The Raven Thief is the second book in Gigi Pandian's Secret Staircase Mystery series. This is a contemporary locked room mystery with 4 impossibilities to solve. The premise is creative and fun.

We have Tempest who is now working for her fathers Secret Staircase Construction Company. After completing their most recent project, Tempest and her grandpa Ash are invited to a seance where a local woman named Lavinia is hoping to cut all ties with her cheating ex-husband. To everyone's surprise Lavinia's ex-husband ends up dead after the seance and the person responsible could only be one of them.

This is the second book I've read by Gigi Pandian. Just as the first book in this series you can expect a cozy locked room mystery with a very capable and curious main character. In the Raven Thief we continue to explore the disappearance of Tempest's mother and the Raj family curse. It's the overall premise that has me hooked at this point.

I did find The Raven Thief to be a tad bit too long. Some of the discoveries also felt a bit convenient to me but overall I had a really fun time reading this second installment and I can't wait for the next.

A seemingly impossible murder takes place at a seance. Eight people holding hands and a body drops onto the table. Tempest Raj's grandfather is arrested for the crime. Tempest works to figure out how the body got there and who commented the crime.

A delightful read filled with magic, mystery, a cast of quirky characters, secret rooms, and delicious food (jackfruit pizza with a turmeric crust!) Highly recommended with diverse characters and an enormous rabbit.

This is another fabulous twisty mystery that Tempest has to investigate. I love the old school seance as well as the mystery room the crew created. I was able to guess who did it early on, but the how it was done was a surprise. I had a lot of fun following Tempest’s investigation and seeing who was helping her. The solution to everything was as complex as it needed to be. It didn’t feel like there was any extra padding or fluff. We get a little further along in the investigation of the family curse, but that was a minor part of this book. Overall, I think I liked this one better than the first one!

Tempest and the Secret Staircase team are invited to a party celebrating the completion of their work at a mystery-loving client’s home. During the mock séance at the party, though, the client’s ex-husband’s body is found in the newly renovated space. The only possible suspects are the party guests, including Tempest’s Grandpa Ash. Determined to clear his name, Tempest starts her own investigation into the death.

This is book #2 in the series, and I liked it even more than the first. I like Tempest and her family and friends, and the way they work together and support each other. There are several nods to Golden Age mystery authors like Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr, which are fun. The way Tempest uses her former career as an illusionist to help figure out how the “impossible” crime was committed is unique to cozy mysteries, and gives her an ‘excuse’ to be involved in the case.

The locked room aspect of this book gives the reader a limited number of suspects, which shuffled in my head several times as the story progressed and more clues were discovered. I was not able to guess the identity of the killer or the motive, but that did not affect my enjoyment of the book. I received an audio version of the book through NetGalley, and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Okay, I was so happy to have received both a physical and audiobook version of The Raven Thief from Gigi Pandian, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press because I enjoyed the first book in the series, and it's been a long time coming for this second installment. Get ready with your mug of chai tea as you settle in for The Raven Thief because it takes the term "cozy mystery" to a new level. Through various twists and turns, we get catapulted into a narrative that allows us to be the detective.

Oh my gosh, this book is so good. I really enjoyed it. I honestly never saw the ending coming. I love the slight of hand that is in the book. The fact that they make it such a big part of the book is amazing. The characters are very easy to like. I also really enjoyed that there was a book club in the book. I know that there is a first book, and now I want to read that and hope for another book in this series.

I thought I was over cozy mysteries. But this series has me questioning that. I love these magicians turned sleuths the crimes are twisty and the ride to finally unveiling what happened is very fun. Also I typically hate love triangles but this one is sooo subtle it’s lovely. Tempest makes such a great main character and I love her family and the underlying mystery about her mom and aunt. Very excited to see where this goes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The second in a series, this book is about Tempest Raj, an amateur detective. She also works for the family business, Secret Staircase Construction. Secret Staircase Construction finished their project for their latest client, a recent divorcee.

To celebrate her new single life and the new construction, the client holds a seance, inviting Tempest and her grandfather, Ash. But things take a turn when the dead body of the client's ex-husband appears in the locked room during the seance.

Suspicion quickly falls on Ash, so Tempest is determined to find out the truth and clear her grandfather's name. Tempest must figure out this locked room puzzle and determine who the real killer is.

I enjoyed this audiobook. It was a quick and engaging listen. Although I have not read the first book in the series, I immediately liked Tempest and wanted to see her succeed at solving the mystery to clear her grandfather's name.

I thought this book would be a little too much on the magical side for me, but it was just right. There was some magic, but nothing too outrageous and it added to the story.

The actual mystery was cleverly written, and the concept was interesting. The characters were nuanced and layered, making me want to read the first book in the series for some background. And the next in the series to continue the adventure!

I enjoyed the audiobook format. The narrator was great at conveying the emotion and details of the scenes. It seemed quick but clocked in at 9.5 hours. This cozy mystery was a lot of fun!

This is my first book by Gigi Pandian. I loved the premise and I adore reading books about authors (books about books are always fun.) This one even included secret rooms and a séance table that was created for a woman who recently divorced the famous mystery author. I gave this book two tries and I just couldn't get into it. The mystery was interesting enough but I just didn't connect with the characters.

THE RAVEN THIEF by Gigi Pandian is the delightful locked-room mystery I needed right now!

The second in The Secret Staircase Mystery Series after Under Lock and Skeleton Key (which I also thoroughly enjoyed), I couldn't wait to see what Tempest Raj was up to. An illusionist storyteller, Tempest has returned to her family construction business and helped finish their first classic mystery novel themed home renovation. When they decide to celebrate with a mock séance to rid any traces of the ex-husband, the night turns serious when he turns up dead and the only suspects must have been around the table. When Tempest's grandfather becomes the focus, she must use all her skills to uncover the truth.

First, I love a fun locked-room mystery. These are usually a bit more clever than a typical cozy, and this one is very clever. Second, this is such a delight of cultures with Indian and Scottish Grandparents who play a strong role. They are often cooking in the story and I love the mention of the dishes, and especially love the included recipes in the back!

This story had what felt a bit of a silly lead up, but turned quickly into murder. There is also the secondary mystery of Tempest's missing mother that is fed into just a bit more in this installment. I enjoy this dual storyline and reminds me of mystery TV series that I like to watch. The diversity of characters just brings this into another category of enjoyment for me too. I always learn something new (and in this case, delicious!)

I was lucky to receive both the ARC and the ALC of this March release and tried to wait, but I couldn't! It is read by Soneela Nankani, who does a fantastic job. The vocals are theatrical without going too far, and at 1.5X speed, I was able to simply enjoy being carried along.

Thank you to @netgalley @minotaur_books & @macmillan.audio for the opportunity to experience this story. My favorite is to have both audio and "print" so this was perfect.

The Raven Thief is the second book in the secret staircase mystery series. It will work just fine as a stand-alone. This is not my first book by Pandian but this was my first entry into the secret staircase series.

The story follows Tempest Raj who is on a mission to solve the murder of author Corbin Colt to exonerate her family. This is a brilliantly written and well put together locked room mystery. There were four impossible feats that took place to lead to the murder of Corbin. Solving and rationalizing how something impossible is not only possible but plausible was my favorite part of the story. I cared more about them figuring out this part than the actual murder itself. That was until all four impossible tasks were figured out. Then I just had to know how the murder took place.

Pandian knows how to craft a story and fill it with great characters. I love her other series the accidental alchemist and this will be another series I will continue to follow.

I also loved that there was a pretty long segment that was just dedicated to thanking people. I love when people take time to acknowledge others who helped them get to where they are. Then the book closes out with some recipes I can not wait to try!

If you are not familiar with Gigi Pandian then make yourself familiar and check out as many of her books as possible.

The second novel of the Secret Staircase Mystery series: this was such an interesting listen! The characters were quirky and the details throughout were fascinating.

Unfortunately it was hard for me to connect with the characters, even though the mystery was compelling.

At times it felt long or unnecessary, but overall it was a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

What a fascinating concept for a crime novel: an author whose first book (about possibly shape-shifting into a raven to murder his wife) is accused of breaking into his ex-wife's basement to steal the typewriter he wrote it on. You might wonder whether he's superstitious or just wreaking petty vengeance on his newly ex wife for gutting his Poe-inspired old writing office and remodeling it into a much more fun space. Eventually you'll find out more about the typewriter, the author, the novel, and the book's title.

But first....

There's a LOT of description of the remodeled space, and a great many complex setting details from both this remodel and the one where our protagonist lives: secret bookcase doors and rocking-horse door unlocking mechanisms, false-bottomed trunks etc. In print it would be easy enough to flip back over the descriptors to get them clear in your mind, but with audio it's harder to keep track of which knickknack hides or opens or unlocks or lights up what structural element. A sketch map would help. Maybe there will be one in the print version (this review is based on an audiobook ARC via #NetGalley).

There's also a fair bit of discussion in early chapters about past events and the overarching series mystery, which means a lot of references to characters who might have featured in the previous book but may or may not be in this one. Readers have a lot of names to remember and no way to tell how many of them will be important to the current story. A cast list would help, especially if it was divided into 'current book' and 'series characters'.

Or start your reading with the first in the series, Under Lock & Skeleton Key (although, to be honest, that one spends the first 45 minutes or so of the audiobook largely in setup for Tempest's family home and her recent past that, frankly, sounds a lot more exciting than the early events of that book).

The narrator's voice is pleasant to listen to, with enough emotional infection to enhance the text without overwhelming it. There's not a lot of difference between the protagonist's dialogue and the other characters' words, but enough to tell you it's a different character speaking. The text doesn't give the narrator a lot of emotional subtext to amply, sadly, but if what you enjoy about audiobooks is a human voice murmuring in the background while you're doing other things, this one will work as well as any other.

This is such a fun world filled with hidden staircases and the family architects that create them. There is a locked room mystery, a seance, a body, and a few suspects. Tempest's Grandpa is one of them and she, along with Raj, has to solve the mystery to clear his name. I enjoyed the many adventures taken to find the clue to his innocence and I can't wait to go back and read the first book. Soneela Nankini does an amazing job narrating the audiobook.

This book would definitely appeal to cozy mystery fans. Lots of interesting characters and details. Just enough in the mystery to keep it interesting without an overly unrealistic solution to the puzzle. If you liked the first in this series, definitely keep reading!

I really, really enjoyed this book. Before I was halfway through I had added more of Gigi Pandian's books to my plan to read list. I love that it provides a complex mystery while still maintaining the cozy vibes that I'm here for. The premise of a family of magicians who build secret staircases and moving bookshelves is really fun. I like that the magician thing isn't just a gimmick, but that it dates back through the history of the family and the tricks of the trade are used to solve the murder. I had not read the first book in the series yet, but I did not at all feel like I was missing important chunks of information because of that. The relevant details were provided in a way that didn't feel like it was totally rehashing the previous story or pandering to a forgetful audience. I look forward to reading the previous book and getting those details fleshed out, but I didn't miss them while reading this one. I adore all of the characters and found the setting charming. Highly recommend for fans of cozy mysteries.

I really enjoyed The Raven Thief (Secret Staircase #2) for many reasons: the locked room impossible murder at a séance; the strange appearances of spooky ravens; the ghostly otherworldly stalker; the whole conceptual idea of Secret Staircase Construction which builds hidden/mysterious/tricky spaces and buildings is just fabulous - wish I could afford them; family curses and the continuing mystery of what happened to Tempest's mother and aunt; the inclusion of both Indian, Scottish and American cultural and culinary customs; the evolution of several of Tempest's friendships; not to mention lots of classic murder mystery titles to add to my own reading list; Can't wait for the next book in the series!

The Raven Thief is the second mystery in the Secret Staircase Mystery series. Tempest Raj, a former illusionist who is now working with her dad’s construction company, finishes her first project as one of the Secret Staircase Construction team, but when a body turns up during the celebration she is pulled into another mystery. When suspicion falls on Grandpa Ash, Tempest takes it upon herself to figure out how the supposedly impossible crime has taken place.

I absolutely loved this book, just like I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Gigi Pandian. This book has amazing, in depth and likable characters. The perfect amount of illusion and mystery that has you guessing until the very end. I was so excited when I found out this second book was coming out and was not disappointed when I read it. I can’t wait to see what is next for Tempest! If you are a fan of magic, great characters and intriguing mysteries, this book is for you. I don’t think I can more highly recommend this series! It is amazing!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Tempest is part of the family business Secret Staircase Construction that build secret rooms and places in homes. She inspects a recently completed project “The Oxford Comma” to search for a missing typewriter. Lavinia wanted to get rid of all aspects of her ex-husband Corbin writing lair and had “The Oxford Comma” created so that she had an office and a place for her book group to meet. To complete the purge of Corbin from the house Lavinia has a séance, which includes members of her book club, to rid the area of Corbin’s energy. During the séance Corbin ends up dead on the table. The primary suspect is Grandpa Ash, who has a history with Corbin. Tempest has to figure out how Corbin died and who would want him dead.

I haven’t read/listened to the first book and wasn’t sure what to expect. There were parts that would be clearer if I had read the first book. Specifically, Tempests past and why she doesn’t use social media, the history of her mother, and Moriarty. I liked Tempest and that she didn’t know everything and struggled a little to figure out what happened. I personally would like to have a set up like “The Oxford Comma” since there were so many secret hiding places. I enjoyed the book and the many references to literary characters and Ellery Queen.

I listened to the first chapter at normal speed and then sped it up to 1.75. The narrator has a nice voice with good inflection able to portray emotion.