CASTLE DEADLY, CASTLE DEEP is the second book in Veronica Bond's Dinner and a Murder cozy mystery series. I'm loving these Dinner and a Murder mysteries by Veronica Bond. There are several returning characters from the first novel in the series, as well as a few new ones. Castle Dark, where the sleuth and many of the main characters work and reside, is like a separate character – especially in CASTLE DEADLY, CASTLE DEEP. There is a murder mystery in CASTLE DEADLY, CASTLE DEEP, as well as lore surrounding Castle Dark and a search for treasure. What actress Nora Blake must determine is if the murder is connected to the tales of hidden treasure or not.
When the murder happens at the beginning of the book, it throws off Nora and everyone else because it seems to be a crime with no motive. Usually, cozy mysteries have a murder victim who was despised by many or who has at least a few people with a motive. With this victim, Nora and the professional investigators need to figure out motives first before simply sorting out those who have known motives. It's harder than it initially might seem. Another aspect for the sleuths to consider is whether the person struck down was the intended target. Possible scenarios and suspicions explode exponentially over the next few days after the slaying. As the story progresses, Nora is exposed to greater danger as she gets closer to the truth. Veronica Bond does such a phenomenal job of creating a balance between a fun atmosphere with friendly familiar faces, an evolving romance or two, and a touch of the sinister that hovers on the periphery to threaten everything. It reminds me of some of my favorite horror films – there's a wonderful false sense of security until the illusion suddenly and spectacularly shatters and nobody feels safe anymore. I love it!
CASTLE DEADLY, CASTLE DEEP has a treasure trove of dark and deadly secrets and a charismatic female sleuth set on uncovering every one. The castle catacombs and the Blue Curtain Theater add depth and wonderful detours for readers to explore as they try to guess the villain's identity and solve the mystery. I enjoyed the secondary love story as much as the one between Nora and Detective John Dashiell. These mysteries are amazing, and I can't wait for the next one!
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. . . .
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