Death in Castle Dark by Veronica Bond is a 2021 Berkley publication.

Nora lands a dream job at an old castle as part of a mystery troupe. She lives on the premises, and immediately hits it off with the other actors and is having a world of fun…

Until one of the other actors really is murdered…

If a series had my name on it, this one would! An old castle, huge libraries, Gothic books, suspense, a promising premise- a lovable DOG 🐶.. And KITTENS! 🐈‍🐈‍🐈

I thought this was a very solid, entertaining ‘first in a series’ mystery. I enjoyed it tremendously and already have the second book queued up and ready to go!

*Veronica Bond- if you see this- I’m glad you are back! 😉💖 ( )

Death in Castle Dark is the first book in a new mystery series by author Julia Buckley under the pen name Veronica Bond. I was intrigued by this book as it was set up as a Gothic mystery, featuring a castle and a troupe of actors who perform mystery dinners for their guests. I thought the idea would be fun, and I always love the idea of castles, secrets, and hidden passageways.

I really enjoyed the main character, Nora. The owner of the castle hires actual actors for his elegant mystery dinners and the guests actually become 'inspectors' during the dinner. Nora, as one of the actors, gets to live in the castle as part of her salary. Although she wasn't sure about taking the job at first as she was hoping to score a big Broadway role, the appeal of the location and the different roles she could play convinced her to give it a shot. And what I really liked about her character was her common sense. One of the things that often turns me off these books is the lack of common sense in characters as well as the disregard for privacy and the actual police investigation. While Nora was useful during the investigation, she didn't actively go nosing into places she shouldn't go and actually discovered information through listening to people, what they said and how they said things. And, anyone who likes the movie 'Spy' , names her kittens after the Bronte sisters, and then picks up Mistress of Mellyn (during a murder investigation) for pleasure reading is definitely my soul sister.

The secondary characters were quite interesting as well, and I like how the author took the time to flesh them out and develop their individual personalities. I am looking forward to learning more about them in future books.

The book itself was well-written, and Nora was not one of those main characters who frustrated me by being a super nosy person, but was someone who actually listened to what people had to say and paid attention to body language. As an actor, that is something to which she would be familiar. And while the mystery wasn't too difficult to solve, it was still fun, and I enjoyed the various interactions with the other actors as well as with the townspeople. I thought the author did a great job writing about Nora's apprehension as she had to continue working with, as well as living with, people who could possibly be murderers.

Verdict
Death in Castle Dark was a fun first book in a new series. I liked the story, the characters, and the setting was definitely appealing. And while the ending was definitely the weakest part of the book as it lost some of its suspense through the story telling, I am intrigued as to what's in store for these characters in the next book, Castle Deadly, Castle Deep. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a fun, cozy mystery. ( )

This novel tells the story of a group of actors who present mystery dinners for groups of "inspectors" who are tasked with solving the crime. The actors have lodgings in the castle in which the dinners take place. When one of the cast members is actually murdered during a performance, the spotlight shines on the cast members. Who is the guilty party? As new information is revealed, including the presence of secret passages and doorways, readers are kept guessing about who committed the crime and why.

The story is told in first person by the newest actor to join the cast. Each character is unique and developed well so readers can keep them separate. The plot moves along to keep readers interested.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )

I loved it from cover-to-cover!

As Nora Blake drives to the castle...

“It’s like going to Manderley,” I said to myself, and when I steered around a slight bend, there was an opening in the wall of foliage, and before me was a real, bona fide castle with turrets and gray stone and mullioned windows. It was enchanting and surprisingly large.

And as I read Nora's description I not only thought of the fictional estate for the novel "Rebecca" as created by Daphne du Maurier but for all the Gothic mysteries I loved reading in high school from du Maurier to Victoria Holt to Mary Stewart.

Just as Nora is a newcomer to Castle Dark the reader is also getting acquainted with the castle layout, castle residents from staff to coworkers, and wondering right along with her if everyone can be trusted and if friendships formed are real or a pretense for a means to an end. I was appreciative of the floor plans for the 3 floors of Castle Dark at the beginning of the novel. I hope the floor plans continue to be included in future books in the series.

For all feline lovers there are some "shenanigans" as the author describes some particular activities that are hilarious and had me laughing out loud and also brought fond remembrances of my own experiences as a pet "parent" of young ones over the years.

I pre-ordered this novel as soon as I learned that Julia Buckley was writing a new series under the pseudonym of Veronica Bond and I'll not hesitate to pre-order the next book in this series. It's one of those reader moments when the only question is, "Is it time yet?" ( )

Death in Castle Dark by Veronica Bond has Nora Blake joining the murder mystery troupe at Castle Dark in Wood Glen, Illinois. Nora loves that she gets to live in the beautiful castle with a library right next to her bedroom. During Nora’s second performance, she loses one of her ruby earrings which are part of the plot. Nora retraces her steps to the chapel where she is shocked to find one her fellow actors dead on the floor. Nora wonders which one of the castle residents committed the evil deed. Death in Castle Dark is the debut of A Dinner and a Murder Mystery series. I love the premise for this series of murder mystery dinners held in a gorgeous yet dark castle. It is unique and fun. Nora Blake is our protagonist. Nora has been trying to succeed as an actress in Chicago with mixed results. This job includes room and board which is a blessing. I wish Nora were a stronger character. I wanted her to be brave and curious. I like that we get to know her family and Nora’s background. We also get to meet her fellow thespians, the cook, co-owners of Castle Dark, and the handsome Detective John Dashiell. I loved Castle Dark. The vivid descriptions allowed me to visualize what it looked like. Who can resist a European castle with hidden passages and a large library? It has a great gothic atmosphere which is perfect for a mystery. The murder of one of the theater troupe is straightforward. A spooky hidden passage along with some creepy incidents add to the gothic atmosphere. I wanted Nora to be curious about the murder (I mean she did find the body) and jump right into investigator mode. She stumbles upon some clues and is involved in some chilling incidents. Nora does share information with Detective John “Dash” Dashiell whom she finds attractive. I like that we get to learn more about the cast (and their possible motives). The identity of the killer and the reason why can be discerned before the reveal. I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere and how the mystery was laid out. I could have done with more action which would have helped the pacing. Death in Castle Dark has a great atmosphere and some interesting characters. I loved Hamlet, the castle’s dog, and an important member of the cast. Another fun addition was the three Bronte kittens with their adorable antics. I am curious to see what happens next time at Castle Dark. Death in Castle Dark is a spooky tale with a creepy costume, a displaced dagger, cavorting kittens, a dashing detective, clandestine corridors, and a malicious murderer. ( )