Friday, December 16, 2022

Short Story Review: “The Christmas Caper” by Gigi Pandian (Secret Staircase Mysteries #1.5)

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun, quick visit with new friends
Cons: Story a little straightforward, but that’s a minor complaint
The Bottom Line:
Christmas short story
Tempest solves museum heist
A fun, quick caper



Museum Robbery at Christmas

When Gigi Pandian announced she’d released a Christmas short story featuring her newest sleuth, I immediately snagged a copy.  And then I saved “The Christmas Caper” to enjoy during December.

Tempest Raj and her family are reviving a Christmas tradition this year – Christmas in Scotland.  Her grandparents have even booked a flat with a stunning view of Edinburgh Castle.  However, a reunion with a family friend present Tempest with a puzzle to solve.  The local museum was robbed recently, and no one can figure out how the thieves pulled it off.  The friend has a connection to the museum and asks Tempest to see if she can figure out how the thieves pulled it off.  Will Tempest’s background as a magician help solve the puzzle?

This really is a short story – I finished it in under an hour.  As a result, the plot is a bit straightforward.  I didn’t have all the pieces completely in place before Tempest figured it out, however.  And this is more an observation than a real complaint since I was enjoying myself the entire time.

Since this is a short story and we are not in the area where the first book was set, we don’t see all the characters we met there, but I completely enjoyed my time with the characters we did get to see.  We don’t see a lot of the new characters – there just isn’t time – but I enjoyed what we saw of them as well.

This story is designed to fit between the first book and the second book, which will be released in March.  However, you don’t need to have read the first book to follow this story.

And, like the book, there are two delicious sounding recipes at the end to enjoy after you’ve finished.

If you are looking for a quick story to read this season, this story will fit the bill perfectly.  The Christmas Caper” is wonderful entertainment.

2 comments:

  1. Sometimes a short story is all you need. This sounds cute!

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  2. I read the first book and I have the second book so it definitely sounds like I need to get my hands on this one! It sounds like a good read and I like that it's a bit more straight forward sounding then the first book.

    ReplyDelete

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