I think I went into this expecting more puzzles and mystery, and instead, it felt like a lot of family drama and angst. I wanted Tempest to be this kick-ass character befitting of her name, and instead, it felt like she was mostly worried about what her family would think of her and if she really could outrun the supposed curse on her family. I was also a bit disappointed by the ending, it felt ridiculous, and the fact that everyone kept pointing fingers/taking the blame, and yet Tempest can go "Aha! I know who did it" without really putting together facts and all of it on feelings. I liked the nods to literary detectives of the past, but I was hoping for so much more with a secret staircase family. I did enjoy it, but not as much as I thought I would.

I still have no idea when I'll be able to read this book as I didn't get to it before it archived and my library refused to order a copy apparently.
Maybe someday and I'll come update this.

I am late, LATE to this ball game. I finally read this one over the holidays and absolutely loved it! WIthin a week I had also read the second in the series and the novella. I can't wait to read number 3.

Tempest Raj's career as a magician went off the rails and she had a hard fall from industry stardom sending her back home to the comfort of her childhood home and near her father and grandparents. Her father owns a construction company called Secret Staircase Construction and it is the thing of childhood dreams building hidden doors, intricate locks and secret reading nooks. While visiting the site of her father's current renovation, a gruesome discovery brings Tempest's past and present colliding.

This book gets two stars for the creativity of the concept. Otherwise, I have little positive to say about it. The plot was absurd and the author kept inserting new "magical" rooms into it in an exasperating way. There are long sequences which are nothing more than lists of arcane mystery books. Scenes are set up for didactic recitation of facts. The characterization is close to non-existent, and what is there does not make the characters appealing in any way. After the first half of the book, I skimmed quickly just to get through it since it had been dragging down my reading for weeks. The book obviously appeals to some, but it is not for me!

After a stage accident nearly kills Tempest Raj, she heads back home to California. Her stage double’s body is found behind the walls of her father’s latest renovation project, without a clue as to how the body got there. Not only does Tempest have to figure out how the body got behind the walls that haven’t been opened in over a century, but she also has to figure out if she was the intended victim.

The series is set in the same fictional world as the Jaya Jones series and the Accidental Alchemist series. Tempest’s ancestral roots lie in Scotland and India. Her mother disappeared years ago. Does her disappearance have something to do with a curse that kills the oldest child in each generation? Tempest can’t help but wonder if her stage accident had something to do with that curse.

Enjoyed the spending time Tempest’s world. One of my favorite parts is the appearance of one of the characters from the Jaya Jones series. Looking forward to reading the rest in the series.

I love cozy mysteries and this book was everything I hoped it would be. Sometimes cozy mysteries, for me, can have a lackluster mystery because they focus more on the characters and vibe. However, while this book was so full in its characters and their relationships, I was also very interested and intrigued by the mystery. The ghost element was also perfect. Ultimately, this was my perfect cozy mystery and I can't wait for the next one!

I have enjoyed this author's other two series and I enjoyed this first book in a new series. Tempest Raj was a successful stage magician in Las Vegas until an illusion goes wrong and she returns home to regroup. Her father owns a construction company that specializes in historic restorations and building secret rooms. While helping her father they discover a body behind a wall. Since Tempest is the prime suspect she sets out to solve the crime. The descriptions of the houses, secret rooms, puzzles and tricks are a lot of fun. I enjoyed the characters. There are a lot of references to classic mysteries esp locked room ones. There are also some references to characters in her previous series. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. I look for word to reading the next book in the series. Enjoy

Very different concept for a historical mystery. I loved the characters and their connection to classic magic made the mystery so much more complex and harder to figure out on my own.

An excellent mystery book! I'm a sucker for a family curse trope and Pandian did not disappoint! Tempest Raj and the whole Raj family were endearing and a joy to read. I can't recommend this book enough to my mystery loving library readers.

I feel terrible rating a book with 2-stars, but for some reason I had a very difficult time getting into the book and my like for it never developed. I enjoyed some aspects of it such as secret rooms, the staircases and curses plus more, but I just wasn't engaged in the plot nor invested in the characters.

Tempest Raj is the MC and she was at her father's work site when the crew finds a body. As if that wasn't bad enough, it turned out to be that of her her double. It was a homicide and because it was her double, she believed the murderer was really after her due to some curses put on her family.

Perhaps a younger audience might like this one except for the fact that Tempest is in her 20's. I don't think my opinion should prevent others from reading it because I think for those who enjoy reading less complicated books and ones that don't require much thought, they might enjoy the book a lot more than I did.

so fun and delightful, creative and twisty and just the right amount of voicey. i really liked this one.

Tempest returns home after her Vegas show goes wrong, only to find her look-a-like double dead in a closed off room. How did she get there? Is the family curse after her next? Why was she murdered? Many tricks take place as this case is worked.
Goodreads

After a magic stunt gone horribly wrong, Tempest Raj leaves her Las Vegas show and returns home to her family in northern California. Her father runs Secret Staircase Construction, which specializes on renovating living and working spaces by incorporating hidden rooms , sliding book cases, treehouses, and architectural features that function as locks. Her grandfather, a retired doctor creates delectable recipes in the kitchen, and her grandmother focuses on her art and storytelling. In the back of everyone's mind is the possibility that Tempest's accident in Las Vegas was the continuation of a family curse, especially when Tempest's “body double” is discovered in a wall sealed up long ago. I learned a lot about the importance of misdirection and illusion to create a trick, which the author deftly weaves into the story. Definitely will recommend to mystery and magic lovers, and fans of the author, Gigi Pandian.
Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Press, and imprint of St. Martin's Press, for the digital arc.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This cozy mystery is a delight of secret rooms and hidden passages. For Tempest Raj, a young stage magician from Las Vegas, illusions and secrets are rarely a mystery. After a near fatal mishap on stage derails Tempest’s career, she returns home to regroup and help out at her father’s company. Tempest’s father specializes in making hidden rooms at his construction business, but things go terribly wrong when the body of her former stage double is discovered at one of his renovation projects. Tempest can’t shake the feeling that she was the intended victim. She must figure out if a murderer is afoot, or if the family curse is real after all, and whether she might be next.

Published in the April 2022 edition of Appleton Monthly Magazine "Great Reads"

A magician, a locked room mystery with a huge dose of fun come together in this Gothic cozy mystery. Although it was a bit slow to start, it eventually pulled me in as the solution crystallized and the intrigue took over. Was there a crime, or is it nothing but a brilliant illusion? Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian. First, the characters are well-rounded and very likable; I am looking forward to future books with these characters. Second, the mystery itself was well-paced with just the right amount of clues given to the readers. Third, I loved the descriptions of the food. Last, but not least, the architectural twists and tricks are a real treat and provide that "cherry" on top of the sundae. Highly recommend for fans of "light" (but not too "light") mystery novels.

Such a fun read! Magic, mystery, hidden rooms and a pretty interesting 'whodunit'!

If you like mysteries and are looking for something a little different, check out this enjoyable read.

I'm very interested in seeing what Book 2 will bring!

“You need to understand something first. A trick is never just a trick. It’s always a story. Always. That’s the magic that makes an illusion work.”

After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, she heads back to her childhood home in California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian home-cooked meals. Though she resists, every day brings her closer to the inevitable: working for her father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.

When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, Tempest can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations―something she used to swear didn’t exist―has finally come for her.

3.5 stars rounded up! What an absolutely precious story involving magic, secret staircases, and tree houses. The visuals in this were just fantastic!

I loved the mystery elements wrapped up in magic and curses and stage performances. This book has a little bit of everything and was such an enjoyable read. If you like magic of any kind you will most certainly enjoy this story!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

People who like mystery novels are probably predisposed to like houses with secret doors, hidden staircases, and other architectural tricks, so this mystery featuring people who build such complexities for a living is already bound to please. Illusionist Tempest Raj is staying with family (and enjoying her grandpa’s Indian cooking) at her beloved childhood home, with all its hidden passages, after a terrible stage accident during her last show. There’s no escape for her, though—the body of her stage double soon turns up dead in a hidden space inside the house of her father’s latest Secret Staircase Construction client. Tempest, wondering whether she was the intended target or if a rumored family curse is at work, investigates how the victim ended up behind a wall that was supposed to have been sealed for decades. At times things could have moved along a bit faster, but this quirky and cozy novel, with twists and references to golden age mystery writers, is completely appealing. Fortunately, the Secret Staircase team looks set to return in future books.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital advance review copy.