Title: Dungeons and Danger
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
As Halloween approaches, Ravensea Castle is bustling with excitement as Nora Asquith welcomes the fall season guests to her family’s newly converted bed and breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. A certain Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and the historian believes she buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He is hopeful he can find the hoard now. Nora can’t help but wonder if the enigmatic castle ghost she’s always referred to as the woman in red could be this very Viking?
Meanwhile, a team of four ghost hunters is coming to stay at Ravensea for the filming of Britain’s Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage. They try to see who can make the most paranormal contacts and end up getting more than they bargained for.
When the historian is murdered during a Viking festival on castle grounds and his notes go missing, Nora can’t help but wonder if the treasure was why he was killed . . . and could it be connected to the visiting ghost hunters? Additional “accidents” befalling the hunters raise the stakes as Nora races to find the killer—and the treasure—before another death occurs.
This is the second book in this cozy mystery series, and it’s a pleasant series to read. The Asquith family are fun to read about, and the secondary characters are solid, too. There were several red herrings in this read, but they were handled well without being heavy-handed. I really enjoyed the Viking festival and the historical snippets. This is just a sweet, fun read you don’t have to put too much thought into.
Elizabeth Penney lives in New Hampshire. Dungeons and Danger is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur books in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 