[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Tempest’s friend, Sanjay, has agreed to do a fake, “symbolic” séance for a client who is using Secret Staircase Construction to renovate her basement. The space used to be used by her ex as an office, but the client has had Tempest’s family business renovate it into something all hers. For her housewarming celebration she wants to “banish” her ex-husband’s spirit from the property. Even though he’s not dead.
But someone takes that banishment seriously. And Tempest, Sanjay, and the others at the séance become suspects for the man’s murder. Now Tempest has a locked room mystery to solve involving at least 4 impossible elements. Tempest will have to put all of her magical knowledge to use to find the real killer.
Review
The set up of this Secret Staircase Mystery series is so clever! Between Tempest’s history with magic and illusions, and her family business of building secret rooms and trick bookcases, there’s a lot about the setting and cast that sets this series apart. And I love all of it!
Along with that unique set up, the mystery here is terrifically plotted. There were multiple “impossible” scenarios that Tempest had to peel apart to find the killer – and it was super satisfying to watch it unfold.
There’s a lot here to love! I was a bit disappointed and distracted in the reading, though. I am hoping it’s a matter of the review copy needing another round of edits, but I have never run into this with another ARC from this publisher. There were sections here that were repetitive, and there were odd word choices that jarred me out of the story as I read. And while I like that there is a series-centered mystery in addition to each book-centered mystery, this time some of the pieces about the family curse and what happened to Tempest’s mom were more of a distraction than an enhancement.
I adored book one, Under Lock and Skeleton Key, and the mystery in this sequel is top notch. I have my fingers crossed that the other issues are either a fluke or were resolved in final edits before publication.
Rating: ♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥½ = Good +