The Raven Thief: A Secret Staircase Novel

by Gigi Pandian

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

If you loved Under Lock & Skeleton Key, then you’ll adore Gigi Pandian’s new classic whodunit built around a séance and a series of suspects, each with secrets to hide. The Raven Thief has all the makings of a Golden Age mystery, and all the followthrough as well.

“Super-fun.” –The Boston Globe

A Lefty Nominee for Best Mystery Novel
An Agatha Nominee for Best Contemporary Mystery Novel

One murder. Four impossibilities. A fake séance hides a very real crime.

Secret Staircase Construction just finished their first project with Tempest Raj officially a part of the team—a classic mystery novel-themed home interior. Their client is now ready to celebrate her new life without her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a party, and Tempest and Grandpa Ash are invited to the exclusive mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property—for good. It's all lighthearted fun until Corbin's dead body crashes the party.

The only possible suspects are the eight people around the séance table—a circle of clasped hands that wasn't broken. Suspicion quickly falls on Grandpa Ash, the only one with actual blood on him. To prove her beloved grandfather’s innocence, Tempest must figure out what really happened—and how—or Ash will be cooking his delectable Indian and Scottish creations nevermore.

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian is one of the best locked room mystery writers working today. Her newest heroine, Tempest Raj, returns in The Raven Thief, where sliding bookcases, trick tables, and hidden reading nooks hide something much more sinister than the Secret Staircase Construction crew ever imagined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250805027
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Series:	Secret Staircase Mysteries , #2
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	100,359
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

GIGI PANDIAN is the USA Today bestselling and multiple-award-winning author of the Secret Staircase mysteries, inspired by elements from her own family background. She is also the author of the Accidental Alchemist mysteries, the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, and more than a dozen locked-room mystery short stories. Pandian has won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Derringer awards, and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. A breast cancer survivor and accidental almost-vegan who adores cooking, she lives with her husband in Northern California.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/16/2023

In Pandian’s excellent sequel to 2022’s Under Lock & Skeleton Key, magician Tempest Raj, whose parents run Secret Staircase Construction, a company that builds houses with such accoutrements as secret passageways and sliding bookcases, witnesses a crime marked by multiple impossibilities at a séance. Lavinia Kingsley is seeking to eradicate all traces of her ex-husband, author Corbin Colt, from her California home. She retains a conjuror, the Hindi Houdini, to lead a fake séance. But in the middle of the proceedings, Colt’s corpse is dropped onto the séance table, a knife sticking out of his chest and black raven feathers scattered about, an apparent reference to Colt’s book, The Raven. But the knife is fake, Colt was on a livestream moments before and miles away from where his corpse landed, and there seems to be no rational way for his body to have reached its destination. Pandian’s clever solution matches the challenge she sets for her endearingly imperfect lead. This brilliant homage to classic golden age authors such as John Dickson Carr augurs well for a long series run. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Raven Thief

“Excellent. . . Pandian’s clever solution matches the challenge she sets for her endearingly imperfect lead. This brilliant homage to classic golden age authors such as John Dickson Carr augurs well for a long series run.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Tempest applies her knowledge of the tricks of the trade to the puzzle of Corbin’s death, highlighting the howdunit as much as the whodunit.” –Kirkus Reviews

“A compelling locked-room mystery populated by well-drawn characters and framed by books, food, and magic.” –Booklist

“Genre fans will appreciate Pandian’s many nods to golden age mysteries and their writers, and there are even some delectable recipes at the book’s end.” –BookPage

"Thrilling. . . This plot is as carefully constructed as the classic mystery novel-themed interior it revolves around." –San Francisco Book Review

“Pandian presents us with a tight knit, quirky cast anyone would want to follow – and Tempest herself is a force to be reckoned with.” –Aunt Agatha’s

"A true standout. . . Pandian has done it again: The Raven Thief conjures up the perfect balance of magic, mystery, and mayhem. I couldn't stop reading!" —Juliet Blackwell

"An enchanting locked room mystery with a delightfully unique premise." —Elle Cosimano

"Both Pandian and her protagonist, Tempest Raj, are forces to be reckoned with." —Mia P. Manansala

Praise for Under Lock & Skeleton Key

“Wildly entertaining. . . [Tempest Raj] is fully realized, a brilliant and talented young woman.” —The New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

Soneela Nankani returns to narrate the second installment of the Secret Staircase series. Secret Staircase Construction has completed their first job. Their client is eager to celebrate by hosting a mock séance to expunge all remnants of her ex-husband from her new life. All is going well until his dead body crashes the party. Tempest Raj needs to solve the murder to exonerate her grandfather, who has been arrested for it. Nankani has a quirky cast of characters to portray. She makes good use of subtle accents for Tempest's Indian grandfather and the Japanese mother of a Californian client who is bold and brash. Familiarity with the series is not required--but may be fun. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile

Soneela Nankani returns to narrate the second installment of the Secret Staircase series. Secret Staircase Construction has completed their first job. Their client is eager to celebrate by hosting a mock séance to expunge all remnants of her ex-husband from her new life. All is going well until his dead body crashes the party. Tempest Raj needs to solve the murder to exonerate her grandfather, who has been arrested for it. Nankani has a quirky cast of characters to portray. She makes good use of subtle accents for Tempest's Indian grandfather and the Japanese mother of a Californian client who is bold and brash. Familiarity with the series is not required--but may be fun. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile

2022-12-24
A former magician uses her expertise to solve an impossible murder.

Call it magic, mentalism, or something else, but a love for all things illusory links Tempest Raj’s family, from Tempest’s past as a Vegas act to her current work with her dad constructing the Secret Staircase series’ eponymous conveyances. After wrapping a job at Lavinia Kingsley’s home, Tempest and her family, including her Grandpa Ash, are invited to the house to celebrate Lavinia’s new beginnings: Her home renovation is going hand in hand with her recent separation from author Corbin Colt, whom she’s divorcing. Lavinia is a bit of a personality, insisting on a full séance to mark the figurative death of Corbin from her life, but, as these things so often do, the figurative soon becomes literal as Corbin appears and dies midséance. How did he materialize, and who knew he’d be there and wanted him dead? Tempest is freaked out and frustrated: She wouldn’t even have been there if her friend and fellow illusionist Sanjay hadn’t been orchestrating the woo-woo action. Worse still is that Grandpa Ash appears to be the police’s primary suspect, which makes no sense because all eight attendees were holding hands throughout the time of Corbin’s murder. But then, things that look like they shouldn’t make sense are really the specialty of illusionists, aren’t they? Tempest applies her knowledge of the tricks of the trade to the puzzle of Corbin’s death, highlighting the howdunit as much as the whodunit.

Heavy dual concentrations on setup and illusion make this installment more tricky than substantive.

Kirkus Reviews