CASTLE DEADLY, CASTLE DEEP

An actress and reluctant sleuth juggles romance and murder.

Nora Blake’s life changed when she took a job at Castle Dark, a real-life castle doubling as a dinner theater and home to a theater production group. Owner Derek Corby and his brother, Paul, are having financial problems keeping the expensive place going but are working on solutions when disaster strikes in the form of another murder (following Death in Castle Dark, 2021). Nora’s best friend, fellow actress Connie, is part of such a happy couple with Derek that it makes Nora wonder what’s wrong with her romance with Detective John Dashiell, which seems strained of late. But she enjoys the company of her fellow thespians except for Dorian Pierce, a new hire whom she finds obnoxious despite his charm and talent. When the lights go out and turn back on in the castle cellars, where the new dinner theater production takes place, they reveal the body of young Ben Boyle, a well-liked supporting player who seemingly had no enemies. The entire group is in shock, though the actors, who are also rehearsing for an Ibsen play Derek is directing at a local community theater, have little time for brooding. Nora, as much as she's comforted by her three kittens and a visit from her mischievous twin brothers, can’t help but do a little sleuthing. She’s still suspicious of Dorian, who seems to spend an inordinate amount of time in the little library next to her room, and she often hears strange noises coming from there but can’t find the cause. Learning more about cast members opens doors to information that she hopes will provide a solution to both the crime and the Corby brothers’ financial woes.

A character-driven cozy that neatly wraps its puzzling mystery in romance.