From Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney. Copyright © 2026 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
CHAPTER 1
ALL HALLOWS’ EVE
THE MURDER
The horned Viking headdress I was wearing slipped as I pushed through the throng on the bluff overlooking the bay. Pausing to nudge the awkward helmet back into place, I took in the scene. Where is she? I was looking for one of our guests, and I couldn’t find her anywhere in this crowd.
The one-day Viking Fest my brother put on to promote his mead brand was definitely a huge hit. At least five hundred people, most of them dressed in historic costume, milled around the large, grassy area. The aroma of roasting ox drifted from huge grills and glasses were lifted with toasts in the tavern tent. Melodic yet energetic Viking rock provided an atmospheric accompaniment.
A bonfire roared on the bluff and now the evening’s climatic spectacle came into view: a burning longship drifting into the cove, fierce flames leaping into the night sky. Exclamations and cheers rose from the crowd as they pushed closer to the bluff’s edge, caught by the incredibly cinematic sight.
In the back of my mind, I hoped the filmmaker staying at Ravensea Castle was getting this incredible display on camera for background footage. For the past week, a small team had been producing episodes for Britain’s Got Ghosts. Ravensea Castle was one of Yorkshire’s most haunted sites, built in 1138 on the site of a former monastery located here due to a sacred spring. We even had a Viking ghost, the Red Maiden, although her life far predated the castle.
I had now reached the edge of the crowd, only a short distance between this area and the formal castle gardens. Besides family and guests, we weren’t letting anyone inside the private grounds or the castle tonight.
A slim figure wearing a horned headdress, blond hair streaming and cloak flying, hurried through the trees. As she drew closer, I recognized my sister, Tamsyn.
“Nora?” Tamsyn peered at me in the near-dark. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t—” Something made me glance up at the castle and a chill prickled at the back of my neck. “Look,” I said, my voice hoarse.
A woman was standing on the battlements, illuminated by flickering light from the fires. As the two of us stared, she disappeared.
It might have been our guest. Or not. Either way, I needed to investigate. I’d lived at Ravensea long enough—my whole life, actually—that a certain tingling down my spine let me know when the veil was thin and ghosts were near.
“I’m going in.” I picked up my long skirts and began to trot along the path.
Footsteps behind me. Tamsyn was following.
We ran through the woods, across the formal physic garden, and up the stone stairs to the terrace. There, we paused to unlock one of the French doors.
We hurried up the grand staircase to the upper floors of the castle.
A woman’s scream echoed through the halls, coming from the direction of the southeast tower. Tamsyn and I veered in that direction, racing through corridors and up the winding stone staircase to the circular room.
We burst through the open door. Tall windows provided a spectacular view of the bay and the burning longboat.
Our attention was captured by a much more startling sight.
One of our guests lay sprawled face down, the handle of a dagger protruding from his back.
From Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney. Copyright © 2026 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Ravensea Castle #2
The second in Elizabeth Penney's Ravensea Castle cozy mystery series, set in a haunted castle-turned-B&B in Yorkshire, UK.
As Halloween approaches, Ravensea Castle is bustling with excitement as Nora Asquith welcomes the fall season guests to her family's newly converted bed and breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. A certain Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and the historian believes she buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He is hopeful he can find the hoard now. Nora can't help but wonder if the enigmatic castle ghost she's always referred to as the woman in red could be this very Viking?
Meanwhile, a team of four ghost hunters is coming to stay at Ravensea for the filming of Britain's Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage. They try to see who can make the most paranormal contacts and end up getting more than they bargained for.
When the historian is murdered during a Viking festival on castle grounds and his notes go missing, Nora can't help but wonder if the treasure was why he was killed . . . and could it be connected to the visiting ghost hunters? Additional "accidents" befalling the hunters raise the stakes as Nora races to find the killer—and the treasure—before another death occurs.
Mystery Cozy [ Minotaur Books, On Sale: May 26, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250370075 / eISBN: 9781250370082 ]
Elizabeth Penney is an author, entrepreneur, and local food advocate living in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In addition to writing full-time, she operates a micro farm, a challenge in that climate! Elements that often appear in her novels include small towns, past/present mysteries, and the domestic arts. Elizabeth grew up in Maine, where family still lives, and she draws inspiration from the state’s timeless landscape and rich heritage.
Elizabeth's writing credits include over twenty mysteries, short stories, and hundreds of business articles. A former small business consultant, banker, and nonprofit executive, she holds a BS and an MBA.
She loves walking in the woods, kayaking on quiet ponds, trying new recipes, and feeding family and friends. Oh, and pampering the only child still at home, a very demanding Siamese cat.
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