Guinevere is a costume designer for a London theater company. When the theater closes for renovations, a friend helps her secure a temporary position on Cornisea Island on the Cornish coast cataloging the book collection of Lord Bolingbrooke. When she arrives, she discovers the local historical society is preparing for a re-enactment of an old island legend. Arthur Haydock, who is playing Branok the Cold-Hearted in the re-enactment, is also leading a push to take the castle and surrounding lands from Lord Bolingbrooke and open the island and castle up to the public as a tourist destination. When Haydock is discovered stabbed to death in a locked cell in the dungeons of the castle following a practice for the re-enactment, suspicion falls on Lord Bolingbrooke. Guinevere and Bolingbrooke's son, Oliver, team up together to solve the case before Lord Bolingbrooke is charged with murder.

This was a fun, quick read. The island characters are quirky and interesting. The mystery is well-plotted (despite a few cozy tropes -- slightly bumbling cops who need amateur sleuths to help them solve the case, stereotypical village residents, etc. But what's a cozy without a bit of trope?) with plenty of suspects, twists and turns. The ending was exciting and believable -- not overdone. I always enjoy a good locked-room mystery, and this one fit the bill! The story was a bit light (no in-depth characterization, no gory details about the crime, no hard-core investigation, etc) -- but this is a cozy mystery not a gritty procedural. Cozies are meant to be light, fun reads. Guinevere was a great main character....intelligent, insightful and determined. Her faithful dog, Dolly, added to the story with a bit of comic relief and a dash of doggie intuition. All in all, this was a fun, light summer read -- a perfect short book to read at the beach, on a summer trip, or on a warm afternoon lounging in the sun.

Death Plays A Part is the first book in the Cornish Castle Mystery series. A second book, Rubies In The Roses, will be published in August 2017. I will definitely be reading the second book when it comes out! This was an enjoyable, light-hearted, cozy mystery, and I look forward to reading more by Vivian Conroy. Conroy has written other cozy mystery books including the Lady Alkmene and Country Gift Shop series.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from HarperCollinsUK via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

What a brilliant closed door murder mystery this proved to be - I loved it! The Cornish Castle is on the island of Cornisea, linked to the mainland by a causeway during low tides and it is to this castle that Guinevere is going to work for the summer. She usually works as a theatrical costume maker but the theatre where she works is closed for renovations and one of the crew encouraged her to apply for this summer post cataloguing books in the castle library. She arrives to discover there’s a reenactment planned portraying the trial of Branok the Coldhearted and she looks forward to seeing if she can help in any way. What she and the other islanders didn’t anticipate is one of them being murdered whilst locked in a cell in the castle dungeon! With all the evidence suggesting the castle owner, Lord Bolingbrooke, is the killer it is up to his son, Oliver and Guinevere to uncover the islanders secrets and discover the perpetrator!

The big mystery in this case is how someone could carry out the murder. Oliver and Guinevere work well together, with the help of her delightful dachshund, Dolly, and the support of the investigating detective. I was impressed how applying logic and Guinevere’s previous experience of murder mysteries in the theatre all slowly reveal more clues. It is somewhat reminiscent of a modern day Agatha Christie mystery with younger sleuths applying their little grey cells in a constructive manner to work out just how the murder was carried out and by whom!

The setting for the series is brilliant, the characters well developed and easy to relate to, the plot is well structured with plenty of puzzles to confound the reader along the way. I highly recommend this delightful murder mystery and I can’t wait to read the sequel, Rubies in the Roses, and I’m so glad it is due to be released next month so there won’t be a long wait!

I requested and was given a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion after choosing to read it.

Conroy has a nice light touch with her cozies- and this is no exception. Guinevere is a wonderful new character (as is Dolly the dog!). She's smart, intrepid, and has a unique background as a costume designer. I especially enjoyed this one because of the Cornisea setting (I'm always a sucker for books set in Cornwall.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC>. Try this one if you've liked Conroy before, or if you haven't and you're looking for an entertaining and easy read.

DEATH PLAYS A PART (Cornish Castle Mystery Book 1) by Vivian Conroy is the first of a new cozy mystery series featuring Guinevere Evans and her adorable dachshund, Dolly. It is a clever locked room cozy set in an old castle on a tidal island off the coast of Cornwall.
Guinevere is a costume designer for a London theater that has to close for renovations over the summer. She receives an offer to work and live at Cornisea castle cataloguing their library. She is excited to have a summer of island adventures with Dolly to tell all of her theater family about in the fall.
When she arrives on Cornisea, she is immediately thrown into the mix of players that are producing a reenactment of the medieval trial of Branok the Cold-hearted. Arthur Haydock is playing Branok and is locked in a cell in the dungeon for the rehearsal and found stabbed to death by the cast. Only Lord Bolingbrooke has a key to the cell, but he swears he is innocent even though he and Haydock were at odds. Guinevere and Dolly, with the help of Oliver, Lord Bolingbrooke’s son who has returned after traveling the world, work to uncover all of the players’ secrets and motives for wanting Haydock dead.
I enjoyed every aspect of this story. The plot was tightly woven and had me guessing until the end, even though I suspected who was responsible, I could not figure out the “How”. The pacing is steady and as you read the story, you are always given some new piece of the puzzle that makes you want to continue on. The setting of the castle and village on the tidal island was vividly described and a unique setting.
Guinevere is a main character that I am looking forward to reading more about. We gets peeks into her past, but some things are still unclear. She is mature and steady even though she is only 24 years old, which could come from being raised by her grandmother and/or being on her own. One thing is certain, she and Dolly are a great pair. Oliver, Lord Bolingbrooke’s son, makes an interesting co-sleuth and possibly more in future books? Ms. Conroy portrays the islanders vs. the main landers mentality realistically and shows how it effects the characters’ moods and actions.
I am looking forward to more Cornisea adventures with Guinevere and Dolly.

With her theater closed for renovations, Guinevere lands a summer job cataloging books at a castle on Cornisea, a small island off the coast of England. Together with her little dachshund Dolly, she sets off, expecting an idyllic summer exploring the tiny island. When she arrives, she’s delighted to learn that the castle is hosting a re-enactment of a historic trial, but when a man is found murdered in the dungeon and her new employer is accused, Guinevere jumps into action to find the real killer, uncovering a greedy plot and family secrets.

Thoroughly enjoyable first in a new series, with a charming location, rich plot and of course, an adorable Doxie. What more can you ask for in a cozy? I loved this from the very first page, I felt like I was right there along with Guinevere as she got off the train heading for Cornisea, I could almost feel Dolly tugging at the leash! The pace was perfect, introducing the characters with just enough detail to make them jump right off the page and setting up the puzzling plot full of twists and turns that kept me glued to the book. I enjoyed watching it all unfold, locked room mysteries are my favorite and I really appreciated Guinevere’s thought process in solving it, no sudden AHA! moment for our girl, she sat down and figured it all out rationally. Go LOGIC!

Overall, Death Plays a Part charmed the socks off me and I can’t wait for the next book to come out in August. Will Oliver and Guinevere let their sparks fan into a relationship? Will Lord Bolingbrooke ever catalog all of his books? Will the treasure be found? I’m gonna stay tuned for more!

A new book series from Viv. A great read in an even greater setting, I'm sure this series will be as good as the others. I love the addition of Dolly and nothing is given away. Dolly herself, is a good sleuth! A perfect read for those that love Miss Marple and 'cosy crime' books.

Nice cozy mystery for an island escape/ beach read. I have a Dachsund too, and loved reading about Dolly and th adventures she goes on with Guinevere. The island of Cornisea sounds beautiful, amd filled with interesting characters and locations.

With the theatre where she works closed for renovations, Guinevere has no idea a simple summer job cataloguing books for Lord Bolingbrooke will quite so dramatic.

I'm going to get a negative out of the way before I really get into my review. I absolutely loathed the use of 'doggy' to refer to Dolly the dacshund, because she is quite a strong and determined character in her own right and I felt this undermined her.

Doggies aside, I thought Death Plays a Part was such a fun read - which seems a peculiar thing to say when murder is at its heart, but it so reminded me of a modern day Agatha Christie or P.G. Wodehouse. I really could see the book as hugely entertaining Sunday night television.

What struck me was the totally consistent way Vivian Conroy carries through the entire conceit of drama, from Guinevere's usual job in the theatre to her means of trying to solve the murder mystery with everything else in between. The whole structure of the story with the reliance on dialogue to move on the action made me think of a playscript too as I read. I would have liked a little more description at times too.

I enjoyed meeting the cast of characters, and thought the way in which they were all interconnected as is typical of a small community was so cleverly organised. I think I might be a bit in love with Jago.

But it is the plot that I enjoyed the most. I have no idea how Vivian Conroy managed to plan it as she did. She drops clues and red herrings throughout so that it's very entertaining trying to keep one step ahead with Guinevere when so many others obfuscate the truth.

Death Plays a Part is a fun whodunnit with just the right balance of villains, heroes and distractions to provide great entertainment for all lovers of Agatha Christie.

An incredibly tightly written closed door mystery that I didn't have the first clue how to solve. Luckily for the detective on the island of Cornisea, Guinevere happened to be working in the castle for the summer, but is normally found in a theatre, often working on murder mysteries, so has a good idea how to try to solve them.

Of course when Guinevere accepted the job in the castle the last thing she was expecting was a dead body on the first night, during a rehearsal for a historical reenactment, where most of the islanders were present. Given the set up of the murder, it was very hard to see past the obvious suspect, but yet Guinevere and Oliver between them try to prove the innocent suspect's innocence.

Unlike in some cosy mysteries, this seemed a lot less bumbling along, and instead had two reasonably intelligent characters thinking aspects of the case through logically and in an informed way. They also seemed to have the ear of the inspector running the case, which seemed odd but useful.

Guinevere doesn't go anywhere without her faithful dog Dolly, who is adorable. I loved Dolly' interactions with other dogs.

Cornisea Island is a lovely setting for a series, and I am intrigued to see where this series is going to proceed next.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Guinevere is excited to begin a new job at a castle on a lovely island off the coast of Cornwall. She and dachshund Dolly, are looking forward to a wonderful summer. But the theatrical costume maker is caught up in a reenactment of a centuries old trial that ends with a real murder. Dolly and Guinevere and a cast of locals sift through the areas long-held grudges and closely kept secrets to unmask a killer. This is the first in a new series and it’s off with a bang, literally! Take your own summer vacation to Cornwall with this fun cozy mystery

I liked Death Plays a Part, but it wasn't as good as Vivian Conroy's other books. I felt it was a little too predictable, although I enjoyed the setting and the identity of the murderer was well hidden. This is the first in the Cornish Castle Mysteries, and I hope the subsequent books will be better.

Guinevere works in a theater company in London, but needs a summer job while the theater is being renovated. She, along with her dog Dolly, gets a job cataloging a library on a quaint island called Cornisea off the coast of Cornwall. When she arrives, she meets Lord Bolingbrooke, her employer, and his son Oliver. The castle is about to stage a reenactment of the trial of Branok the cold-hearted. Branok was a cruel man who supposedly burned a family alive, and is now an island legend.

During the reenactment practice, one of the main actors is found dead in the castle dungeons and Lord Bolingbrooke is accused of the murder. Guinevere and Oliver need to solve the murder to keep the Lord B. out of jail.

This was a quick read. The characters were fun but a little shallow, and the setting was well described.

I liked this book,and I think it will be enjoyable to cozy mystery lovers.

This book was not my cup of tea. I do not publicly post negative reviews.