Under Lock & Skeleton Key

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).