Treasure, a Ghost Story, and a Locked Room Murder
In recent years, author Gigi Pandian has become known for locked room mysteries. That wasn’t as much the case with her early Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries, but she did weave a locked room into the excellent sixth entry, The Glass Thief.
In case you aren’t familiar with the series, Jaya is a history professor living in San Francisco, but she’s discovered a talent for finding historical treasures lost to time. In fact, she’s made a name for herself doing that. But it is still a surprise when she gets a package from reclusive author Rick Coronado. Her love of his best-selling Gabriela Glass novels is well known, but he hasn’t written anything in seven years. Now, he’s working on his next book and wants Jaya’s feedback on it since it is written in her honor.
The story involves a man murdered twice in the family’s supposedly haunted mansion days before Christmas. Along with the impossible crime, the statue of the Serpent King was stolen. Yet, no additional footprints were found in the snow. As Jaya begins to realize the story is heavily based on something that really happened, a dead body turns up in San Francisco. Can Jaya sort truth from fiction, solve two murders, and figure out what happened to the missing statue?
If my teaser was a little confusing for you, don’t worry. My summary may not be good, but the way the book unfolds, everything happening is very clear. I was caught up in the story from the beginning and there are some twists along the way that just upped the stakes. I couldn’t wait to see how it would all unfold. Yes, a couple of twists were a little sudden in their reveal, but we do get explanations and everything does make sense if you are paying attention.
As always, this book is part travelogue, with stops in Paris and Cambodia. I enjoy that part of the book as well. It makes me want to go visit those places.
And yes, we do get some updates on the supporting players in the series, although I would have liked more than a brief mention for one of the characters. A subplot involving Jaya’s personal life feels earned. Meanwhile, the new characters feel real no matter how much page time they get.
Despite the story being set at Christmas time, that element isn’t a huge feature of the book. So don’t expect a cozy Christmas story. But the few touches that were there made me smile.
While I do still have a collection of Jaya Jones short stories to go, this does feel like a nice ending for the character. If her adventures did end here, I would have been satisfied. However, knowing that Jaya will be back in a new book next summer makes me very happy. I can’t wait to see what she and her friends are up to next.
The Glass Thief mixes elements so seamlessly, you won’t even think about it. Instead, you’ll be caught up in another whirlwind story.
Enjoy the rest of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries.
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