"The Library Game" By Gigi Pandian: Review/Giveaway

Review by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

An act of sabotage may have ended Tempest Raj’s career in Vegas as a professional magician, but now she is happily settled in as part of her family’s Californian Secret Staircase Construction company. As the name indicates, they specialize in creating hidden spaces and rooms for their customers, with their latest project being the transformation of the historic Gray House into a public library. The Gray House is hosting a mystery literary-themed escape room for Hidden Creek’s annual summer stroll event, with one of the major clues hidden behind a secret bookcase. When one of the three hired actors has a schedule conflict, Tempest’s magician friend Sanjay Rai steps in as Lucas Cruz’s replacement. A stage illusionist known as the Hindu Houdini, Sanjay revels in the attention until it makes him a suspect for murder. After a series of baffling body swaps where Lucas unexpectedly appears – as a corpse – and then disappears, police initially write it off as a practical joke until a body reappears at a most inconvenient time.

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While Sanjay worries that he may be the prime target of the investigating detectives, Tempest wonders if the murder was part of a plan to keep the library from ever opening at all. Its neighbor Mrs. Hudson was petitioning to prevent the public facility from being permitted in a residential area, going so far as to surveil and track the movements of those going in and out of the home. While this is initially helpful in attempting to figure out exactly what happens, her assertion that the ghost of the previous owner is involved only confuses the entire situation. The more Tempest learns about Lucas and the elaborate escape room scenarios, the more she begins to wonder if Lucas was the actual intended murder target. 

This fourth in a series by one of my favorite authors explores the family and friendships Tempest has built among her Hidden Creek hometown. She will need to rely on those as their company’s stonemason Gideon Torres accepts a three-month long internship in France, interrupting the progress they’d made into a possible relationship. The friends-and-never-more situation between Tempest and Sanjay contains a small frisson of tension, as it’s clear that he harbors feelings that she doesn’t yet return. A tense interaction between them emphasizes that sometimes just being there, listening and commiserating, is what’s needed more than action or advice. Tempest’s grandfather continues to cook mouthwatering South Indian dishes for his family, in addition to bringing lunches for their working crew. 

 As is appropriate for an Agatha-themed locked-room mystery game, clues are scattered throughout this novel, playing fair and allowing the reader to pick up on a possible culprit. Library and book lovers will of course love this mystery that celebrates the love of reading, especially since it contains references to classic detective mystery novels. Having solved the personal mysteries of her past that haunted her, Tempest is finally able to look forward towards a future where she builds a life that combines her love of stagecraft, illusions, and architecture. This is a mystery-loving novel that will appeal to those who will appreciate this spunky, extremely sharp-witted heroine who is as adept with illusions as she is in solving an elaborate puzzle.

To enter to win a copy of The Library Game, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "library game,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 26, 2025. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors!

You can click here to purchase this book.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

 Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.