THE LIBRARY GAME, bookish cozy mystery among a pack of good friends

THE LIBRARY GAME
GIGI PANDIAN
Minotaur Books (non-affiliate Amazon link)
$14.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: In The Library Game, Tempest Raj and Secret Staircase Construction are renovating a classic detective fiction library that just got its first real-life mystery.

Tempest Raj couldn’t be happier that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Known for enchanting architectural features like sliding bookshelves and secret passageways, the company is now taking on a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives.

Though the work is far from done, Gray House Library’s new owner is eager to host a murder mystery dinner and literary themed escape room. But when a rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Fueled by her grandfather’s Scottish and Indian meals, Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.

Multiple award winning author Gigi Pandian masterfully weaves wit and warmth in the Secret Staircase Mysteries. Readers will delight in the surprises Secret Staircase Construction uncovers behind the next locked door.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: As someone for whom this:

...represents the apotheosis of all my life's desires, this book and series could be written solely for me. Add in Tempest's history as an illusionist of renown on the stages of Las Vegas, and I'm deeper into infatuation.

As this entry in the series is not set in the same place, or with the same precise cast, as previous ones (which I have not read), and I'm at the proper starting place, though it must be said that there are a lot of relationships that aren't formed in this book. Be prepared to infer a lot from the offhanded remarks of the cast if you're starting here, but it's really not onerous. The story Author Pandian tells us here is a very cozy one...you know, dead bodies and suchlike goins-on, but no gore and precious little that could even be considered violence in the world we live in...and a murder whose most chilling aspect is how it ties in to a bookish social community's attempts to fix up a person's home library for a destination vacation spot, plus lots of good food descriptions and a recipe or two— however can I resist?

Small things detract from perfection, like the way Tempest jumps to an absolutely wrong conclusion at one point and it's simply never dealt with, but we're not here for the locked-room puzzle. This is a relationship-driven book, one with kind, good people who really care for each other and for books and food and community. The reveal of the guilty party came as no surprise to me, experienced mystery reader that I am, mostly because I knew none of the people involved and was thus not distracted by the intended red herrings.

The presence of pet bunny Abracadabra, and a pivotal character called Mrs. Hudson, made this feel very Golden-Age mystery. While I think it's lots of fun to read, I don't see myself getting books one through three to catch up. The issue with cozies for me is I need some kind of alchemical falling-in-love moment or they become rather like TV shows. I felt here as though I could easily watch this crew doing their thing on Acorn or Britbox and love it. On the page I liked it fine, but not quite enough to get to four stars.