April 2023 – Page 2 – It's All About the Book

Description

Multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian is one of the best locked room mystery writers working today. Her newest heroine, Tempest Raj, returns in The Raven Thief, where sliding bookcases, trick tables, and hidden reading nooks hide something much more sinister than the Secret Staircase Construction crew ever imagined.

One murder. Four impossibilities. A fake séance hides a very real crime.

Secret Staircase Construction just finished their first project with Tempest Raj officially a part of the team—a classic mystery novel-themed home interior. Their client is now ready to celebrate her new life without her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a party, and Tempest and Grandpa Ash are invited to the exclusive mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property—for good. It’s all lighthearted fun until Corbin’s dead body crashes the party.

The only possible suspects are the eight people around the séance table—a circle of clasped hands that wasn’t broken. Suspicion quickly falls on Grandpa Ash, the only one with actual blood on him. To prove her beloved grandfather’s innocence, Tempest must figure out what really happened—and how—or Ash will be cooking his delectable Indian and Scottish creations nevermore.

My Thoughts

The more I read Gigi Pandian, the more she begins to secure a permanent spot on my book shelves. I adored the first in this series, and enjoyed the sophomore entry very much. Pandian gives us another very clever mystery featuring Tempest Raj, one of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a very long time. Her background as a magician combined with her family’s profession of constructing hidden rooms and staircases make this a fascinating series.

The writing is well-developed, comfortable, and uncomplicated, but the plot is as intricate as ever. We learn more about Tempest, her friends, and her family and are treated to some fascinating magic and mystery. I totally want to see this series be adapted for television!

If you enjoy this series, try Pandian’s other work, especially The Accidental Alchemist series, which features a gargoyle!

Publication Date: March 21, 2023
Published By: St. Martin’s Press; Minotaur Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

On Tour April 3-28
Virtual Book Tour

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress, who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. With women disappearing from the area and a legend that seems to parallel these eerie circumstances, Daisy is thrust into a web that threatens to steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery of disappearance, insanity, and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again. This time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amidst the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.

My Thoughts

Wright has delivered a solid mystery with well-defined characters and a plot that keeps you turning pages. There are plenty of mysterious elements and red herrings here that keep you guessing, which adds to the suspense of both plotlines, past and present. Stories that move between time periods can sometimes be inconsistent as some authors tend to focus more on one era and leave things in the other era unaccounted for. That doesn’t happen here. The author ties together the events of past and present seamlessly to create a cohesive story.

While this is a mystery, it is also a story about women and the sometimes horrifying things many have faced, especially in the past. This is also a story about good people putting themselves in danger to help others, and the repercussions of those actions across generations. There is a definite religious theme here, which will appeal to fans of Christian mysteries.

Readers who like a good romance with their mystery will enjoy this one.

Praise for The Vanishing at Castle Moreau:

“An imaginative and mysterious tale.”

New York Times bestselling author RACHEL HAUCK

“With real, flawed characters, who grapple with real-life struggles, readers will be drawn into this gripping suspense from the very first page. Good luck putting it down. I couldn’t.”

LYNETTE EASON, bestselling, award-winning author of the Extreme Measures series

“Wright pens another delightfully creepy tale where nothing is quite as it seems and characters seek freedom from nightmares both real and imagined.”

Library Journal

“Wright captivates. A thrilling tale. . . . Readers won’t want to put this down.”

Publishers Weekly

Book Details:

Genre: Dual time Suspense/Thriller
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: April 2023
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780764238345
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Baker Book House

Book Trailer

Author Bio

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of six novels, including Christy Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap’n Hook; and their littles, Peter Pan and CoCo.

To learn more, visit Jamie at:
www.jaimewrightbooks.com (& check out her Podcast – MadLit Musings!)
Goodreads
BookBub – @JaimeJoWright
Instagram – @JaimeJoWright
Twitter – @JaimeJoWright
Facebook – @JaimeJoWright

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