This is the second in the Secret Staircase mystery series and fits nicely in the cozy mystery genre!

Tempest Raj is back living with her parents and working for her father's construction company. Tempest had a major show in Las Vegas and is a very talented illusionist but a horrible accident occurred during her last show which resulted in the death of her stand-in double. Her career is on hold, at least for now. More about this was described in the first book.

The Secret Stairway construction company is unique as it designs homes for owners who want hidden staircases, bookcases that slide open to reveal nooks and crannies, even entire rooms. They have just finished the lower level remodel for their customer Lavinia Colt. She has recently divorced her husband, Corbin Colt, a well known mystery writer.

Brief synopsis from the blurb “First up, a party, and Tempest and Grandpa Ash are invited to the exclusive mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property—for good. It's all lighthearted fun until Corbin's dead body crashes the party.

The only possible suspects are the eight people around the séance table—a circle of clasped hands that wasn't broken. Suspicion quickly falls on Grandpa Ash, the only one with actual blood on him. To prove her beloved grandfather’s innocence, Tempest must figure out what really happened—and how ?”

PROS:
I really enjoy learning about this unique company which sounds like a great concept for discerning customers who also want some fun in their surroundings!

Tempest herself is still a young woman trying to figure out her life. She is determined and clever and some of her insights are interesting to read about.

The mystery is a classic locked room mystery which I enjoy.

CONS:
The police are portrayed as completely incompetent, idiotic and apparently holding a grudge against Tempest for solving a prior crime that they did not!! I thought this was somewhat overdone and OTT.

There was too much dialogue, I think a lot of the ruminating could have been eliminated and would make for a quicker and more exciting reading experience.

All in all this was still an enjoyable 2 day read and I applaud the author for her creation of this unique series!!

I received an ARC of this novel from the author through Edelweiss. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

I enjoyed reading the first book in this cozy mystery series and was excited to see the sequel on Netgalley. I’m happy I was able to get the audiobook as the narration was well done!

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Tempest Raj. She is working at the family business with her dad after her magician job didn’t pan out well after the tragedies in book one. I was curious to see what she would be up to and although she isn’t a practicing magician, she still has a few tricks up her sleeve!

I like Tempest. She is strong willed and family is very important to her. It’s not easy to see her grandpa, and even her dad, in tough spots as the investigation gets going for the death of Corbin. The family is always there for one another regardless of the circumstances and they always have friends to back them up to. It’s a really great community. It’s surprising that death is always following them, haha.

Even though there is not a lot of development for the side characters, I didn’t mind. It adds a bit of mystery to them and what we do find out helps give us clues as to who may be the murderer. I never guessed who it was! I did like that a lot of the clues surround books. I love a book about books.

Overall, this was another good book in the series. There is still one mystery that hasn’t been solved yet which deals with Tempest’s mother. Hopefully that means we will get more books!