Book Review: Castle Deadly, Castle Deep by Veronica Bond

Castle Deadly, Castle Deep (A Dinner and a Murder Mystery #2). Veronica Bond. Berkley Books (2022). 288 pages. Genre: Cozy Mystery.

First Line: "The candle in my hand shook slightly, the flame flickering in the drafty cavern."

Summary:  Nora Blake has settled into her new life living in a castle and acting in the murder mystery troupe that performs there.  Her boss, Derek, has added an extra level of spookiness to this fall's play.  He has decked out the catacombs of the castle in spooky attire, complete with skeletons and spider webs. The audience will be taken there as part of the murder mystery they are attempting to solve.

Derek and the cast from the castle have also taken on another play at the local community theater.  When a group of actors from the theater wants to see the castle play, Derek arranges a special performance.  Unfortunately, as the actors and audience enter the catacombs, the lights go out.  When they come back on, someone has been murdered.  The entire cast is under suspicion since they were in the room.  

My thoughts:  I enjoyed Death in Castle Dark, the first book in this series, so I was really looking forward to reading this book.  Unfortunately, this second book was disappointing.  It felt more like a romance that included a murder.

Nora has been dating Detective John Dashiell, but things between them have been strained.  Nora felt like Dash wasn't giving her enough time of his time.   They had some wonderful months together over the summer, but now, even though she is feeling neglected by Dash, Nora joins a second play so that her time is even more limited.  Many pages are taken up with Nora trying to figure out where their relationship stands.  There is another romance story line involving Derek and Nora's good friend, Connie.  This also takes up many pages.  There is a lot of suggestive talk, as well as closed-door intimacy.  It was just way more romance than necessary in a murder mystery, in my opinion.  

As far as the mystery goes, there really wasn't much sleuthing involved.  There weren't many clues to even consider.  Nora did visit some of the cast members she knew from the community theater and tried to find out how well they knew the victim.  Once the killer was revealed and then caught, the book continued for several more chapters.  I kept wondering when it would end. 

I really like the idea of a dinner and a mystery show that takes place at a castle, but this time, after the murder took place, that story line was non-existent.  I would have liked to see more of that.  The other play that the troupe was performing at the community theater was a version of Ibsen's A Doll's House.  At times, that play was performed line-by-line in the story which was confusing and not very interesting if you were not familiar with the play.  Sometimes the lines would start and I wasn't sure if it was the play or the characters in our story talking.  

Nora's twin brothers make another appearance in this book.  They add some humor to the story.  I also like how Nora's parents are a big part of her life and really interested in her work.  The premise of this series is great and the characters have a lot of potential.  I am hoping the author can get back to focusing on a mystery story line for the next book.

Quotes:

"I opened the door now, enjoying the waxy scent from the polished floor and the lavender scent that emanated from the carpet after cleaning day. Below these aromas was the slightly musty smell of old books."

"The October air had remained calendar-appropriate cold, but the sun had shone for days, and Wood Glen was alive with the scents of autumn - leaves and grasses, pumpkin bread in Zana's kitchen, sweet-smelling hay bales brought to our front porch by the landscaper, woodsmoke from fireplaces up and down Apprehension Road."