Modern and hip cozy mystery with a cast of unforgettable characters who feel like friends in this fourth book in the series! Tempest Raj, former stage magician, is back in Hidden Creek working for her family construction company and this time has her hands in an escape room performance for the opening of a new local library of crime fiction. When it all goes wrong - a dead body, a ghost voice, mysterious break-ins and locked rooms with poison- it’s up to Tempest and her friends to solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt! Fun, lighthearted and entertaining!

This didn't do it for me. I almost didn't finish but had to power through. I think this is one of those books where you need to read the others in the series to "get it." The character dynamics were confusing. I wasn't invested in the mystery. This just was a miss for me.

I loved the concept and idea of this book. It started well but then became very slow. The last quarter reveals were great. When I was invited to read this, i did not realize it was part of a series. I felt i would have gotten more out of it if I had read the previous books. Especially around the relationships. I really liked the character of Mrs Hudson. She was a trip.

Tempest Raj is a former magician who now works with her father's business the Secret Staircase Construction. She and her friends are transforming an old mansion into a mystery library. An escape room style game is set to take place in a few days, and as they work to finish things up, weird things are occurring as if someone does not want the mansion to be transformed. Then one of the murder mystery actors ends up dead, but the body disappears, so there is more going on than meets the eye.

I was unaware The Library Game was part of a series, but that will not really hinder the reader much as it could be a book on its own. Some character development may be more extensive in the other installments, but the mystery kicks events into motion, and you quickly get to know each character well enough and their quirks.

This was a fun, campy who dunnit that follows the locked room theme that is all the rage now for entertainment. There are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing, which makes this an entertaining read. Since this is the fourth book in the series, they writing style is enticement enough to want to check out the others and to look forward to a 5th.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I went into this one sort of blind. I had a general idea of what it was about and also forgot that it was part of a series. It can be read as a stand alone if you don't mind a few details going over your head. I liked that the MC was of Indian descent and had a background of magic.

I received an advanced reader copy. This is the first book I have read by Gigi Pandian. It is part of a series. I will read the others. If you like locked room mysteries, then you will enjoy this. The premise of secret passageways, and hidden rooms is intriguing. The love of books and creating a library is a librarians dream. There are many characters that work in libraries or bookstores, that know the value of public libraries. A murder occurs at a rehearsal for a play inside the house. Everyone is connected through one facet of their life. Yet someone is the killer! Amazingly, I was correct in my guess.

Another great mystery with Tempest Raj and friends.
Always great drama suspense ,mystery, drama, twists ,a little more possible romance.
Enjoy the series.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Gigi Pandian provides a fun romp of a mystery. Tempest Raj, a former Vegas magician, now works in the family business, "Secret Staircase Construction." This time, they are working to transform an old mansion into a public library. But the plan is stalled when a murder occurs. Tempest along with her friends and family attempt to solve an un-believeably staged murder as only a magician could. The characters are compelling and the mystery takes you to the very end, guessing all the way. Tempest's family brings ethnic color to the story along with delicious Scottish and Indian meals, The author graciously provides a recipe for the reader.

Tempest Raj and her friends are about to host an escape room and mystery night to celebrate the new library in their community, Gray House Library. When one of them is found dead at rehearsal, everyone begins questioning each other.
The mystery deepens when the police show up and the body is gone. Detective Blackburn seems more than used to this group of friends and their antics. While he’s not certain what happened, he knows they were the only ones present in the library.
The Library Game is the latest installment in the Secret Staircase Mysteries by Gigi Pandian. It took a chapter or two to get my bearings on all the characters at play and their relations, but Pandian does a great job of connecting everyone. While I had not read the earlier books in this series, I still enjoyed every bit of this cozy, locked-room mystery.

The Secret Staircase Mysteries just keep getting better! The Library Game, number 4 in the series, provides all of the twists and turns and surprises you would expect from a story featuring magicians and a family construction business specializing in building hidden stairs and secret rooms.

Tempest Raj, forced out of her starring performances as a stage magician, has settled in to working with her father's construction business. This time they are renovating an old mansion into a mystery-themed library. But it looks like someone doesn't the want the library to open. An angry neighbor is causing problems, and then one of the local actors for the murder mystery game at the opening is killed. Or is he? His body disappears in one of the many magic tricks/mis-directions throughout the story. Lots of red herrings and false clues as Tempest and her friends and family try to stay safe and solve the mysterious happenings at the new library.

The mysteries of the past that haunted Tempest were pretty much solved in the previous book, so the focus here is much less on her mother and aunt, allowing for Tempest's current relationships to see a little more development. I won't spoil anything, but it is fun watching her interact with everyone!

This is another great installment into what has become one of my favorite series!

This is book 4 in The Secret Staircase series. I have loved this series since reading book one on Netgalley three years ago and it has become an auto read for me! I love the characters and their love for mysteries and solving the seemingly impossible. This installment in the series was no different and I enjoyed reading about Tempest and her friends. While Tempest is our technically our heroine, I felt like she was more telling the story of her friends experiences to us in this book and I actually really loved that.

A cute cozy mystery with a fun library theme.

First, I must confess this is the 4th book in the series but the first I have read. I think that might have put me at a disadvantage as I tried to keep all the characters and their relationships straight. In retrospect, I should have read the other three to start at the beginning.

So this starts off with a dead body in a house that’s being converted into a niche library containing classic mystery books. The dead man was a member of the small cast that was rehearsing for a dinner theater performance that was to be given during the town’s summer stroll event and held at the house. The amateur sleuths set to solve the crime are associated with the company engaged to do the conversion. Tempest, Ivy, Sanjay, Gideon, and others (including the requisite pet — a rabbit) try to track down the killer. It’s mainly a locked room scenario with the killer having to be someone in their intimate circle of friends and acquaintances.

This was a mix of Nancy Drew and Scooby-Doo with the hook being the concept of secret staircases, hidden rooms, and libraries. Bibliophiles will enjoy all the literary references. I’ll likely go back at some point to check out the first book in the series just for fun.

I listened to the audio book while also following along in the ebook ARC, both provided by the publishers. I enjoyed the narrator as she used a variety of voices and accents to portray the characters. It always enhances a book when I can have this experience.

This was my favorite book of the series. A multi-book story arc just ended and some time has passed since Tempest's Magic career came to an untimely end so it feels a bit like everything has gotten a fresh start. I love the concept of the series involving a family owned construction company that does fantastical renovations involving illusions and secret spaces. I also love that while Tempest is the main character there is very much a group investigation feel (which gets referenced a number od times) with Tempest's friends and her grandfather who knows everyone.

This mystery involved an amateur theater production/murder mystery night in a house that is being renovated to become a mystery library. I love Ivy and her classic mystery references and the deep knowledge on illusion that both Sanjay and Tempest have. I also would love to try some of Tempest's grandfather's food! This was a fun mystery from beginning to end and one I looked forward to picking back up every time I had to put it down.

This is a fun mystery series with a very unique twist and I'm looking forward to seeing how the series develops from here.

I have been reading this Secret Staircase Mysteries series from the start, so I was happy to pick up this fourth book. Each of the books were enjoyable and I was glad to meet the characters again and see what they are up to this time.

Description:
In The Library Game, Tempest Raj and Secret Staircase Construction are renovating a classic detective fiction library that just got its first real-life mystery.

Tempest Raj couldn’t be happier that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Known for enchanting architectural features like sliding bookshelves and secret passageways, the company is now taking on a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives.

Though the work is far from done, Gray House Library’s new owner is eager to host a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room. But when a rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Fueled by her grandfather’s Scottish and Indian meals, Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.

My Thoughts:
Tempest is a great character from a family of famous magicians. After her fall from grace, she started working for Secret Staircase Construction, her father's company. Secret Staircase builds some very special custom rooms, many times for eccentric, wealthy clients. This is a locked-room mystery and, of course, there is a murder. With little to go on Tempest, Ivy, Gideon and Tempest's magician friend Sanjay start investigating. They are determined to prove that Sanjay, the prime suspect, is innocent. This is a cozy mystery with a fun group of characters. The writing flows well and is inviting. One of my favorite characters is Tempest's grandfather, Ash, whose kitchen is always open and he delivers meals all over town on his bicycle. Anyone who enjoys a good cozy will like this one.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Mystery lovers and puzzle lovers will enjoy this book. The characters were fun to get to know, although I quickly figured out that I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I had read books 1, 2 and 3 first. Apparently knowing more about these characters and their journey to where they are now is very important. However, I still enjoyed the mystery and the characters. Tempest was my favorite of the characters. She is spunky.

You can never go wrong with a locked room mystery like this one, especially when you are surrounded by books, even if there is a dead body involved. I kept getting visions of Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo with all of the secrets.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A cozy mystery for true book (and food) lovers.

This was my first book by Gigi Pandian so I was excited to read The Library Game. Overall, it was a fun premise with great characters and lots of misdirection to keep the reader on their toes.

This book can be read as a standalone. I didn't read the first three books and didn't feel lost at all.

I haven’t read the others in the series so I found this read to be a little bit confusing at the start. I struggled through this but if you read the others and liked them I think you would have fun this a cute book with a little murder twist.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

This book follows Tempest and her friends who are opening a library when one of their friends is murdered. I loved how Tempest and her friends investigated and the last half of the book was so fast based and had so many amazing twists and turns. I highly recommend this book!

Tempest Raj is delighted that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction is taking off. With an exciting new project in the works, they might have finally arrived. When things turn deadly at a mystery dinner, it’s time to figure out who is making the plots come alive and why. Book 4 of the cozy mystery series, this can be read alone, but it would be nice to have all the backstory. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Tempest Raj, who works for her family's business Secret Staircase Construction, gets hired to do a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives. Not only will the shelves be filled with books from mysteries from all of the best of best mystery writers in the past, but there will also be sliding bookshelves and secret passageways. Gray House Library’s new owner decides to hold a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room to show off the new library. However, when the rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.

This is book 4 in the Secret Staircase Mystery Series. I admit I had never heard of this series before, but was intrigued because who doesn't love a sliding bookcase, murder mystery dinner and a literary themed escape room? I wasn't at all lost, so I feel like this and all of the other books in the series could be read as a standalone. The mystery kept me guessing until almost the very end, and all of the mystery & literary references delighted me to no end. If you love a good mystery, then you should definitely check this out.