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. . . . Praise for Death in Castle Dark   “An unputdownable Gothic-tinged cozy mystery.”— USA Today  bestselling and Anthony Award–winning author Gigi Pandian   “An absolute treat! Veronica Bond has crafted a moody and mysterious traditional mystery that grabs onto the reader and won’t let go. I devoured every single page!”— New York Times  bestselling author Jenn McKinlay Veronica Bond is the pseudonym of a beloved author who has taught high school English for twenty-nine years. 1   The Catacombs   The candle in my hand shook slightly, the flame flickering in the drafty cavern. In the silence, my heels scraped softly against the stone floor, accentuating the hollowness of this space beneath the castle. I swept my light over the crumbling wall to my right, where skeletal remains jutted from the ancient stone, and a skull suddenly loomed into sight, jaws gaping, lurid in the darkness. I stifled a scream and stepped away, bumping into a form next to me-no skeleton, but a living being. I shouted in surprise. The form moved swiftly past me, and moments later, a light went on, dispelling some of the gloom and revealing these ghoulish catacombs for what they were: a carefully constructed facade.   "How do you like my Halloween display?" asked Derek Corby.   Derek was my employer at Castle Dark, and he had persuaded me to come down early, before we had to perform here for the autumn show, to "familiarize" myself with the space. In other words, to make sure I didn't have a panic attack once the show began. He led me around now, pointing out that the bones were made of plaster, and the cobwebs hanging from the walls and ceiling were carefully placed, meticulous as tinsel on a tree. At the end of the cavern, he assured me, were a spacious and attractive wine cellar and some neatly tended storage rooms.   "It's all for show, Nora. You have to get into the spirit of the thing."   I agreed and thanked him for bringing me down for an early look, but I longed for the main floor, with its blissful sunlight. And I tried not to look at the mournful skull calling to me in a silent scream. On our way to the stairs, I said, "Why do people love being scared, anyway?"   Derek paused on the first step, turning to look at me. "Because it's invigorating. Fear can be a blissful experience."   "Blech. Give me flowers and puppies and happy endings."   Derek laughed. "I think my brother would agree with you, about the happy endings at least."   "Paul would?"   But of course he would, I thought. Paul was a romantic, but Derek and I both knew he hadn't gotten the happy ending he had envisioned with Gen.   Reading my thoughts, Derek said, "He was hoping to have more of a chance with your sister. He would have been willing to try a long-distance relationship."   "Gen was being realistic," I said. "She's a practical person."   I felt defensive on her behalf. She lived in New York, and Paul was determined to stay here in the Chicago region, living in the castle that he loved. He had finally retired from his job in Indianapolis, and much to everyone's delight, he was back in the castle full-time as CFO.   "They would have made a good couple, though," I admitted.   Derek turned back to the stairs and began to climb. "Yes, they would have," he said.   A light appeared at the top of the stairs, and Connie's golden head was visible, her hair floating like a halo around her. For a surreal moment, it seemed that she was Persephone, and Derek was Hades, climbing out of the darkness to be with the woman he loved.   "Where have you guys been?" Connie asked with h