The Library Game is book 4 in Gigi Pandian’s Secret Staircase Mystery Series, but it’s easily read as a standalone novel.
Tempest Raj and her family’s company, Secret Staircase Construction, have been hired to convert historic home, Gray House, into a mystery library. Although the renovations are still in progress, the owner is hosting an interactive murder mystery play and literary themed escape room to highlight the library, as part of the town’s annual summer stroll event. During one of their final dress rehearsals, in which Tempest and some of her friends are taking part, one of the actors winds up dead, and the group of friends must find the culprit so that the play and opening of the escape room can go on.
I really enjoyed this locked-room/closed-circle mystery. The characters were interesting, and I enjoyed the camaraderie between the characters in Tempest’s friend group. What made the mystery even more interesting was that there were no outside suspects, and almost all of the people who were suspects were seemingly nice people, with no obvious problem with the deceased, which made the mystery more difficult to solve.
I also enjoyed the magical elements…not supernatural magic, but stage magic…which was a refreshing twist since there are many cozy mysteries out there with supernatural magic themes. I enjoyed the way the logic of setting up an illusion of magic was used to help explain the mystery of both the death of the actor, and the side mystery of the burglary of the other library.
I think any lover of cozy mysteries will enjoy The Library Game, and I will be looking for more books in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Library Game will be available on March 18 2025.
Life, Tea, and Everything 