The Cornish Castle Murder

Mixing a death, a wedding, and a police investigation, the latest Nosey Parker Mystery has a twisty plot and plenty of atmosphere. The eighth book in the series features Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker and her soon-to-be husband Detective Chief Inspector Nathan Withers. They arrive at the Kervoy Castle in Cornwell for a weekend of pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding celebrations with friends and family.

However, when an arrow goes off-course during an archery competition, they find the body of a young woman face down in a pond. With guests focused on the celebration activities, Jodie and Nathen need to uncover the killer before they strike again as well as keeping connected to the festivities. An old London adversary, Detective Inspector Mackintosh, is brought in to lead the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest.

This is one of those books where it feels like readers are catching up with old friends. This is one of those series Jodie left the London metropolitan police force and moved back to her home town of Penstowan in Cornwall. Despite taking on a new career of catering, that hasn’t stopped her unofficial investigations. Her sense of humor and warmth continues to shine in this story. She is a likeable and friendly character who is good at listening to others. Nathan has a great sense of humor and a pragmatic approach to life. He’s well respected by his colleagues. Their chemistry creates a fun dynamic. The secondary characters continue to develop and there are several characters from previous books who gained depth. The two future mothers-in-law, Shirley, and Liz, caused me to laugh out loud several times.

I was immediately drawn into the well-plotted story. The atmosphere and descriptions were great, making it easy to visualize the castle and its surroundings. The story had several twists, a few red herrings, and a surprise near the end. As always, having a sleuth that isn’t an amateur continues to bring depth to the novel that can be lacking in some cozy mysteries. My biggest quibble is that the ending felt a little rushed with too much telling versus showing of events.

Overall, this is an entertaining story with great characterization that quickly drew me into Jodie’s world. It was a fun, appealing, and delightful read with a solid mystery to unravel and humor sprinkled throughout. Themes include friendship, family, murder, greed, lies, secrets, and much more. Relationships continue to play a major role in this series. A recipe is included at the end of the book.

I recommend the novel to those that enjoy the genre. It was a fun and relaxing read and I can’t wait for the next book featuring Jodie and her family and friends. For more enjoyment, the books are best read in order, but this can be read as a standalone.

HarperCollins UK – One More Chapter and Fiona Leitch along with Anne Hillerman provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for April 29, 2025.