Publisher's Weekly Review
Pandian (the Accidental Alchemist mysteries) is in top form in this thoroughly enjoyable series launch starring 26-year-old Tempest Raj, a Las Vegas, Nev., magician, who returns home to California after a stage accident--engineered, she's sure, by her stunt double, Cassidy Sparrow--destroyed her career. Tempest's family runs a business, Secret Staircase Construction, which specializes in constructing houses with secret passageways, sliding bookcases, and hidden entrances, and on the site of her father's latest job she discovers Cassidy's body inside a wall that's been sealed for decades. Could Tempest have been the intended victim? As Tempest struggles to solve the puzzle of Cassidy's death, she reconnects with her family--largely through her grandfather's cooking and a host of lovingly described plant-based recipes that will make even a non-vegan's mouth water. Pandian negotiates the fine line between the magician's pledge not to reveal their secrets and the mystery writer's equally important promise to play fair with the reader by keeping most of the magic tricks offstage. Never mind that the solution of the impossible murder isn't more central to the story. Lovers of traditional mysteries with quirky characters will be well rewarded. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.)
Booklist Review
Tempest Raj, headliner of her own wildly popular Las Vegas magic show, returns home to Hidden Creek, California, broke and disgraced after a dangerous stunt in her new show goes horribly wrong. While the magic community considers Tempest at fault, Tempest believes her doppelganger and former stage double, Cassidy Sparrow, sabotaged the show. Or is it the family curse? Over the generations, the curse says that "the eldest child dies by magic," and it has proven true so far, most recently with the death of Tempest's aunt, and then with her mother's disappearance. While working at her father's business, Secret Staircase Construction, Tempest and her father find Cassidy's body hidden behind a wall that hasn't been opened in years. With the help of her best friend, Ivy, Tempest attempts to determine who killed Cassidy and how she was placed behind the wall. Tempest solves the mysteries while pondering her future in this satisfying story with numerous plot twists, vividly drawn characters involving close family relationships, delicious food (recipes are included), and a fresh magic frame interspersed with details about classic mystery books.
Library Journal Review
This latest from Pandian (The Glass Thief) is an excellent choice to liven up cozy mystery sections. Tempest Raj returns to California after her popular magic show in Vegas came to an early and disastrous end. She hails from a long line of stage magicians but doesn't believe in the curse that is said to fall on the eldest child in each generation--she believes that her show was sabotaged by her former stage double, Cassidy. While visiting her father's latest construction job, a wall that supposedly was untouched for a century reveals Cassidy's dead body to Tempest and the rest of the crew. Was Tempest the intended victim? How did Cassidy's body get into that wall? Tempest feels that this is all the result of misdirection, a technique used by magicians like herself, but how? This "Secret Staircase" series starter is a fresh and magical locked-room mystery filled with fascinating and likable characters, incredible settings, and Tempest's grandfather's homecooked Indian meals (recipes included). VERDICT Readers will enjoy not only figuring out the mystery but also learning how the magic tricks are done.--Sarah Sullivan