After a man dies during a performance at Castle Dark, Nora Blake learns just how hard it is to catch a killer, especially if every suspect is a trained actor, in this exciting new Dinner and a Murder Mystery.

Autumn has arrived at Castle Dark, and Nora Blake has settled into her role as an actor in Derek Corby’s castle murder-mystery troupe. She is troubled, however, by the setting of Derek’s fall mystery: the catacombs in the depths of the castle. Yes, these catacombs are part of a set, the skeletons and cobwebs mere props, but Nora feels uneasy in the shadowy passages beneath Castle Dark. When a man is killed during one of their first shows, the eerie catacombs become a place of terror.

Joined by her castle companions, Nora attempts to find the motive for killing a seemingly innocent victim. Some of those answers appear to lie with the local community theater, the members of which Nora has come to know because she has joined Derek’s latest town production. As Nora practices her lines at Wood Glen’s Blue Curtain Theater, she realizes that everyone around her is an actor, and all of her suspects are perfectly capable of convincing others of their innocence. Nora soon discovers that someone else is in danger and that she may also be in the sights of the killer. With the help of her handsome boyfriend, Detective John Dashiell, Nora will have to go off-script to prevent a murderous encore. . . .

Once again murder visits Castle Dark when a guest is murdered during a special performance of the Castle’s holiday murder mystery.  It is autumn and Derek, owner of Castle Dark, is busy planning a spooky murder mystery set in the catacombs under the castle as well as directing an Ibsen play at the local theater. During a special performance of the murder mystery, arranged for the theater actors, one of the theater actors is killed and both the Castle residents and the theater actors are suspects. Nora and her fellow Castle residents are perplexed over the murder as everyone liked the victim, no one has a bad word to say about him and he seems such an unlikely target for murder. While Nora’s boyfriend Dash investigates officially Nora investigates unofficially.

Along with a murder the Castle is facing financial uncertainty as brothers Derek and Paul try to increase revenue. Additionally there are mysterious noises in the night and a possible hidden treasure. Nora has her plate full with all the mysteries at Castle Dark as well as studying her part for the both the murder mystery and the Ibsen play and trying to figure out why her relationship with Dash seems to be faltering.

This is a great cozy mystery series. The characters are likeable and the setting is wonderful - who wouldn’t want to live in a castle that actually has all the modern conveniences?  This was a quick, fun read, ties things up nicely at the end and the murderer is not apparent to the reader too early.  My only quibbles would be Nora’s jealousy over Dash for silly reasons and we do not see enough of the kittens or Hamlet the dog. I look forward to more in this series. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon        

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