THE LIBRARY GAME by Gigi Pandian

4 stars

A whimsical confetti of a locked room mystery is the fourth crime solving venture for former Las Vegas magician and illusionist Tempest Raj who has come home a joined her family’s business Secret Staircase Construction which specializes in constructing hidden features in homes. The company’s latest venture is for Harold Gray, a wealthy older man who hired them to convert his elegant home into a public library for his classic detective fiction collection. In the meantime, Harold has died and his grandnephew Cameron, who stands to inherit the house and a tiny apartment built for him in the attic, has taken over a point person. Taj and her close Ivy have also been working on a murder mystery play that Harold wanted to host as a public welcome to the new library.

But on rehearsal night, one of actors appears dead on the ground after a shooting with a toy gun followed by a black out, and then the body disappears. Taj, her friends, boyfriend Gideon, and her close-knit family, set out to try to solve what seems an impossible crime. Sanjay Ray, another close friend of Taj and a famous magician had lent his special compartmented trunk to the rehearsal at the actor’s request and emerges the prime suspect. The local town of Hidden Creek’s savvy Detective Blackburn gets on the case, but Taj and her friends all scramble to help. Potential motives for all the characters emerge, and danger lurks around every bend as Taj and company pursue the killer.

With wit and twists, the killer gets caught. A fun book to curl up on the couch and immerse yourself!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press Minotaur books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.