If I mentioned Hamlet and a castle filled with antiques. It would bring a particular picture to mind. What if Hamlet were a minor character, and the castle was built in Illinois?

It starts with a dinner party and a murder, but things seem staged, and one of the inspectors is a 13 year old girl! It sounds like a delightful bit of dinner theatre...a murder mystery inside a genuine castle, and every client gets to play the detective inspector. And you're right there for just the price of a book!

The story is deeper than dinner theatre. Our
story's point of view is Nora; a lovely actress who needs a job and a place to stay. The hours are great, the food amazing, and the scenery is idilic. Everything seems great, everyone is friendly and happy to have her there. Is her new friend overplaying it, or genuine? And her new boss left out a few details. As she learns more, she begins to suspect that this might not be the perfect summer job.

Fortunately, you're not personally in danger, but Nora is. Who would target the only new addition to the cast and castle? Can she even trust Hamlet? He skulks in the shadows, follows people silently, and appears as if out of nowhere. Yes, Hamlet is cool. He's a dog, and often part of the cast. (He may object to being called a minor character, but there are no small parts in stories or acting--only small actors--as they say.)

There are a couple of problems almost immediately apparent:

First, the castle is very expensive to light, so when there are no clients, Nora is advised to keep her phone charged to act as a flashlight, and it's uber spooky. (All the better for getting into character for mystery dinners and weekends, my dear!)

Second, secrets are nearly as thick as dark clouds gathering for a storm. Some secrets are okay to keep, but others will change lives or end them.

Third, this is a murder mystery for us, so the death is yet to come, and the killer could be the person in the room next door, or the person Nora is practicing lines with. (And she can't hear our warnings or suspicions.)

Suspect everyone, you should--and will--in this suspenseful, fun, keeps-you-guessing mystery!

I give this 5/5 stars for being a clean mystery with depth, interesting characters, a mystery I didn't quite solve, and a castle that isn't in Europe!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free preview of this great ebook!

#DeathinCastleDark #NetGalley

Tags: Gothic, Castle, Actors, Hamlet, Secrets, Spooky, Idilic

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The review was posted here on May 19, 2021:

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Great new book with a rather different take. Murder mystery theater in a castle that ends up with a real dead body. Loved the setting and the characters. The mystery kept me guessing with all of the characters possibly being guilty of the murder.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to more in the series!

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.

Oh I loved this one! There's a castle filled with gorgeous antiques, a huge dog, kittens, interesting characters, and a solid mystery. I've never been super interested the dinner mystery theaters but if Castle Dark really existed I'd be first in line for a ticket. It sounds so fun! Nora is a strong main character. She's a bit dramatic (she's an actor after all) but relatively sensible and willing to listen and evaluate explanations and apologize when she gets something wrong.

I read a lot of mysteries and for the most part I've got a pretty solid guess as to the who even if I don't have everything figured out but I was surprised here. Almost all the characters seemed like possibilities and as soon as one was scratched off the list another motive seemed to surface. The rest of the characters were most of the time likable with always the hint of being more then what they seemed until the very end. My favorites of course were the gigantic black lab mix named Hamlet and the three grey kittens named after the Bronte sisters.

I really loved reading this book - in fact I read the bulk of it in one sitting and finished up at about 2 AM - and I absolutely cannot wait to see how this series develops!

Death in Castle Dark is a fun mystery with a Gothic feel. Bond has such a gift for fully immersing readers in the setting. It is such a unique premise and it loans itself to an ambiguous sometimes creepy horror, sometimes fantasy-like setting. Nora, our main character, has been hired as an actress at Castle Dark, which offers murder mystery dinner theatre events. The mystery starts when one of the fellow actors is found murdered in the chapel. Was it one of the cast or one of the guests?
I enjoyed the story development and the various sub plots as the heroine gets to know her colleagues at the castle. The castle is its own character with hidden passages and secrets within its rooms. It’s inhabitants also have secrets. It is up to Nora and the detective investigating to find out if those secrets are related to the murder.
I thought the many characters were nicely developed including her colleagues and her family. This can be a challenge in an introductory novel but the author navigates it smoothly and keeps the pacing steady. The mystery also unfolds nicely with a good number of surprises.
However parts of this book become undone by tape. In the final pages of the book (no story spoilers) the twenty-something year old heroine goes out to her car to get a book on tape. She is going to loan it to a friend. In 2021. After this I went back and searched for the word tape. I found two more out of date examples where digital files would be used today but audio or video tape is mentioned instead. It was a disappointment. It’s just strange to be thrown out of the book by such an out of date reference. I do not know if this has been changed in the final version. I hope someone in the editing process has found it. I’m still giving the book a 4 out of 5.

This was such a refreshing and enjoyable cozy. It has a great setting with a random suburban castle being used as a murder mystery theater, and the cast of actors involved are interesting. With the characters being actors, there's plenty of space for built in drama, and the mystery had solid suspects and red herrings. Definitely going to be seeking out future books in this series.

It wasn't the castle that sold me on this cozy mystery but the fact that protagonist Nora names Melissa McCarthy's Spy as one of her favorite movies (it's immoral how underrated that film is). Nora's the kind of human who names her three kittens after the Brontë sisters and then reads gothic mysteries aloud to them. Also, she's a Michigan State alum, so essentially, I'm in the process of preparing my trademarked Best Friend Welcome Kit to bring her on board. In all seriousness, however, the immersive murder mystery experience put on by the actors at Castle Dark sounds like a very good time, indeed. Less so the real murder that takes place during one of the mystery dinners.

This was such a well-written cozy. Nora's new to her acting gig at Castle Dark. She's not a nosy amateur investigator or the prime suspect, roles commonly assigned to cozy mystery protagonists, but she keeps happening to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, acquiring new pieces of the puzzle. Because of that, I was never frustrated with risky behavior or shabby detective work. Also, while the mystery wasn't spine-tingling scary, I was still plenty suspicious of all the suspects and stayed engaged throughout. The plot wasn't so feather-light as to drift away with no consequence. I think the gothic castle and the shifty behavior of several in the acting troupe contributed to the right level of drama. Yet, it's still a cozy, so I found the characters very likable with all their quirks and personableness. I landed in the same uncomfortable position as Nora: endeared to her new potential friends but still quite suspicious given the secrets and the murdering going on. While the big reveal of the perpetrator was not completely mind-melting, it also wasn't glaringly obvious. That's a balance I am willing to accept.

I would definitely come back to Castle Dark for more. I want more time with these characters, more theatrics, and (let's be honest) more murders. Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy. Death in Castle Dark is available 8/3.

Actor Nora Blake finds her dream job when she is cast in a murder-mystery troupe that performs in an imposing but captivating old castle. When she stumbles upon a real murder, things take a nightmarish turn in this first book in an exciting new series.
Overall I enjoyed the gothic vibe. I thought the characters, plot and murder were well written.
#DeathinCastleDark #NetGalley

Good for those looking for a a quick lite read. Started off OK, but then got a little dull for me. Story was a bit simplistic. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A fun start to a new series! Nora is happy to get a job at Castle Dark because it's not only a chance to act, she's also given room and board. So what if the Castle is a bit creepy, there are kittens! It's a mystery dinner theater and the other actors are nice. Except someone didn't like Gareth, who is murdered. Yikes! Luckily, Detective John Dashiell has been working at the Castle as a gardener for another investigation (no spoilers). Nora's been flirting with him but now he's keeping an eye on her because someone isn't happy that she's poking around looking for answers. It's a classic cozy with an intrepid heroine and a really good setting. Nora's a fun character and I liked her repartee with others. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Bond took me back to the Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney days to a true feel of a Gothic Romance. It had your castle with secret passages, heroine that finds the body, hero who is dashing, plenty suspects and a murder victim that you would find in Great Gothic Romance novel. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed every bit of it while I tried to solve the mystery and hoped that Nora would fall in love and solve the mystery.

A mystery with an unusual and interesting setting that’s part cozy and part gothic. A good start to a new series.

Castle Dark is the perfect place for a murder mystery show.. There are a group of actors and actress that put on an interactive play, with the guests being the investigators that are trying to '"solve" the crime. When Nora takes a job there, she finds more than she bargains for when one of her fellow actors ends up actually killed and she finds the body.. It definitely gave me Clue vibes.. . Every one that works in and around the Castle are suspects, and there are alot of red herrings that point us in different directions we everyone at some point looks like they could be the killer.. We get to learn about all of them and their potential motives along side Nora which I really enjoyed it made me feel like I was in the story not just reading it
There were twists and turns all over the place, and I had no idea who the killer was until the very end when it was revealed.. and the Castle gave off the perfect creepy gothic vibes., that was a perfect setting for this story to take place.
Also we have a whole cast of animal side kicks and I loved them all!!

A brand new series which is off to an outstanding start!
A real murder happens during a murder mystery show in a castle.
This book is a wonderful mix of gothic and cozy.
Stellar characters, a great premise and a well written whodunit.
I cannot wait to read the next one!
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

"Death in Castle Dark" is a mystery novel. The mystery was clue-based, and the author included many misleading clues that needed to be sorted out. The final necessary clue didn't come until nearly the end, but I was suspicious enough of whodunit that I was saying "no, don't do that!" while Nora still hadn't figured it all out. Nora had a rather active imagination that made living in a literally dark, large castle rather spooky for her. The main characters were an interesting mix of actors, and the murder mystery show idea was entertaining. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.

Death in Castle Dark is the first book in the A Dinner & Murder mystery series.

The story takes place in an old castle located in a small town in the Midwest. The owners of the castle, a set of brothers, turn the castle into a murder mystery vacation spot for guests. Nora, an actress looking for work, is offered a job at the castle. What started off as a dream job quickly turns into nightmare when one of Nora’s fellow actors is found murdered in the chapel. With a literal cast of suspects living in the castle as well as a few locals with ties to the castle (including a gardener who isn’t who he seems to be), solving the mystery becomes quite the feat.

Those looking for a cozy mystery where the setting plays as much of a role in the story as the characters do will enjoy this book. Between the secret passages and a few “dark and stormy nights”, Bond creates an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue that would be expected when it comes to living in an old castle. Watching the characters develop as the story goes on mirrors Nora’s “real-life” experience as she gets to know her new colleagues, like the reader is learning alongside Nora. The mystery itself was entertaining to watch unfold, especially with the number of twists and turns that occur along the way. Add to that a bit of romance and you have a great start to a new series!

Nora Blake is an actress in search of a job when she is offered a dream position: become part of a dinner theater troupe doing mysteries in an old castle outside of Chicago. Things go well, at first, as she makes friends with some of the other live-in cast members and crushes on one of the gardeners. But things go horribly wrong when one of the other cast members is found murdered in the chapel.

As Nora looks into the other cast members to try to figure out who murdered Garrett Perth, she discovers some secrets and puts herself in danger when she gets too close to the murder.

The story is filled with interesting characters and the setting is first-rate. Nora is a nice character and a nice person stuck in a confusing and frightening situation. I liked her budding romance with Detective John Dashiell who has been undercover as a gardener because of a plot not relating to the murder.

This was a great start to a new cozy series. I look forward to more adventures.

"Actor Nora Blake finds her dream job when she is cast in a murder-mystery troupe that performs in an imposing but captivating old castle. When she stumbles upon a real murder, things take a nightmarish turn in this first book in an exciting new series.

Maybe it was too good to be true, but when Nora Blake accepted the job from Derek Corby, proprietor of Castle Dark, she could not see any downsides. She would sink her acting chops into the troupe’s intricately staged murder-mystery shows, earn free room and board in the fairy tale - like castle, and make friends with her new roommates, which include some seriously adorable kittens.

But something sinister lurks behind the walls of Castle Dark. During Nora’s second performance, one of her castmates plays the part of the victim a little too well. So well, in fact, that no one can revive him. He has been murdered. Not ready to give up her dream gig - or to be the next victim - Nora sets out to see which one of her fellow actors has taken the role of a murderous real-life villain."

It's like Austenland's darker sequel, Midnight in Austenland!

There is nothing better then a murder mystery set in a castle to give it a perfect gothic vibe. I would highly recommend this book during Fall. The cover just gives off the perfect spooky vibe. Be prepared to dive in during a stormy night and a warm beverage. You will not regret the spell binding writing of Bond.

A spooky murder mystery in an actual castle, with a group of actors who may not be what they seem. A thrilling read! I did not see the end coming!