My name is Nora Blake. For the last several years I’ve been a part of the Chicago Theater scene, auditioning for (and often getting) roles in various productions, in theaters large and small. When I wasn’t working, I was religiously checking call boards, taking jobs as an accompanist (I play the piano), or sometimes settling for a chorus role in a musical. Recently I was vying for the lead role in Evita at a noteworthy Chicago theater which I shall not name here. I was so confident I had the part that I told my family I had it in the bag. If my life were a Greek myth, my Hubris would be my tragic flaw, at least in this case.

I didn’t get the part. Even now, writing this reflection, I can’t believe it–my audition had gone that well. I spent several days nursing my emotional wounds, and then the director called me personally to say it had been such a difficult decision, such a narrow line between yes and no, that she wanted to let me know I had done well. This helped not at all, somehow, but she also said she was sending my name on to an acquaintance who was doing an interesting dramatic experiment out in rural Illinois–something about a castle and a troupe of actors. I didn’t pay much attention; I had lost my confidence. But days later I was contacted by a man named Derek Corby, who was interested in having me audition for the cast of his mystery dinner theater. This sounded unappealing, but I agreed to an interview, first in Chicago, and then a second one at the castle which would become my stage, were I to take the part.

And that was when I first saw Castle Dark. If I had expected some kitschy little house with fake turrets nailed on it, I was forced to admit I had underestimated this huge, grand structure in the middle of some rural woods. It was a real castle, beautiful and somehow intimidating. To make a long story short, I fell in love almost instantly, with the castle and its interesting inhabitants, and now my days are spent there. On a typical morning, I wake up in my beautiful castle bedroom (I get free room and board) I gaze out at the west lawn, admiring the view. I take a quick shower and dress hurriedly, then move across the hall to find my friend Connie, also an actress. We walk together down three flights of stairs to breakfast in the castle dining room, where food waits on the sideboard for all the actors. And then we rehearse, assessed by Derek and his giant dog, Hamlet, who seems like an extension of Derek himself.

Lately, mysterious things have been happening in the castle. I tell myself that these events are just part of the Castle’s ambiance, but then someone is murdered and I can’t shrug that off, so I’m treading very carefully in Castle Dark. . .

Death in Castle Dark, A Dinner and a Murder Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

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.

About the author
Veronica Bond is a Chicago mystery writer. As Julia Buckley she pens the bestselling Writer’s Apprentice series, Undercover Dish Mysteries, and the Hungarian Teahouse Mysteries. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the MWA and she lives outside Chicago with her husband, son, and four pets.

All comments are welcomed.