S&S Book Club: Gigi Pandian’s The Raven Thief
Lida, Tina and Jen chat about Carol’s pick: Gigi Pandian’s The Raven Thief
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Why Carol Picked It
The intriguing titles of the Nancy Drew books—The Hidden Staircase, The Secret in the Old Attic—have always set my imagination soaring. I also love Gigi Pandian’s Accidental Alchemist mysteries featuring Dorian the Notre Dame gargoyle. So, it was an easy move for me to check out Pandian’s new Secret Staircase series.
The Raven Thief, as well as the first book in the series Under Lock and Skeleton Key, are filled with fun and imagination. In The Raven Thief, protagonist Tempest Raj moves home to her family following the close of her Vegas magic show. I especially enjoyed the relationship between her and her grandparents. Her grandfather is a retired doctor who loves to cook. He prepares and delivers lunch to her dad’s construction crew daily. It’s a lovely twist on the usual female character who shows her love through feeding people.
From secret staircases, moving bookcases, a hidden garden, and a treehouse to the clever plot, The Raven Thief will keep you entertained and keep you guessing until the very end.
What Jen Thought
I was so happy to have another reason to soak up Pandian’s world of magic in the second book in the Secret Staircase Mysteries series. I’ve always enjoyed a good magic show, but during the depths of the pandemic it took on new meaning in my life.
My family watched live magic shows over Zoom with a local magician nearly every week, we arranged a private family Zoom session with my distant parents, sister and nephew as a way to stay connected, and we watched nearly every episode of Penn & Teller: Fool Us TV show as a family.
The highlight, though, was watching Penn and Teller: Teach the Art of Magic on Master Class. I learned how the pros hide balls and perform French Drops. (My son even learned how to perform them.) What I loved most was exploring the psychology behind magic: we know there’s a trick, but we still can’t see it. And knowing how it’s done doesn’t spoil the pleasure, it only deepens it.
Understanding people’s willingness to be fooled is what Pandian puts to such good use in her books. I love that her hero, Tempest, can put her skills in human psychology to work to solve impossible crimes. She’s an unusual detective and so fun to follow.
What Lida Thought
Like Jen, I’ve always enjoyed a good magic show and had the pleasure of visiting the Magic Castle in Los Angeles several times. The fact that the Secret Staircase Mysteries combine magic and mystery was all the convincing I needed to read this fun series.
The elements I love about magic are here: hidden rooms, mystical charms, a family curse, locked settings where a seemingly impossible murder happens, and so much more. I couldn’t help but wonder just how much magic the author knows firsthand, as the descriptions are very vivid and real. There is no doubt that heroineTempest Raj knows what she’s doing. Is there a real Locked Room Library? I wish!
An added bonus are the recipes at the end of the book: cardamom chocolate chip scones, turmeric pizza dough (I’m a big turmeric fan), and blackberry jam. Yum! But back to the mystery: Pandian wrote a complex plot that includes unique characters, and deftly weaves in her mother’s disappearance and her aunt’s death, both of which are sure to play big roles in her next book. This is not your average locked room mystery.
What Tina Thought
This series is chock-full of childhood wish fulfillment—a treehouse, secret rooms, a hidden garden, and lots of lore, legends and a curse for good measure. The unique foods and recipes are mouth watering. (I copied all the recipes!) The family element is so strong and welcoming, you’ll long to be a member by the time you close the book.
And then there is the magic! Oh, and a seemingly impossible crime to solve. It is a warm and cozy read with a head scratching puzzle.
