This is Kelsey Patterson with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Today, I’m recommending Under Lock & Skeleton Key, the first installment in Gigi Pandian’s new Secret Staircase mystery series.
After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, and life, she heads back to her childhood home in Hidden Creek, California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian fusion home-cooked meals. Though she resists, every day brings her closer to the inevitable: working for her father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.
When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, she can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations—something she used to swear didn’t exist—has finally come for her.
An ode to classic locked-room mysteries, Under Lock & Skeleton Key layers stunning architecture, mouthwatering food, a fair bit of sleight of hand, impossible illusions, and an inherently likeable cast of quirky characters in this heartfelt series debut. Thoroughly well-written and engrossing, this cozy mystery was near impossible to put down (well, near impossible to stop listening to). Award-winning narrator Soneela Nankani gives each character a distinctive voice and tackles the increasing suspenseful tone of the story with ease.
Check out Under Lock & Skeleton Key and other locked-room mysteries like it from the Sioux City Public Library
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