audio fiction, cozy/nerdy-geeky mystery, 2nd in series; (~9.5hrs)

I like the series so far; it's probably most memorable for its unique setting (secret staircase treehouse/residence/workshop + "Locked Room"; mystery-themed library in San Francisco) but there are also lots of likeable, quirky characters, plus tasty recipes at the end. ( )

Started this with number 2 and didn't even realize it. There are mentions of the past so it is fine as a stand-alone read but I liked it enough to look for number 1. :) I love the name of the series. I have an artist aunt who builds. Her angle is tree houses and Hobbit living so you can see the attraction and of course, I love cozy mysteries. I love the characters and hope to read her 3rd book too. ( )

Another winner from Gigi Pandian! I really wish I could hire the Secret Staircase Construction company to build me a secret room (though perhaps without the dead bodies that seem to appear when Tempest is around). Once again, Tempest is confronted with a locked room mystery that seems to have no possible solution, but this time her grandfather is a prime suspect. With the mysterious disappearance of her mother always in the background, Tempest skirts the law to clear her grandfather and unmask the real culprit. Highly recommend this second volume in this series! ( )

When Tempest Raj is asked to assist her friend, magician Sanjay, to perform a fake seance to rid Lavinia Kingsley’s house of any last vestiges of her soon-to-be ex- husband, Corbin Colt, how can she say no? But when things go horribly wrong and the soon-to-be ex is now the late soon-to-be ex, and, worse, Tempest’s grandfather is the main suspect, Tempest is determined to uncover the real culprit but, to do it, she must unravel the ‘four impossible ways’ Colt died.

The Raven Thief is the second book in the Secret Staircase mysteries by Gigi Pandian but the first I’ve read. I did feel that I would have understood many of the relationships between the characters better if had read the first book I also found that it strained my willing suspension of disbelief in many places.

However, despite, these quibbles, I did find the story very entertaining.I especially liked the quirky characters, many of them magicians and the author’s use of legerdemain to keep the reader distracted despite the ted herrings scattered throughout the tale. Overall, a very enjoyable read although I recommend reading the previous book first.

3.5

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publishers im exchange for an honest review ( )

Tempest Raj is happy to help her magician friend Sanjay perform a seance at the home of Lavinia Kingsley, owner of Veggie Magic cafe, when she requests the ritual to clear her home of the residue of her soon-to-be ex-husband Corbin Colt, but the seance goes horribly wrong when the body of said Corbin suddenly appears on the table where the seance is being held! Worse, the police immediately assume that Tempest’s grandfather Ash, a retired physician, might be the murderer because he immediately began to work on the body. Tempest is determined to clear her grandfather, but the more she investigates, the more she realizes that Corbin knew far, far too much about her own family’s mysteries…. This is the second book in the Secret Staircase mystery series, featuring a magician-heavy family of South Indian and Scottish descent. I have to admit that some of my enjoyment of these books is their setting in a small town in California’s East Bay; Oakland is my home town of sorts, and I’m having fun trying to determine just where Hidden Creek would be located if it existed. More enjoyable, however, is getting to know the entertaining characters populating this series, and the various ways in which the author uses misdirection, much like magicians do, to propel the plot. There are recipes at the end of the book for foodies who appreciate that, too. I’m looking forward to reading more of Tempest’s adventures and her continuing search for answers concerning her mother’s disappearance and aunt’s death; recommended! ( )