Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan Nesbitt are in Wales to attend a concert series being held in a castle and featuring their friend Nigel as one of several soloists. While on a canal boat ride before the concerts begin another of the singers somehow falls off the boat and dies, a very sad accident. Later, an impetuous diva arrives for rehearsals, disrupts the entire festival and then, bizarrely, falls to her death from a rampart of the castle during a rehearsal - another very sad accident. Of course, Dorothy being Dorothy, she cannot help but believe that there is more here than meets the eye, that the two deaths must be connected and that perhaps they were not accidents at all…. I have mildly enjoyed this series, of which this is the 13th, but found this one rather trying. Aside from the constant stereotyping of Celts (Welsh and Irish, in this case), the author includes rather more overt plugs for Christianity than she normally does; fine to describe choral music in its often religious context, but resorting to “I surrender all my worries to He who gives us peace” (I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist of that passage) is a bit too blatant for my taste. I also didn’t buy the behaviours and motivations of several of the suspects, including the guilty party - too much reliance on the “oh, they’re psychologically disturbed” excuse, which in this case I find lazy. I will probably keep reading the series as there are things I like about it (some characters, relationships and animals, for example), but I think one can safely skip this particular entry. ( )

Murder at the Castle takes Dorothy Martin and her husband, Alan Nesbitt to Wales. However, the prologue's two chapters are set in 2003. It tells the story of how conductor John Warner (not yet knighted) lost his first wife, Delia. That their marriage is probably not worth saving was apparent before I reached page two. By Part One, chapter one, ten years have passed.

Notes:

In the author's notes she states that she's using a fictionalized version of the real Flint Castle and which two other real castles she's borrowed from for her design. If you're curious:
The real Flint Castle: http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/flintcastle/?lang=en
http://www.castlewales.com/flint.html
Conwy Castle: http://www.castlewales.com/conwy.html
Beaumaris Castle: http://www.castlewales.com/beaumar.html

PROLOGUE:

Chapter 1: Andy Hardy movies starred Mickey Rooney. Judy Garland appeared in a few of them. Perhaps John Warner is thinking of other Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland films? http://www.imdb.com/list/ls009548998/

PART ONE:

Chapter 1: If you're not sure which piece Nigel is singing, you may listen to Pavarotti sing 'Nessun Dorma' here: https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=rTFUM4Uh_6Y . (I never bothered to look at the titles when my parents played their classical records or my sister her opera CDs so I had to check.)

Chapter 2: We get a mention of iron bridge builder Thomas Telford, tenor Pavarotti and his bed, and the Welsh song, 'All Through the Night' ('Ar Hyd Y Nos').

Chapter 4:

a. See The Evil That Men Do for that trip to the Cotswolds mentioned here.

b. The story of Edward I versus King/Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd is summarized.

Chapter 7: 'The Man Without a Country' is by Edward Everett Hale. I didn't realize it was fiction when I read it for school and it upset me. http://www.bartleby.com/310/6/1.html .

Chapter 10: We get some gossip about Madame Graciosa de la Rosa.

Chapter 11: There's mention of 'Delia's Gone', one of the songs based on the murder of Delia Green on Christmas, 1900.

Chapter 13: There's mention of classic mystery writer John Dickson Carr, master of the locked room puzzle. He also wrote as Carter Dickson.

Chapter 17: There's mention of the Brother Cadfael mystery series by Ellis Peters.

Chapter 26: Look here for the sex of the newest Warner. ( )

Dorothy and Alan are attending a music festival at a castle in Wales in which their friend Nigel is performing. Ten years before, the conductor had been in a boat incident in which his first wife was believed to have been drowned. One of the performers goes overboard in a boating incident on this ship. It isn't long until a second accident claims the life of a diva no one liked. Although both have been ruled accidental, Dorothy and Alan can't help but suspect foul play. With the conductor's blessing, they set out to investigate. There are plenty of red herrings to keep a person second-guessing their theory. It keeps things interesting for the reader. I really wish that the castle's atmosphere had come through stronger than it did in this installment. Still, it was a fun read in an enjoyable series. ( )

This time out, Dorothy Martin and her husband, Alan Nesbitt, attend a music festival in Wales. Murders of cast members occur. In an interesting version of a closed room mystery, the murderer must be found before the festival ends and the participants scatter to their homes. Of course Dorothy and her retired policeman-husband conduct their own investigation and bring the killer to justice. Fun reading in an interesting setting. ( )