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Gigi Pandian (born 1975) is an American writer. She is best known for writing cozy mystery fiction that features puzzle plots, world travel, history, adventure, magic, and romance. Pandian is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.[1] In 2018, she co-founded Crime Writers of Color with Kellye Garrett and Walter Mosley.[2]

Biography

Pandian was born in 1975[1] and was raised in Southern California.[2][3] She grew up in a multicultural family (her father is from India and her mother is from New Mexico)[3] and she spent her childhood traveling the world with her parents, who are both cultural anthropologists.[1][3] Pandian holds an undergraduate degree from Pitzer College and a master’s degree from the University of Washington. She also studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bath.[1] Pandian never completed her Ph.D.,[3] however, realizing that she would rather write about the adventures of fictional academics than be one herself. In 2011, Pandian was diagnosed with breast cancer and immersed herself in her writing in order to get through her treatments and recovery.[3][4] Pandian lives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.[1]

Career

Pandian is an aficionado of locked-room mysteries[5] and has cited Golden Age mystery authors John Dickson Carr and Clayton Rawson as inspirations; she has also been influenced by the work of Elizabeth Peters.[6] Many of Pandian’s novels and stories feature elements of the “impossible crime” mystery.[7] Her fiction has won two Agatha Awards, two Lefty Awards, one Anthony Award, and one Derringer Award.[7] Her debut novel, Artifact, was awarded the William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant.[1]

Novels

Pandian writes novels in three series: the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries, the Accidental Alchemist Mysteries, and the Secret Staircase Mysteries.[8]

Short fiction

Pandian also writes prize-winning short stories, some of which feature characters from her novel series and many that feature locked-room puzzles. Her story “The Hindi Houdini” was nominated for Agatha and Macavity awards, “The Locked Room Library” was a finalist for nearly every major mystery short story award in 2021 and 2022, “The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn” won the Agatha Award for Best Short Story in 2017, and “The Cambodian Curse,” a Jaya Jones story, won the Derringer Award from The Short Mystery Fiction Society in 2019.[9]

Awards and honors

Awards for Pandian’s Writing
Year Title Award Category Result Ref
2007 Artifact William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant — Won [1]
2013 “The Hindi Houdini” Agatha Award Best Short Story Shortlisted [10]
2014 Macavity Award Best Short Story Shortlisted [11]
2015 Pirate Vishnu Lefty Award The Rose Won [12]
2016 The Accidental Alchemist Lefty Award Best Regional Mystery Won [12]
2017 Michelangelo’s Ghost Lefty Award Best Mystery Novel Shortlisted [12]
“The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn” Agatha Award Best Short Story Won [10]
2019 “The Cambodian Curse” Derringer Award Best Novelette Won [9]
Macavity Award Best Mystery Short Story Shortlisted [11]
2020 The Alchemist’s Illusion Anthony Award Best Paperback Original Won [13]
Edgar Award G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award Shortlisted [14]
2021 “The Locked Room Library” Agatha Award Best Short Story Shortlisted [10]
2022 Edgar Award Best Short Story Shortlisted [15]
Macavity Award Best Mystery Short Story Shortlisted [11]
Anthony Award Best Short Story Shortlisted [13]
2023 The Raven Thief Agatha Award Best Contemporary Novel Shortlisted [10]
2024 A Midnight Puzzle Agatha Award Best Contemporary Novel Won [10][16]
2025 The Library Game Lefty Award Best Mystery Novel Shortlisted [12]

Publications

Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries

  • Artifact (2012)
  • Pirate Vishnu (2013)
  • Quicksand (2014)
  • Michelangelo’s Ghost (2016)
  • The Ninja’s Illusion (2017)
  • The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories (2019) – short story collection
  • The Glass Thief (2019)

Accidental Alchemist Mysteries

  • The Accidental Alchemist (2015)
  • The Masquerading Magician (2016)
  • The Elusive Elixir (2017)
  • The Alchemist’s Illusion (2019)
  • The Lost Gargoyle of Paris (2020) – novella
  • The Alchemist of Fire and Fortune (2021)
  • The Alchemist of Riddle and Ruin (2022)
  • The Alchemist of Monsters and Mayhem (2023)
  • The Alchemist of Brushstrokes and Brimstone (2024)
  • A Gargoyle’s Guide to Murder (2025)

Secret Staircase Mysteries

  • Under Lock & Skeleton Key (2022)
  • The Raven Thief (2023)
  • A Midnight Puzzle (2024)
  • The Library Game (2025)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Vereecke, Jonathan, ed. (2019). Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. Volume 339: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields. Farmington Hills, Michigan : Gale, Cengage Learning, 2019. pp. 348–351. ISBN 9781410380241.
  2. ^ a b Scheier, Liz (14 March 2022). “Scooby-Doo for Grown Ups: PW Talks With Gigi Pandian”. Publisher’s Weekly. 269 (11): 24.
  3. ^ a b c d e Davis, E. B. (11 September 2013). “An Interview with Gigi Pandian”. Writers Who Kill. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  4. ^ “Guest Chick: Gigi Pandian”. Chicks on the Case. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  5. ^ Pandian, Gigi (7 July 2021). “Locked Room vs. Closed Circle Mysteries: What’s the Difference Between These Traditional Mystery Sub-Genres?”. Something is Going to Happen!. Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  6. ^ Shoenberger, Elisa (10 May 2023). “Reading Pathways: Gigi Pandian”. Book Riot. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  7. ^ a b Maxwell, Daryl (8 September 2022). “Interview With an Author: Gigi Pandian”. LAPL Blog. City of Los Angeles. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  8. ^ “Gigi Pandian Interview”. CozyMystery.com. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  9. ^ a b “Derringer Award Results by Year”. The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  10. ^ a b c d e “Agatha Awards”. Stop, You’re Killing Me!. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  11. ^ a b c “Macavity Awards”. Mystery Readers International. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  12. ^ a b c d “History of the Left Coast Crime Awards”. Left Coast Crime. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  13. ^ a b “Anthony Winners and Nominees, 2020-2023”. Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  14. ^ “Category List – Sue Grafton Memorial Award”. Edgars.com. Mystery Writers of America. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  15. ^ “Category List – Best Short Story”. Edgars.com. Mystery Writers of America. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  16. ^ “The 2025 Agatha Award Winners”. Tertulia. Retrieved 14 April 2026.