A Midnight Puzzle - (Secret Staircase Mysteries) by Gigi Pandian (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The Agatha Award Winner for Best Contemporary Mystery Novel

In heroine Tempest Raj, modern-day queen of the locked room mystery Gigi Pandian has created a brilliant homage to the greats of classic detective fiction.

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.

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian and her sleuth Tempest Raj return in A Midnight Puzzle, where an old theater reveals a deadly booby trap, secrets, and one puzzle of a mystery.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Midnight Puzzle

"An eerie booby trap, hidden secrets and a puzzle to solve... this whodunit penned by Gigi Pandian has it all." -Woman's World

"Pandian triumphs again... with this fiendishly clever, intricately constructed whodunit. It's another home run from a major talent." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This locked-room mystery is a fun read for cozy fans." -Library Journal

"Plot twists abound in this mystery of misdirection." -Booklist

"The pacing and writing elevate A Midnight Puzzle to a must-read for the cozy-mystery fan." -First Clue

"Fun, light, and clever." -Book Riot

"Be warned, this book will have you turning pages well past midnight."-Vivien Chien

"[A] uniquely fascinating world." -Donna Andrews

"A Midnight Puzzle has troublesome relationships, family secrets and--of course!--a bamboozling impossible crime." -Catriona McPherson

"The best in modern locked room mysteries. The mysteries are excellent, the clueing superb, and the characters engaging. A wonderful combination of Golden Age mystifying with modern storytelling." --Douglas G. Greene, John Dickson Carr biographer and mystery historian

Praise for The Secret Staircase Mysteries

"Wildly entertaining." -The New York Times Book Review

"Super-fun." -The Boston Globe

"Delightful." -Reader's Digest

"[A] brilliant homage to classic golden age authors." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Pandian's writing bursts with heart and hope." --BookPage (starred review)