This is my first time reading this author and despite this being the 4th book in the series, I figured it could be read as a stand alone as most cozy mysteries can. And I was right. I had no issue having not read the first books as any information needed was explained in this book in a seamless way.

This is the epitome of “cozy” mystery. It’s one that you can just curl up with and get through quickly. It is a little slow at the beginning but it quickly picks up to get into the action.

It’s the type of book that you wish you could be in real like. An old house being transformed into a niche library with a murder mystery dinner? Yes please!

So if you’re looking for a fun low stakes cozy read for this early Spring, this book comes out on March 18th 2025.

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from St Martin’s Press through NetGalley to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

Can I just say that St Martins line up from different imprints for the first half of the year is killing it!! So many awesome books coming out!
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Summary
Tempest Raj is a master of transforming ordinary homes into extraordinary experiences. Her family business, Secret Staircase Construction, creates unique architectural features like sliding bookshelves, secret passageways, gargoyles with secrete levers, and the like.

Their latest job is at the Gray House. The former owner made specific plans to convert the home into a library and Tempest’s team is going all out to set the stage for a grand opening including a murder mystery dinner and escape room. But, rehearsal doesn’t go as planned when the real corpse of one of the actors appears, and disappears.

In order to save the library opening, Tempest and her friends must solve the mystery and the murder.

Review
This was my first read by this author, which is to say that I had not read the previous books in the series. While much of the necessary background information is dropped in throughout the book, I would recommend reading the others in the series before starting this one. As a solo read, the background information didn’t feel repetitive, but for those who are familiar with the rest of the series, it may come across as redundant.

I think I enjoyed the concept of this book more than I actually enjoyed it in practice. I was expecting more escape room puzzle solving, but the vast majority of this book takes place outside of the escape rooms. The whole experience left me wanting more (and not in the good way). Characters felt half thought through and some interactions borderlined on cliché / overdramatized, the puzzles and the mystery fell flat.

This was a quick read but left a lot to be desired.

(Thank you to Gigi Pandian, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published March 18, 2025)

I adore this series, and The Library Game is an excellent addition to it! This was a great cozy mystery filled with intriguing puzzles. As always, I loved the humor, the characters and the way they work together to solve a murder. The development with Gideon was exciting and I hope he doesn't stay away for too long. This was the first time that I've been able to figure out who the killer was in one of these books. I also had the motive right although I did not know how everything was done. That didn't take away from my enjoyment, however. If you enjoy clever mysteries, I highly recommend this whole series!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

The author is the modern Queen of the Locked-Room Mystery, and Book 4 in her Secret Staircase series is a thrilling multicultural delight. It can be read solo but I highly recommend going back and reading the whole series to enhance your full enjoyment. Can't wait for more!

The Library Game is a good choice for fans of cozy mysteries and reader plot solving puzzles. I would recommend reading the previous books in this series first.

The Library Game is the 4th book in the secret staircase series. It takes place in the town of Hidden Creek. Tempest Raj is the main character. She works for her father in the Secret Staircase Construction Company. She had been living in Boston as a magician but a disaster brought her home where she was starting her life over. Gideon Torres is a stone mason and sculptor and worked part-time for the construction company. He is also a veriy good friend of Tempest. He is going to France for 3 months to study abroad. Ivy Youngblood is Tempest's best friend and co-worker.

Harold Gray, a 90 year old man has died. He was making his house into a special library. He had hired HIdden Creek Staircase Construction Company to renovate the house and make it a library. Gray House was to be a library comprised exclusively of classic detective fiction. Enid Maddox owns the Lock Room Library which focuses on impossible crime fiction. Harold had made her incharge of the Grey House Library.

Although the house was not completed yet it was part of the Hidden Creek Summer Stroll. A once a year festival. It also had on the second floor and escape room the haunted library room which is now ready to open this weekend. Tempest and Ivy had written a play that was going to be also part of the festival. It had 3 players who were going to act it out. They were Milton Silver, Kira Kendrick and Lucas Cruz who were all members in an amateurk theatical troupe of Hidden Creek Solitary Theatre. Sunjay was a magician who was visiting Tempest. He went by the name Hindi Hodini on stage. Cameron Grey was Harold's grandnephew who inherited the house. He was there to finish the library for his uncle. Barbara Hudson lived across the street from the library. She was not happy about the library being finished. She and Harold had been good friends until he decided to do it.

Tempest and everyone were going to check out the escape room. They found that they were trapped in it and it took awhile to get out. Their cell phones all had been put in the kitchen before they went to the escape room.

Lucas wanted to impress Kira so he enlisted Sanjay to help him do so. He wouldn't be at the rehersal that day so Sunjoy would fill in for him. Lily and Tempest were doing last minute things to the house. There was a broken wheel on the sliding bookcase which she was able to fix. She told Gudeon that she felt that it had been wreaked on purpose, Enid's library had been ransacked by someone earlier that week. Tempest had noticed that Sunjay's trunk was part of the livingroom setting. What was it doing there. What was Sunjay up to. The play called for Sunjay to die. When they were doing the scene the lights went out. Sunjay was to be on the floor face up but the body was on the floor face down. When they realized that it wasn't Sunjay but Lucas. Where was Sunjay who was missing. They ran into the kitchen to get their phones and called the police. While waiting for them all went back into the living room to check on the body but it was gone. The police arrived but after hearing their storiy they did not believe them. After they left they heard a noise on the second floor and all went to investigate. Cameron took the fire poker as a weapon to protect them. They didn't find anything so went back into the livingroom to regroup. They found Lucas on the floor with his face battered and a bullet hole in his chest. They called the police again and this time Detective Blackburn arrived.

This is where the story takes off with a lot of twists and turns. There is too much to put down so I will leave it to the reader to enjoy to the surprising ending.

I really enjoyed the story. The author kept the reader guessing who had killed Lucas. I look forward to reading this series from the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley and Minatour Books for this ARC.

Gigi Pandian’s The Library Game is a delightful homage to classic detective fiction, blending the charm of literary nostalgia with a twisty modern mystery. Tempest Raj and her team at Secret Staircase Construction take on a dream project: creating a library celebrating iconic fictional detectives. But the literary fun turns deadly during a murder mystery dinner rehearsal when a baffling crime unfolds—a real-life locked-room puzzle that would make Agatha Christie proud. With wit, warmth, and a richly diverse cultural touch, Pandian crafts a captivating tale filled with ingenious secrets, delectable family meals, and thrilling detective work. Fans of cozy mysteries and clever, impossible crimes will relish every page of this enchanting installment in the Secret Staircase series.

Tempest Raj and her crew from Secret Staircase Construction are working on the Gray House Library for new owner Cameron and the exciting murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room. Unfortunately rehearsal ends with a murdered actor and a vanishing body.
This is number 4 in the secret Staircase Mystery series, but I wasn’t aware of that before reading this book. While they mention past experiences I didn’t feel like I was lost and I’m interested in learning more about these characters so I’ll likely go back and read her earlier books.
I really enjoy Tempest and her gang of mystery solving friends with the unlikely Abra the white rabbit as their animal mascot. The concept of a literary themed escape room in a Victorian home converted into a mystery themed library really spoke to my librarian side. Over all I really enjoyed this story and characters. The Library Game was a fun locked room type mystery, with just the right amount of magic and cozy mystery atmosphere.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Tempest Raj’s world of magical libraries and impossible crimes is back in The Library Game, a delightful blend of cozy mystery and clever puzzles. This time, a rehearsal for an interactive murder mystery takes a chilling turn when an actor is seemingly killed—and their body vanishes without a trace. Set against the charming backdrop of a library celebrating classic detective fiction, Tempest's unique magician’s skills shine as she unravels an intricate web of illusion and motive.

While the playful whodunit and literary nods are captivating, the character development lags slightly, leaving Tempest’s intriguing backstory and relationships underexplored. Still, Gigi Pandian masterfully crafts a satisfying mystery, perfect for fans of clever twists and a touch of magic.

The Library Game is the latest in the Secret Staircase Novel series by Gigi Pandian. I really enjoyed this installment! I had a guess about who did it, but I had no idea how. It was a lot of fun to read about Tempest and her friends working their way to a solution. It’s interesting to figure out how Ms. Pandian is going to add magic to each mystery and it’s very enjoyable to solve a mystery with her crew. The only thing that I might wish for in this series is a little more romance for Tempest! She deserves it! I can’t wait for the next installment to see how the gang figures the next one out.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a cute, cozy murder mystery! I went into this pretty blind, not realizing it was part of a series, but it does a great job of introducing everyone to the reader so that you're not super lost if new to the series. I had fun time trying to guess where the story was going and who the murderer was! I'll definitely be looking intot he other books in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!

After solving a very personal mystery in A Midnight Puzzle, I was excited to see Tempest again. I am just going to say that I figured out whodunnit early in the story. It did not lessen my enjoyment, and I might have patted myself on the back when the author confirmed that I was correct.
Tempest is watching a rehearsal of a locked room themed play in Gray House. The owner has left his home and extensive book collection in a trust, setting up a library. When one of the actors is murdered, and then vanishes, Tempest has her hands full, trying to figure out how this impossible crime happened.
I just love her father’s company, Secret Staircase Construction, and the close bond that the family shares. Tempest’s friends are all unique and interesting characters too. There were quite a few developments in certain characters lives. I will be interested to see how far ahead the next book is set and how certain plots progress. If you enjoy solving impossible crimes, this is a very enjoyable series.

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian is an exciting romp in a "soon to be" library. As a method of getting support for the library, an interactive murder mystery play is being planned and rehearsed, but tragedy strikes when one of the actors gets murdered for real during the rehearsal. But what? his body then disappears? The police assume this is a joke or maybe a publicity stunt and refuse to get involved. As some of the crew are also practicing illusionists, they start trying to solve the mystery. Then so many things happen and the police DO get involved. How can the gang prove that one of the illusionists is innocent? And who could be the murderer?
Pandian puts enough red herrings into the story to keep you guessing right up until the murderer is revealed.
I loved the magic/illusions that were discussed by the gang as they tried to figure out what had happened.
This is definitely a fun read.

Pandian does a great job with the interactive part of the murder mystery which adds a crucial piece to keep you reading her book. This invites the readers to piece together the puzzle with Tempest and her friends to solve the mystery. This was a quick read, and I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy trying to solve puzzles. What I felt was lacking in the book was character development into Tempest and friends. Tempest and her friends are preparing for a dress rehearsal of a murder mystery set in a former home that is being turned into a library. The library’s focus will be on mystery, so this is a great way to open this library to the public. Except during dress rehearsal Tempest finds the body of one of the actors and his body disappears. Tempest and friends decide to investigate on who killed this friend and how did his body just disappear. Pick up a copy and solve the mystery to find out whodunit. Thank you, Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Gigi Pandian's 4th Secret Staircase Mystery, former stage magician Tempest Raj and her friends are conducting a dress rehearsal of a murder mystery play Tempest has written along with her best friend, Ivy. It is an interactive play that encourages attendees to discover clues in an escape room on a different floor of the premises. As part of the town's annual "summer stroll," these interlocking events will celebrate the opening of a new library focusing entirely on classic murder mysteries. But the rehearsal yields unexpected results, including a dead body that suddenly appears . . . then disappears. As a former magician herself, Tempest uses her skills, along with those of others in her circle of friends, to figure out exactly how a body can disappear when no one has entered or left the building, and who might have both the opportunity and the motive for such a crime.

I enjoyed spending time with Tempest, Ivy, and two of Tempest's almost-boyfriends--a magician self-styled as The Hindi Houdini and a talented sculptor--not to mention her grandparents, who produce delicious Indian and Scottish delicacies from their treehouse abode. and Tempest's furry companion, a large lop-eared rabbit named Abra. This time around, there isn't as much about how her family's Secret Staircase Construction builds illusions into the homes of customers who appreciate a touch of magic in their living spaces. And we still don't have a lot of information about Tempest's personal life. But I truly appreciated watching the mystery being solved by this interesting group of friends.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Library Game by Gigi Pandian.

This is the fourth book in the series, and, while it is best to read the series in order, I do think a new reader could jump in at this point considering there is a bit of a reset now that the large mystery overhanging the first trilogy has been resolved.

In its own way, this felt like a refresh/restart for Tempest and the gang, and, I'll be honest, I'm actually pretty happy about it. I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I HATED how the third book ended, to me, it felt so twisted and horrific that I was really questioning how the series could be considered cozy - it felt like an absolute nightmare and Tempest assuredly needs like, intense therapy. But I really, really loved the first 2.5 books, so I wanted to see how the next layer of the series would be, and I was really pleased with where Pandian took our main characters and the story itself. She really separated the first three books from this fourth one in terms of plot/flashback/reminiscence, so, again, it felt like a really positive refresh.

In this book Tempest and her crew are helping to create a new specialized library in town, featuring a mini escape room mystery performance for the town's annual event where visitors can view local homes/businesses/etc. During a rehearsal the week of the event, one of the performers appears to be dead, but while the crew goes to find help they return only to find the body gone. Is it a prank? Is it real? From here, the intensity and the danger only increases as Tempest tries to determine how these incidents keep occurring in such impossible circumstances.

We get to spend a fair amount of time with Tempest & Gideon (yay, developments!), Sanjay, Ivy, and Tempest's family, including many Abra scenes. I think we see a lot of growth from each of the characters, and Tempest, Gideon, Sanjay and Ivy seem more attuned to focusing on their own happiness/friendships in a way that really is cozy and positive throughout the novel.

The only reason I removed a star is because I was confused about aspects of the mystery/crime itself. I don't want to spoil this for any other readers so I'll leave my major concerns in the notes for the publisher, but the more general one: We hear a lot of thoughts on how the body that appeared might have been injured. Despite all the guesses and the truth, there are only mentions of barely noticeable drops of blood. This seems pretty impossible given how the story plays out. My other concerns revolve around the information given about the trunk. When we got to the resolution, which made sense and wasn't entirely surprising, but was still really fun to get to as an outcome, these other parts made it hard for me to understand how a person could get away with the crime at all.

Pandian completely brought me back into the series with The Library Game and she continues to bring such heart and humor to Tempest and her loved ones. I love how she incorporates illusion and misdirection into both her mysteries themselves and into the work Tempest does - I think it adds such a fun element to the books that set them apart from a lot of other cozy series. Each of her books feels like a love letter to the mystery genre and to the importance of books, and I will continue to look forward to the next one in the series.

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian is the fourth installment in the Secret Staircase Mystery series, and it offers readers a thrilling, cleverly crafted puzzle to solve. The story follows Tempest, a former magician who, alongside her friends, is preparing for a dress rehearsal of an interactive murder mystery play. The play, set in a newly opened library focusing on classic mysteries, includes an escape room on a different floor, where attendees can search for clues. However, things take an unexpected turn when a dead body turns up during the rehearsal—only to vanish just as mysteriously.

Tempest, with her background in magic, is the perfect person to investigate the bizarre disappearance, using her skills to deduce how the body vanished without anyone entering or leaving the building. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she must also uncover the identity of the murderer and their motive.

What makes The Library Game such an enjoyable read is the fast-paced, suspenseful atmosphere that Pandian builds. The interactive aspect of the murder mystery play adds an extra layer of fun, inviting readers to piece together the puzzle alongside Tempest.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book's plot and the engaging mystery at its heart, I found myself wishing for a bit more depth on Tempest herself. As a former magician with a unique set of skills, Tempest is an intriguing character, but I felt the book could have delved deeper into her personal life and backstory. Learning more about her motivations, her past, and how she came to be the person she is would have added a richer layer to her character and the story overall.

Overall, The Library Game is an excellent read for fans of cozy mysteries and interactive puzzle plots. The combination of a thrilling murder mystery and the charm of a library setting makes for a delightful experience. If you love a good whodunit with a bit of magic thrown in, this book is definitely worth picking up. However, for readers who enjoy deeply fleshed-out characters, a bit more exploration of Tempest's personal journey would have enhanced the story even further.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love this series and was so excited to get the arc! Bring on more Tempest and her family! This was definitely my favorite mystery of the series! And I can't wait for many more!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!

This was overall a super fun read, wasn't my favorite mystery but did find the suspense and plot intriguing! Love the whodunnit aspect, which is one of my favorite themes in mysteries. A very creative story and it did keep me guessing!