I was totally here for it! This is one my fave fantasy series and I hope there are more books to come! I love all of the relationships in this book, they are so heartwarming and cute. I want to find out if Tempest decides to date Raj or the strong sculptor or both!

I am eagerly await another book in this series but in the meantime will satisfy myself with another of Gigi Panidan's books. I have added them all to my TBR!

What a fun read!

Fans of Flavia de Luce and Finlay Donovan will find this book incredibly entertaining. A bit of mystery, a bit of sass, some moments of laugh out loud. This book is full of endearing characters and colorful writing.

This was my first book by Gigi Pandian. I was a bit nervous to read this since it is the 3rd book in the Secret Staircase series, that I would be lost. But, surprisingly, I enjoyed this book despite missing out on previous happenings. There were references to things that I'm sure had happened in the previous two novels, but I don't think it detracted from the enjoyment in this book. Gigi Pandian did a great job giving background to the characters so that this novel can be a stand alone.

The narrator was fabulous. I enjoyed the voice changes between characters and the emotion she brought to the book. Narrators can make or break the audio listening experience, and in this case, I think she enhanced it.

I will look forward to more novels in this series!

DNF at 55%. I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was excited to get resolution to some ongoing series questions - but I just found myself bored. This story is moving too slowly and I think maybe I’m just not a cozy mystery reader. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for allowing me to audibly read and review A Midnight Puzzle on NetGalley.

Published: 03/19/24

Stars: 2.5

This was a difficult read. The biggest problem audibly was the narrator. She has the voice and performance skills perfect for a children's librarian. She has a kind, friendly, and happy voice; it's sugary sweet, clear and precise. Early on, by 25%, Secret Staircase Construction had been said so many times I thought I was being spun like a top. Also, the repetitive lines regarding her mother, figuratively I threw my hands up. This was in addition to Tempest being said so many times I didn't think I would finish.

With regards to the storyline I have no words. The architectural puzzles built into homes sounded incredible and fresh. Unfortunately all I heard was water dripping while I watched grass grow as I inched through the book.

Tempest is the main character. I didn't like her, nor have I ever enjoyed anyone with her traits. She undermines law enforcement, twists words to her advantage placing innocent people in harms way and she argues childishly in serious situations. That's not entertainment.

Credit: I don't recall any profanity.

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mystery series. Tempest Raj, a former stage magician, finds her family’s construction company, Hidden Staircase Construction, is under attack. One of their clients is suing them with false claims about their construction. When this client turns up dead, Tempest has to do everything in her power to make sure the police get the right person.

I have loved this series since the very beginning and this was a great new addition to the series. Tempest is a great main character and I love following along with her friends and family as Tempest uncovers the secrets around her. This book is full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The way this book wraps up at the end is perfectly done and I loved how everything fit together to answer the questions revolving around the murder as well as the secrets Tempest had been trying to unravel for years. I fully enjoyed this book and really hope this isn’t the end of the series! If you are a fan of magic mixed with mystery, give this series a chance!

An interesting story coupling Now You See Me with Christie-like settings, I enjoyed this read thru, though the prose of the book was very simple. Dialogue was stilted. Emotions transparent. Kinda basic cozy mystery, honestly.

Still enjoyed it, though!

The narrator did a great job of giving the characters life, as well, keeping the tempo upbeat and drawing you in.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this pre-published, endearing read!
This is a fast paced YA Mystery.
As someone who loves puzzles, I was quickly drawn in.
Tempest solves the hardest puzzles there are, mysteries. This book describes her solving current murders while also solving the cold case of her mom's murder.

The visualization through the story told made the book wvwn more enjoyable.

The narrator had a hard role using a Scottish accent and an Indian accent. She sometimes used a Scottish accent for Indian characters and vise versa. I think this made the book even more enjoyable.

You you brought along on this maze of an adventure. Enjoy the read!

Is this when we learn about what actually happened to Emma Raj along with some others I shall not name here to avoid spoilers?! YES! Are we happy and sad to learn about the Raj curse? YES! Did Tempest outdo herself? YES!

Tempest decided to work with her papa and his construction crew. She was using her stage building skills to give people unique spaces. This was supposed to be Tempest's way to move away from trouble. But nope, they were still in trouble but legal kind this time. Someone took a fall because of their "faulty" construction and now, the husband was suing them. Story would be too anticlimactic if this was the only trouble they were in. Don't worry there was always more where those troubles come from

While Tempest was not the teenager, I think she finally grew up during this story. Figuring out the mysteries surrounding her past, present, and future. and understanding what people were capable of in their own self-preserving ways turned her into the woman her mother would be proud of. Now that major question marks are gone, I wonder what will come next

Tempest finally finds out what happened to her mom after 5 years of wondering. I really enjoyed following tempest through her journey in her book with her friends and family and discovering what happened to not only her mom, aunt and the character Julian in this book who died.

I really enjoyed the magical aspect and fun adventure that GiGi put her characters through.

This book is told in present day, past and different characters perspectives which did confuse me a little since I was reading this book as an audiobook.

My only other issue is there are so many characters, it seemed like even Tempest didn’t want to talk to all the characters mentioned in the book. There were several scenes where it seemed like a character was mentioned and then they just didn’t show up or they just were forgotten by the main character.

But I am interested to see if GiGi continues this series and where it would go from here now that the big mystery is solved. If we would get more of an Ivy perspective or if the love triangle would ever be solved. But I would recommend and can’t wait to see what GiGi does next

A Midnight Puzzle is such an interesting read/listen. I enjoy the narrator. Tempest is preparing for her final performance as a magician and growing in her role as designer for secret staircase construction. Secret Staircase Construction is being sued by a home owner who says their work was shoddy ending in harm to his wife. Then the homeowner ends up dead.
This truly is a puzzle and I enjoyed following the pieces laid down by the author to the complete picture.
The characters have grown on me. I look forward to seeing what comes next for Tempest and friends.
Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the chance to follow Tempest’s latest adventure.

🎧🔲A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE by Gigi Pandian and read by the amazing Soneela Nankani is the next adventure in The Secret Staircase series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I love these stories. I love the idea of a construction company that specializes in building secret spaces in fun and whimsical ways. I love the extended family ties, spanning continents of origin with perfect ease. I love the clever "locked-room" mysteries that surprise me every time. I love the friendships that give support. What I really loved in this one was the deeper dive into Tempest's mom's disappearance, an on-going mystery through the books.

Tempest Raj is an illusionist who has come back to work in her family construction company, Secret Staircase Construction. Recently, a horrible man tried to kill his wife by tampering with a project and then blaming the company. When he is found dead by a particularly odd mechanism at a theater, Tempest thinks booby-trap, and it won't be the first one! She has to find this killer and protect her family name.

I love getting to pair these stories with the audio! As the grandparents are Indian and Scottish, the accents are just so much fun and better than I could do in my head. The recipes in these books are also extremely tempting and the descriptions of the foods in the books always make me drool. I wish these people were real and lived next door.

I absolutely recommend this book for a stand-alone, but do go and check out the series too! This one comes out on March 19th, and for cozy mystery readers, this will be a great read.

Thank you @netgalley @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books for this delightful reading experience!

Tempest Raj and her family have a unique business called Secret Staircase Construction. They create rooms that are referred to as architectural misdirection. The family business is under attack. Could the company's most recent construction be responsible for the death of one of their clients?

This series is written from Tempest's POV. I love her character! She is smart-mouthed, but insanely clever and talented. The idea of architectural puzzles is really cool and it was fun to imagine being in a room that had such a clever design. Of course, this book has a serious edge since there was a death, and this death had to be investigated. Of course, Tempest felt it was up to her to find the person responsible.

I so love this series. It is a literal case of locked room mysteries, and the first two book, Under Lock & Skeleton Key and The Raven Thief. In each book there is a unique construction that factors into the current mystery. In this book, A Midnight Puzzle, the family is in dire straits and I love how this book came along. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I have been impatiently waiting for this audiobook to be released. I was excited when I learned that I could review the eALC for NetGalley.

First, let me tell you how I learned of this great series. I am a HUGE fan of the narrator. I absolutely love the work of Soneela Nankani and I was wanting something to read, but really didn't feel like tackling my TBL pile. Well, I did a search to see what books Soneela Nankani narrated and came across this series about a stage magician, locked room mysteries and hidden rooms. I was intrigued.

Let me tell you that Soneela doesn't disappoint with her voicing of the characters. From creating the accents for the Indian grandparents to the Scottish grandmother to her American friends, Soneela seems to manage it all without skipping a beat.

As for the story, most cozy mysteries you can skip around in the series without an issue. However, in this particular book, I advise that you read the first 2 books before reading this. Thankfully, you have over a month to get that done before this one is published. The reason that I say this is because the first 2 lay out some much-needed groundwork for the main mystery that takes place in this book.

Tempest Raj's family has been under the impression that there has been a family curse that takes the lives of some of the stage magicians in her family. First her great uncle, then her aunt and finally her mom, all while performing on stage. However, she feels that the deaths of her aunt and her mom may not really be a curse, but murder and she is out to prove who killed them.

Tempest Raj works for her dad's construction crew at Secret Staircase Construction. This is one of the coolest construction companies around. If you want to have a secret room built into your home, then they would be the ones to call. If you want to have some other secret feature built, they would be the one to call. In each of the books, they would describe some of the different features and my mind would go into overdrive dreaming up the elaborate designs. I have always wanted to have cool things like that. In fact, when I was a kid, me and my next-door neighbor wanted an underground tunnel built between our pools. That way we could swim between the two. This would be the company that would be called to build such a tunnel.

However, one of their recent clients has brought a lawsuit against them and has called their very reputation into question. Tempest goes to work with her friends to find out the truth behind the allegations. In doing so, she finds out much more than she bargains.

Once again, Gigi Panian has written a wonderfully constructed story of murder, mystery and magic. I was easily lost in the story and felt that I was right there alongside Tempest as she uncovered all the hidden clues to solve not only the case involving the recent client, but also the murder of her mom and aunt.

It was so nice to see all of the returning characters who have become like family. And I really hope that this series continues. There are so many more adventures that they can take us on.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an open and honest review.

I could be an outlier, but for me this book had too many characters and too many subplots. I read this as a standalone, so maybe part of my disinterest in the characters' shenanigans was due to the story reliance on a connection that was established in earlier books.