Sadly not my favorite of this series. It really leaned more onto the more ridiculous side this time and also moved too slow

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Secret Staircase Construction is under attack, and Tempest Raj feels helpless. After former client Julian Rhodes tried to kill his wife, he blamed her "accident" on the home renovation company’s craftsmanship. Now the family business—known for bringing magic into homes through hidden doors, floating staircases, and architectural puzzle walls—is at a breaking point. No amount of Scottish and Indian meals from her grandfather can distract Tempest from the truth: they’re being framed. When Tempest receives an urgent midnight phone call from Julian, she decides to meet him at the historic Whispering Creek Theater—only to find his dead body, a sword through his chest. After a blade appears from thin air to claim another victim, Tempest is certain they’re dealing with a booby trap… something Secret Staircase Construction could easily build. Tempest refuses to wait for the investigation to turn to her or her loved ones. She knows the pieces of the puzzle are right in front of her, she just has to put them together correctly before more disaster strikes. This series is so much fun. Really unique premise and the characters are all so interesting. If you aren't reading this author you need to be! Highly recommend!

I had not realized this was part of a series when I requested it, so while this mystery does mostly stand on it's own I think I would have gotten more out of it if I had read the previous two.

A Midnight Puzzle is a mystery on the cozy end featuring a haunted theatre, a regenerating booby trap, and a lot of delicious sounding food. Tempest Raj works at her family's construction company that specializes in creating "magical" architecture, like secret staircases, hidden nooks, etc. She is also a former stage magician, as was her mother and aunt who both died during performances and under suspicious circumstances.

I'll be honest there were a lot of threads here that didn't fully come together for me and I'm not sure if it was because I was missing the added context of the first two books or if it was because this book tried to do too much for it's page count. It was an enjoyable and breezy read, but overall I think it was just average.

Tempest Raj works in her family business, Secret Staircase Construction, which specializes in hidden rooms and hidden access to spaces in a home. At the home of a former client, the Rhodes', a woman was killed and her husband, Julian, is blaming the construction company for faulty work. Now the company is struggling to overcome the bad press.

When Julian calls and asks to meet Tempest she agrees, hoping that they can come to some kind of terms. But when Tempest arrives at a historic old theater, she finds Rhodes dead, a sword through his chest. Swords that appear out of thin air are just the kind of magic that Secret Staircase Construction is known for. Tempest knows her family company will be the prime suspect(s) but she also knows they're being framed so she sets out to uncover the real killer before she or anyone in her family can be railroaded for the crime.

It's no secret I'm a fan of Gigi Pandian's work. These are really nicely written mysteries - not quite 'cozies' but close. The blend of magic and secrecy (Secret staircases? Yes!) along with amateur sleuthing is really good. This particular series (this is the third book in the Secret Staircase series) has so far focused on the 'locked room' mystery (ie: a crime is committed in circumstances under which it was seemingly impossible for the perpetrator to commit the crime or evade detection in the course of getting in and out of the crime scene).

These mysteries are unique and the backdrop of the magic and secret construction is really outstanding, but what really makes this book (and this series) work are the characters and their relationships.

The mystery shelves in bookstores are filled with amateur detectives but Tempest stands out for how well rooted she is in reality (odd, given her work is manipulating reality) and the trust she has with her friends and family. I think it's this wholesomeness that really shines through the book as we want to know Tempest and her friends for real, and under Pandian's pen, we feel as though we do.

I look forward to each Gigi Pandian book because I know I'll get a solid mystery, I'll get to hang out with friends, and the little boy in me who loves the idea of secret rooms and hidden staircases will get to live vicariously. This book falls right in line with all these wonderful thigns.

Looking for a good book? A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian, the third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries, is a delightful adventure, works as a standalone mystery, and has a great locked-room mystery to uncover.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Magician and amateur sleuth Tempest Raj is the cozy murder mystery heroine we didn't know we needed. Wildly intelligent and fiercely protective of her family and friends, A Midnight Puzzle brings Tempest her most baffling case yet, one that just might help her solve a long-standing family curse.

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries series. Overall, I enjoyed this book and it’s probably my favorite in the series thus far. This might be because it touches on Tempest’s connection to her mother/aunt and her determination to close her career on her terms, or the Moriarty character whose identity remains a mystery. Whatever the case, Pandian’s ability to capture the essence/emotions of the story without making it feel too “over-the-top” (which could have been the case for this book considering the content/magical elements). I loved the fact that Tempest’s mother/aunt’s story gets resolved (finally!) and that we get to know a few of the long-standing characters a bit more. The mystery, Tempest’s resolve, and the secondary characters made this an enjoyable read for me. I look forward to the next book in the series and will be exploring Pandian’s previous books because of this one. My only regret was that I did not discover Pandian’s others books sooner. She has quickly become one of my favorite auth0rs.

I really like this series! The element of magic (if only on stage), a company that specializes in creating secret rooms and a good cozy mystery. There is a mystery in each book and a longer term mystery that continues through each as well. I recommend reading these cozy mysteries in order.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries series by Gigi Pandian. Tempest Raj, magician, is working for her father’s construction company Secret Staircase Construction. They are being threatened with a law suit by a past client for a fall that left his wife in a coma and which he claims was the result of shoddy work by the company. He is found murdered by what appears to be a magician’s trick at the same theatre where both Tempest’s aunt and mother were murdered year’s earlier.Then two more people are injured including Nicodemus, Tempest’s mentor, followed by another murder. Rumours abound about a ghostly presence responsible but Tempest is sure that it must be another magician behind not only these present day murders but those of her aunt and mother and is determined to discover who’s responsible despite the very real danger.

This was a fun cozy mystery with an intriguing mystery, and some interesting and mostly likeable characters. The murders of Tempest’s mom and aunt which have been a major part of Tempest's back story are finally resolved here but the story ends with a hint of future mysteries for Tempest to solve with the aid of family and friends and, always, a bit of magical sleight-hand. And, if that’s not enough to entice you to check it out, there are also some simple vegan Indian recipes for dosa and mango ice cream at the end to tempt you.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

I'm not sure you should be describing a murder mystery as delightful, but that's exactly how I felt while reading it.
Working with her dad at the Secret Staircase Construction company, Tempest, an out of work magician, brings all her magical skills to her investigative work. Someone is setting booby traps and who better than a magician can figure out how they were set off. But the bigger question is WHO set them and why. 
    There is a whole list of endearing characters with their own set of mystical abilities. These treasured friends work  together to unearth a past long wondered about regarding her mother and aunt and an unfortunate murder in the present that has the police looking at her and her dad's company. 
    Couldn't put it down.

I was excited for another brain teasing story in the Secret Staircase series and A Midnight Puzzle didn't disappoint. Tempest Raj and her friends and family are always a pleasure to spend time with.

Puzzles, illusions, and murder

A Midnight Puzzle is the third book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries, a delightful cozy mystery series featuring Tempest Raj, a stage magician/illusionist, and her family. The series gets its name from her father’s architecture-and-construction company, which specializes in secret rooms, hidden staircases, and other architectural puzzles. Tempest’s skills in creating and figuring out illusions come in very handy as she and her friends investigate several murders, each involving the Secret Staircase firm’s clients or jobsite in some way.

There’s a lot I love about these books, from the fiendishly hard-to-solve locked-room plots, to the multicultural Tempest and her equally diverse family and friends, to the magic and illusions. (Note: Ms. Pandian is careful not to reveal the secrets behind any illusions or magic tricks that have not yet been made public.) Tempest herself is engaging and sympathetic, albeit somewhat obsessed with solving the mysteries impacting her family (and defying police orders to stay out of their investigation.) And the plots usually keep me guessing; I can sometimes figure out who, but I have yet to win the trifecta of “who, how, and why.”

The third installment in the series wraps up a three-book arc concerning the disappearance and presumed murder of Tempest’s mother 5 years earlier. This was a subplot in the first book, but became significantly more important in the second book. In A Midnight Puzzle, it takes center stage, deeply entwined with the present-day murder of one of Secret Staircase’s most unpleasant clients to date. But as rumors swirl that the ghost of Tempest’s mom was responsible, and then her mentor Nico is injured, Tempest feels compelled to investigate to clear her mother’s name and save her father’s company. As usual, Tempest is aided by her friends Ivy, a mystery fan and budding librarian; Sanjay, the “Hindi Houdini”; and Gideon, a stone sculptor who works for Tempest’s dad (and is sweet on Tempest.) We also see a lot more of Tempest’s aforementioned mentor, Nicodemus “the Necromancer,” a British illusionist with a side talent for creating amazing paper-cutout pop-ups.

This time, I fared better in figuring out “who,” although I missed some of “why” and a fair bit of “how.” I did not, however, find it easy to sort out the “who,” so the mystery kept me well entertained. I enjoyed the various twists and turns of the plot, but this time around, I was more exasperated by the way Tempest continued to ignore the police detective’s injunctions to stay out of things. She enters a building considered the crime scene more than once, despite the detective’s clear and repeated warning. I completely understood her motivations, and that particular detective is an absolute arse, but you can’t go around breaking the law (and breaking into buildings) just because the detective in charge of the case is pigheaded.

That aside, though, I really enjoyed A Midnight Puzzle. And although this three-book arc has wrapped up, there is a clear hint in the last chapter that Tempest’s role as an amateur investigator is far from over. I’m looking forward to more of Tempest, her family, and Ms. Pandian’s locked-room mysteries.

I loved this book. I love cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint. I will definitely be looking for more by this author. I would recommend it to my family and friends.

Tempest Raj finally figures out the mystery of her mother's death in this book. It's not particularly fairly clued and I wish we had gotten to know the twists a little bit more (trying to be cryptic here...) but I enjoyed the ride.

Tempest has bought the old Whispering Creek Theater, the one where her mother disappeared from. She should be rejoicing but she is worrying about Julian Rhodes. Her family did some construction on his house and now he's suing them. So when she gets a phone call to meet him at the theater at midnight, she is less than ecstatic. When she arrives, Julian is dead. Apparently dead from a contraption that stabbed him through the heart. A note, in her handwriting, is on the door.
We see more of Tempest and quite a bit from her mentor in this book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 19, 2024
Secret Staircase Mystery #3
Follows The Raven Thief
ARC provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

First I would like to thank St. Martin's Press for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of Tempest, former illusionist, who is now working for her father at Secret Staircase Construction and planning her last performance. The company is being sued by a former client for causing harm to his wife, and one evening she is called by that former client where he demands she meets him at her performance space. When she arrives she finds the former client has been murdered on the front steps by a trick door. As Tempest continues to investigate this odd occurrence she is pushed to look further into her mother's disappearance, she disappeared from the space Tempest's performance was to be held, and her aunt's death in Scotland. With evidence piling up against her and some trying to blame Tempest's mom's ghost, she with her friends work together to figure out the culprit and stop the maiming and murders.

What I Loved:
- Standalone story, even though this is the third book in a series I did not feel lost for not reading the first two
- Cast of characters, this book has family members, friends, mentors, police officers, private detectives and more which added so much color and depth to the story overall
- Illusionist, I love that Tempest is an illusionist because it helps her think through things from so many different angles that my mind would never think of
- Family, Tempest background is Scottish and South Asian so having those two cultures together was refreshing to see in the story cause its not something I've experience but I loved it
- Twist, there were a few twists in the book that I was genuinely surprised by and I always appreciate an author who can sneak one by me

Overall this was a great read with an amazing cast of characters, great mystery and the whole story based in how the past can impact the future. If you are looking for a lighter read that keeps you engrossed and guessing I would recommend this book to you.

I LOVED Under Lock and Skeleton Key and was stoked to see another book in this series. This time Tempest's family company, Secret Staircase Construction, is in trouble. A previous client tried to kill his wife and blamed the "accident" on Secret Staircase. When Tempest gets a late night call from the client she is shocked to find the client dead with a sword in his chest. Tempest is positive it was a booby trap and starts her own investigation in hopes of taking the limelight off her family company.

This story serves up the same charming family, complex magic, and continuous mystery we've come to expect in this series. It was another fun read that continues to make me want to be friends with the Raj family.

Tempest Raj is rightly worried. Julian Rhodes blamed his wife's accident on their small family run business when it was his actions that caused it. His subsequent suing of the company has them all frazzled to a breaking point. Then late one night Tempest gets a phone call to meet Julian at the Whispering Creek Theater which she has rented out for her last magical performance. When she gets there, he has been stabbed with a sword through the door. It seems a booby trap has claimed his life. But, who could have done it and why? She decides to investigate the murder herself instead of waiting for the police to do so. Then there is more injury and death. She knows that she has all the information she needs to solve the mysteries, but she can't quite put it together. With a little help from her friends, can she put it together in time to keep anyone else from dying and keep herself out of jail?
A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian was released March 19th, 2024 from Minotaur Books.

I enjoy the Secret Staircase mystery novels. There's always some cool thing they are adding to a home. Plus there are the characters. Tempest and her close grouping of friends work well together. Her family make great supporting characters. And there is pretty much at least one locked room mystery per novel. My favorite characters are of course Tempest and her best friend and partner in crime, Ivy. There is much though that Tempest does alone in her investigations. Ivy always ties the crimes to some novel since she is going to be a librarian and they have that neat library with the train car to showcase.

The plot grabs us early on and the action and deductions keep it moving forward. The writing is well done. You want to keep turning the pages. And the ending is satisfying.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well done. The mystery is interesting. The plot moves forward at a good rate. And it keeps your attention. I didn't quite know all the answers to the mysteries and was surprised at some of the answers. It's a good book that does that. If you like your mysteries with a bit of stage magic, found family as well as a nice real family, this could be a good series for you. You could probably read this as a standalone since everything you need to know is explained. It will most likely make you want to read more in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.

A riveting installment to The Secret Staircase mysteries. I liked the intriguing premise and the atmospheric setting of the historic Whispering Creek Theatre.. This is an intricate mystery with a dash of magic.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of A Midnight Puzzle in exchange for my honest review!

Murder mysteries, magic tricks, clever architecture that allows for secret passageways and such in domestic homes—these are all elements that I adore, and they all get combined together into an enthralling and fast-paced via this book. I actually haven't read the first two entries in the Secret Staircase series, but I'm definitely adding them to my TBR pile now, considering how much this book succeeds in connecting me with Tempest Raj and the secrets she endeavors to uncover. She's a determined and quick-witted protagonist who's surrounded by a whole ensemble of compelling supporting characters, particularly Nicodemus, and the briskly paced mystery itself embarks on some good old twists and turns to keep me on my toes. The whole affair feels just a bit evocative of the Winston Breen books by Eric Berlin, which comprise a few of my favorite childhood reads. Then as a massive fan of Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, I can't help but think of that while reading A Midnight Puzzle. And then the book radiates the air of being a love letter to classic detective fiction, coming across like the sort of timeless tale I could have picked up decades ago.

Overall, I'm officially rating A Midnight Puzzle four out of five stars, and I'm absolutely keeping the other Secret Staircase books in mind for future reading.