Dungeons and Danger is the second book in the wonderful Ravensea Castle series by Elizabeth Penney. Set in Yorkshire, UK, this is fast becoming one of my favourite cozy mystery series.
Title: Dungeons and Danger
Author: Elizabeth Penney
First Published: May 26, 2026
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genres: mystery
Acquired: from the publisher
* Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy of the book for review purposes.
Ravensea Castle is bustling as Nora Asquith welcomes new guests to her family’s converted bed & breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. He believes a Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He’s hopeful he can find the hoard now.
Meanwhile, a team of ghost hunters is staying at Ravensea for the filming of Britain’s Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage.
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.
Herbalist Nora Asquith is charming and smart as an amateur sleuth
A cozy mystery. A B&B in a castle. Ghosts. A Viking treasure hoard. How could I resist?
Some time has passed at Ravensea Castle since the first book (Bodies and Battlements – read my review here) and the Asquiths have settled into their roles as B&B owners.
I love the interactions between the family members, the Castle’s staff but dedicated staff, & now, their new guests. Every character is distinct and brings their own personalities to the story. I really enjoyed Nora’s siblings, Tamsyn and Will, getting more involved with things at the B&B and seeing Nora and Tamsyn sleuthing together.
Nora and Tamsyn have gotten a lot closer and complement each other very well as they take care of the castle guests and the mystery together. They’re level-headed and practical and never do anything too reckless, making it easy to cheer for them as they deal with the hardships of running a B&B in an old, haunted castle and wrangling guests that all seem to have their own agendas. They are also both in relationships now, which is a development since the first book, and there’s no drama – just nice and steady. I mean, murder is drama enough, right?
I absolutely had a blast with the Viking focus and the idea of a buried treasure hoard. As the accidents start piling up I was really rooting for the Asquiths to be the first to discover the treasure. They really need the money to help with the castle upkeep and it was hard not to want them to succeed.
A light paranormal mystery
We learn a lot more about the castle ghosts and their legends, and we also see a lot more interaction with each of them. Obviously, with a team filming a ghost hunting show, it was kind of expected but the ghosts really delivered. It added a light, charming paranormal touch to the book – the ghosts are tangible enough for people to vaguely see and hear them but are not full blown characters that interact too much with the residents and guests of Ravensea. I thought it was a great balance to make something believable as opposed to a full-blown paranormal mystery.
Well-written & well-paced, the mystery moves along nicely, with lots of interesting plots happening. And while this book can definitely be read as a standalone, I HIGHLY readers pick up the first book in the series so that they can fully enjoy the character development and the evolution of Ravensea Castle.
I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Penney’s other series, The Cambridge Bookshop Mysteries, and it looks like the Ravensea Castle series will be joining the list of my favourite cozy mystery series as well.
