A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE

A magic-filled family seeks change to avoid a curse that seems unwilling to leave them alone.

Classic stage illusionist Nicodemus the Necromancer has always been something like a second father, or at least a mentor, to Tempest Raj. As his retirement tour begins, Nicodemus realizes that he finds it hard to say farewell to his persona and become just Gareth Nicodemus again. Tempest sympathizes with him but can’t relate to his anxiety. She’s been glad to leave the world of stage magic behind and transition to her role as an employee of her actual dad’s company, Secret Staircase Construction, where she hones her skills crafting well-designed illusory works of architectural art. It’s not just her love of the work that brings Tempest relief. She’s all too aware of the curse that’s haunted her father’s family for years: “The eldest child dies by magic.” In previous books in the series, Tempest has seen the curse devastate her relatives. Though construction work is meant to be less dangerous than magic, there are issues with Tempest’s latest project for the difficult Julian Rhodes, and things get a lot more difficult when her client mysteriously winds up dead—though whether it’s by a misfiring booby trap or something more supernatural remains to be seen. Tempest has to prove that Secret Staircase isn’t responsible for what happened to Julian, all while finally unraveling the threads that connect his death to her family’s curse.

Now that this series is wrapping its multibook mystery, it may have a chance to really take off.