I will always read this series! Gigi Pandian crafts excellent mysteries in the vein of classic Golden Age novels. Tempest is a fantastic sleuth and I've enjoyed watching her growth over the series. This installment has an impossible crime, cozy friendships, and as usual, heaps of references to classic mysteries.

PSA: This series is 100% best read in order, especially the first three books. This last one could perhaps work as a standalone.

Secret Staircase Construction is working on renovating an old home into a library specializing in classic mysteries. However, not everyone in Hidden Creek is happy about this. When someone is murdered during the trial run of the murder mystery play being staged as part of the city's annual summer stroll, Tempest Raj will have to step in to find out the truth before one of her closest friends takes the blame.

Let's be honest, the last book in this series tied up a lot of threads and answered some big questions that had been hanging out since the first book. In that regard, I enjoyed The Library Game so much because it was like starting a new chapter in the series. It wasn't pulled down by any of the other restraints. It was simply allowed to be an interested near locked-room mystery.

I think it's my favorite book of the series thus far. I felt like the characters were able to breathe a little more because they were not longer under said restraints. The story felt very fresh yet still maintained the intricately magical quality of piecing together a seemingly unsolvable crime.

I liked that we get some forward momentum in regards to Gideon and Tempest. Things are still to be determined between them - especially after some news is revealed - but it's more than we've gotten in the last three books combined.

It was nice also to see Tempest and her friends actively working together - like an oft-mentioned group of mystery solving friends and their canine companion. In previous books I've felt like Tempest has either been on her own or she's with one of her group, but having all of them work together was great because they each bring something different to the table. It's not just about the magic, Ivy's knowledge of classic mysteries, and Gideon's slow, yet thoughtful, approach to parsing out information came in handy.

If you have enjoyed this series before, you will certainly like this one. I also feel that this would be a great starting point to the series if you haven't dived into the first three yet.

I thought this book started out interesting. Maybe if I had read the previous ones I would have liked this one more. It just felt like it was jumping around too much. Maybe it was just me. Anyway I was surprised by the ending.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me for my review.

So much to like about this book, from the interesting crime puzzle, the foods, the rabbit, the mystery book references. However, I'm afraid that I found her magician friend Sanjay to be too distracting, annoying and unpleasant in his ever present pouty little boy mannerisms. I could say more about him, but I don't want to distract from the fact that this was still a pretty good book.

Such a fun and mysterious read!
I have not read the first three of this series and I still was able to enjoy. I have now purchased the other three.
A cozy, locked door mystery with a touch of Agatha.
Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy.

I didn’t realize this was the fourth book in the series when I first selected but not having read the others I still enjoyed this book! A good mystery and I felt like I still understood everything going on. I will be looking into the other books for this series. Who doesn’t love a book that involves libraries?

3.5 rounded up to 4. This was a cute cozy mystery about a small town Reno company helping bring a mysteries only library to life. And then someone gets murdered! **gasp**

This was book 4 in the series and there were moments the author alluded to something from the MCs past, and since I hadn’t read the other books, it was a little confusing, but it didn’t take away from the book as a whole.

I’m always a sucker for a cozy mystery especially in a small town.

Thank you St Martins Press for the eARC & MacMillian Audio for the ALC.

“𝐌𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥.”

Tempest and all the Secret Staircase crew are back in another impossible mystery!

Gigi Pandian’s love letter to locked-room mysteries continues with this puzzling howdunnit. When the dress rehearsal for an interactive murder myster play ends with a dead actor whose body then disappears, Tempest and her friends need to find out how and why. I absolutely adore the series and look forward to it each year. Pandian has created such a loveable group of characters, and watching them grow through each book is a joy. Tempest, Sanjay, Gideon and Ivy’s friendship is a highlight, especially as they band together to solve seemingly impossible crimes; there’s even a fun wink to a famous group of two females, two males, and an clever pet in their new group name: The Abracadabras (who doesn’t love a take on the Scooby Gang?!). Pandian keeps pages turning with little reveals at the end of each chapter; I had fun trying to see how the different Golden Age stories mentioned would play into the solution of the mystery. The whodunnit wasn’t too much of a surprise, but in these books, it’s just as enjoyable to see the crew figure out the howdunnit (Pandian never ceases to amaze me with her creativity).

The Library Game is another solid entry to this cozy mystery series. I can’t wait to see what Pandian has planned next for Tempest and the Staircase crew! Thank you to Minotaur Books & NetGalley for the ARC!

I spent about amonth trying to get through this book, and after about 150 pages I've decided to DNF. This is not to say the book is poorly written, boring, or that I didn't like it. I just felt like it was moving too slow paced for me personally. The book is well written and I was enjoying it at first when reading it. But it wasn't a book that I felt drawn to read.
Good book I would say, just not for me in this moment.

Review of The Library Game by Gigi Pandian

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian is a delightful addition to the Secret Staircase Mysteries series, and despite being the fourth book, it easily stands on its own. This cozy mystery, filled with hidden passages, escape rooms, and a murder mystery dinner, captures the charm of classic whodunits with a modern twist. Tempest Raj and her quirky team are back, working on the renovation of a library full of secrets when things take a dark turn with a murder during a dress rehearsal for a performance.

The story moves briskly, with Pandian weaving humor, intrigue, and tension seamlessly. The characters are well-developed and beloved, with friendships and dynamics that offer both warmth and mystery. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy the references to classic works, and the setting—a library filled with hidden doors and puzzles—is a dream for mystery lovers.

While the pacing can slow down at times, particularly in the middle, the mystery itself is engaging, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The sense of fun is palpable, with the group of friends working together not just to solve the crime, but to enjoy the challenge of it. The cozy, found-family atmosphere provides a nice balance to the tension of the investigation.

A few reviewers noted the book's reliance on certain tropes and the predictability of some twists, but overall, the charm of the characters and the engaging mystery made it a satisfying read. If you’re new to the series, starting from Under Lock & Skeleton Key is highly recommended, though The Library Game will still be an enjoyable read for those who jump in at this point.

Overall, The Library Game is a solid, lighthearted mystery perfect for readers who love puzzles, quirky characters, and a touch of nostalgia. The fun dynamics and clever mystery will appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers to the series. Highly recommended for cozy mystery enthusiasts!

This book is fourth in a series, and I hadn’t read the first three, but I gave it a try! An intriguing locked room mystery filled with escape rooms, sliding bookshelves, secret passages, and a murder mystery dinner! I definitely want to check out the first 3, and see how Tempest’s story began!

Gigi Pandian has brought together her group of Illusionist to solve another mystery within the Secret Staircases. As each step into the current job, this site will send the one into many rooms, thus drawing away from the true culprit and even confusing the victim.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Library Game is part of a series but works as a stand alone book. It's a nice cozy mystery about books and hidden staircases. The characters are interesting and kept my attention. My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Publishing for the ARC of 'The Library Game' in exchange for an honest review.

With one of their projects, appearing haunted and a dead body suddenly appearing on site, it seems the gang is back in business, trying to figure out who done it. Because one of them is going down for murder if they cannot figure it out.

When I first read one of the books in this series, I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with it as much as I have. I absolutely adore all of the characters, the story, the bunny, and everything about it. It is now one of my must read series and I keep an alert set for when the author is publishing her next book. It’s that good!

While The Library Game will not be on my list of faves, it was a quick read. The plot was okay. It was lacking in strong use of language and dialogue. I kept thinking, "This must be almost over," only to realize I still have 75% of the book left. I was not invested in the characters, there were random twists and red herring wannabes. It was something I read to pass the time, but not a book worthy of devouring. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This is a fun, cozy mystery. I enjoyed following Tempest as she and her crew built up this secret library and murder mystery game. The mystery itself was full of twists and turns, and I didn't know what was going to happen next. There were some parts in the story where the pacing slowed down, and I felt it dragged the story out a bit too long.
Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable story, and while it's the fourth book in this series, I didn't have any trouble following what was happening.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S THE LIBRARY GAME ABOUT?
The project that Secret Staircase Construction is about to wrap up has a couple of distinctive elements (on top of the sliding bookshelves, escape room, etc.)—their client is dead, and his death is not a mystery at all. Most people might not consider that very distinctive, but those people haven't read a mystery novel featuring Tempest Raj.

This client was an aficionado of classic mysteries—okay, aficionado is an understatement—he was borderline obsessed and had the money to indulge that obsession. As his death neared, he decided to turn most of his house into a library (leaving room for an apartment for his librarian nephew), stocked with his own collection. This sounds like a dream come true for most of my readers, right?

He hired Secret Staircase to give it just the right look and touch, even turning part of it into an Escape Room. Sadly, he died before it was completed, leaving his nephew to bring his vision to life.

While the library is being finished—and waiting for official approval to make it a public entity—there's a neighborhood festival. To get some promotion for the library (and to be good neighbors), they've hired some local actors to stage a little performance.

During a dress rehearsal for that performance, something goes wrong—one of the actors disappears (I'm glossing over a lot here), so they try again the next day—in the midst of that... I don't even know how to gloss over this. It's like they all chanted "Macbeth!" while walking under a ladder and crossing a black cat's path or something—so many things go wrong, and a body is discovered. Tempest's magician friend, Sanjay, appears to be the prime suspect—although the rest of the actors and workers aren't above suspicion either.

Well, more than one person floats the idea of the deceased client's ghost being behind it all. So, there are plenty of suspects, however unlikely.

Tempest (and her friend group and family) has her work cut out for her if she's going to clear Sanjay's name, find the killer, and get the Library set for the festival.

THE SENSE OF FUN
Yes, this is a murder mystery. Livelihoods, wrongful convictions, and more are on the line. But there is a strong sense of fun to this book. Our amateur sleuths are a group of friends who've been down this road before (three times to be exact)—in one way or another.

They like the challenge, they enjoy mysteries, illusions, and everything else going on here—and they can't help but enjoy this in some way—and this comes out in their interactions with each other.

There's a sense of play here as they work through this, some running jokes, and so on. I'm not saying that books two and three were absent fun, but it was played down a bit because of everything else. This is as fun as the first book—and maybe more so, because the relationships are better settled and Tempest isn't under that cloud anymore.

Beyond the greater sense of fun than we've had for a bit, there's the cozy and warm feeling you get from reading a solid found family/friend group (in the midst of a flesh and blood family), these people like each other. It's hard to beat that feeling.

All of that serves as a bonus to a clever mystery.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE LIBRARY GAME?
I was fairly convinced that the previous book in the series, The Raven Thief was going to be the last one as it wrapped up a three-book arc, serving as a nice trilogy. I was so happy to be wrong—I wanted more time with Tempest and her friends—especially Ivy (I'd take a spin-off book full of her essays on locked-room mysteries) and Abra. Not to mention the fun of imagining Ash's culinary offerings.

Beyond the characters, Pandian knows how to deliver a contemporary locked-room crime and how to keep the tension building while keeping the whole book entertaining. I need to make time for her backlist soon to see how these books compare with her earlier offerings.

I'd like Ernest Cunningham (or Ivy, I guess) to weigh in on Pandian's books because I'm not entirely certain that she plays fair with her clues and solutions. Particularly in this case. But that's just to satisfy a mental itch, because I really don't care—I thought the solution to this and the reveal were pulled off satisfyingly well.

This would make a good jumping-on point for someone new to this world and is a must-read for people who enjoyed any of the previous three. It's a clever book, a smart mystery, filled with good friends and warm feelings. Who doesn't want that?

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

4.5 stars

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian follows Tempest as she helps transform a home into a library with hidden passages and all sorts of fun stuff. One night, while rehearsing with the group tasked to create a murder mystery for the library's opening they discover a body. When they call the police, the body has disappeared. They must figure out who murdered the person and find out what happened to the body while finishing the last touches on the new library.

Disclaimer, I'm a HUGE Gigi Pandian fan. So I was absolutely delighted to read this book. I did start the series on this book so some of my information is not complete but I was able to pick up the story from context clues. I really appreciated that Sanjay was a part of this story since the Jaya Jones novels are some of my favorites. I'm not sure if he makes an appearance on the other books in the series but I am definitely going to pick them up as I had so much fun with this book.

About this book specifically I enjoyed Tempest, her friends, and her family a lot. I was also not able to figure out the mystery until it was unfolding in the book but to be fair, I try not to figure it out so that I'm surprised by the end. I thought the romance element was sweet but did not distract from the mystery at all. I also really liked the nosy neighbor. Now the only thing that kept me from giving it a 5 star is that I wish there was more about the renovation because it was advertised but maybe it is in other books? I might update my review after reading the other books.

Anyway, overall I would highly recommend this book even if you haven't read the other three. I think Gigi Pandian does a wonderful job at painting a compelling mystery with wonderful characters. If you like cozy mysteries then this book is for sure for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Gigi Pandian for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a nice easy cozy mystery to get into. It has a lot of references towards Agatha Christie's work which was nice but also felt repetitive at times but had some nice parts of feeling like you are in an escape room trying to solve what is going on. A good guessing game of who done it.