Jodie Parker and DCI Nathan Withers are getting married at Kervoy Castle hotel but inevitably their weekend of pre-wedding activities is halted by a death. The Cornish Castle Murder by Fiona Leitch is eighth in the Nosey Parker Cornwall-set cosy crime series. Of course when a suspicious death occurs at a wedding where practically every guest is a police officer, there is no shortage of theories and help. There are also unforeseen complications. The wedding weekend is very expensive, prompting a debate about whether the nuptials should be postponed and everyone sent home; or should they stay for the limitless food and entertainment. So everyone stays. Nathan has two best men. Craig, who has flown from America, is acting strangely and having a dramatic personal crisis that can’t be ignored. The hotel is suffering from a spate of petty thefts. And the detective inspector in charge of the murder case is a) an outsider from Exeter; b) an officer Jodie worked with in London a long time ago; and c) determined to investigate the case in her own way without the interference of the police officers on site.
Nathan and Jodie of course ask their own questions, examine the murder scene and gather clues. Jodie’s daughter Daisy and boyfriend Joe are tasked with researching the victim’s social media feeds while Jodie’s oldest friend Tony teams up with her mother Shirley to find out the local gossip in the old-fashioned way, by talking to people. As always there are plenty of laughs, especially from Shirley who is an enthusiastic dancer and outlasts most of the youngsters at the disco. Dog Germaine, who at first is banned from the wedding as the hotel doesn’t allow pets, makes a crucial appearance and a key discovery.
The pace of the story is a little erratic at times and there are almost too many characters who look guilty. My attention strayed for a while, but the story hits its stride again in the last quarter. Leitch writes with an entertaining blend of humour, crime, puzzle-solving and saucy jokes, but is light on the food references this time.

Next in the series is The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder.

Here are my reviews of the first books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet’ by MC Beaton #2AGATHARAISIN
‘Death on Deck’ by Verity Bright #13LADYELEANORSWIFT
‘A Medal for Murder’ by Frances Brody #2KATESHACKLETON

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-9Yy via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-