Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.
The Library Game
A Secret Staircase Mystery
Gigi Pandian
This is the most confounding Secret Staircase Mystery yet. An impossible murder, an unclear motive, and a disappearing corpse all combine to create this latest Gigi Pandian cozy mystery.
Tempest Raj was a Vegas magician, a master of illusion and the art of misdirection. She sounds a little like a mystery author, doesn't she? Tempest is now a part of the Secret Staircase Construction company, created by her parents. There is a bit of a backstory involving the death of her mom, it is touched on in this book, but you should really read the first three books to get the full story. Fortunately, it isn't necessary to enjoy this latest book. In fact, all four books are very good as stand-alone stories but the first three build very nicely on each other. In addition to being cozy, they also have a wonderful culinary aspect. Each book lays out some deliciously descriptive scenes with amazing food created/cooked/crafted by Tempest's grandfather, Ashok "Ash" Raj. Ash has an incredible ability to make tasty food that he shares with anyone and everyone. He also has a rolodex, yes, a literal rolodex of all his contacts, and that is a lot of people. This installment comes with the recipe for Blackberry Crumble Cobbler, and I can attest to how easy it is to make and how yummy it tastes with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
As usual, the team of Tempest, Gideon, Ivy, and Sunjay do a great job of adding unique perspectives and personality to the book. There is even a furry companion, Abra the big lop-eared emotional support bunny. Abra isn't technically a support bunny but there is something soothing about stroking bunny fur while trying to figure out a mystery or deal with a stressful or sad situation. I could have used a little support while I was chasing red herrings upstream because I did not have a clue who the killer was or why they did it until the reveal. In fact, the moment that Tempest figured it out, I actually sighed in an "oh no" sort of way. Thank goodness I had Blackberry Crumble Cobbler to make me feel better. This was another great cozy and if you get the chance to check out the audio versions, they are excellent as well with the voice talents of Soneela Nankani. She does a great job of bringing each and every character to life just as I have imagined they would sound. I look forward to reading the next book, hopefully next March as they seem to come out about a year apart.
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