The Library Game

If you love to read locked room mysteries with disappearing bodies, illusionists, and libraries, then look no further than Gigi Pandian’s fourth novel in the Secret Staircase Mystery series.

The Library Game features Tempest Raj and a cast of friends, family, and others. Tempest has left Las Vegas and is working for her father, Darius Mendez and his Secret Staircase Construction crew. The latest job is to renovate a home into the Gray House Library of Classic Detective Fiction. Sliding bookshelves, secret passageways, escape rooms, and much more are all available to customers.

Cameron Gray, the new owner of the house, wants to host a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room prior to the library opening. When a dress rehearsal ends with a dead actor whose body somehow disappears, the attendees find classic mystery plots coming to life. What happened to the body? Why was there a murder? Who could have done it with so many witnesses there?

Tempest is a former stage performer who specialized in creating mystifying illusions. Now she does this through architectural misdirection. She can normally process large amounts of data in a short amount of time, but this murder isn’t going to be easily solved. She’s loyal to her friends and her family. Ivy Youngblood and Gideon Torres work on the construction crew and are Tempest’s best friends. Sanjay Rai is a friend and illusionist who is helping with the dinner play. He’s hardworking, talented, and loyal. The interpersonal dynamics between the characters added complexity and depth to the story.

The plot was solid with some twists, exciting scenes, and a puzzling mystery. This cozy mystery is descriptive enough to allow readers to be transported to Gray House without adversely affecting the pacing. With plenty of intriguing characters, delicious food, and a rabbit that gives emotional support cuddles, this story was a pleasure to read. My one quibble is that it was a little too easy to discern the antagonist, but there is a twist that helped me relish the solution to the mystery. Additionally, I enjoyed all the literary references to classic detective fiction.

Overall, this was an entertaining novel with interesting characters, some suspense, a bit of romance, a lot of misdirection, and a riveting mystery. It kept me fully engaged. While this is the fourth book in the series, it worked as a standalone for me. However, I think reading the books in order would provide more background and show how the characters have grown over time. I’m looking forward to doing that.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Gigi Pandian provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for March 18, 2025.