Corfe Castle — Dorset Crime Series Location Guide

Corfe Castle — at a glance

Key facts about Corfe Castle, a real location featured in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean:

• Name: Corfe Castle

• Type: Village and ruined medieval castle (real place)

• Real-world basis: Corfe Castle, a real village and National Trust castle ruin in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England

• Region: Isle of Purbeck, Dorset

• Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean

• Featured in: The Corfe Castle Murders (Book 1); returns later in the series

• Genre: British police procedural / crime fiction

Where is Corfe Castle?

Corfe Castle is a real village in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, on the south coast of England. It sits in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, dominated by the ruins of a medieval castle. In the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean it is the setting for the first novel, The Corfe Castle Murders.

Is Corfe Castle a real place?

Yes. Corfe Castle is a real Dorset village and a genuine ruined castle, now in the care of the National Trust. Rachel McLean uses the real geography of the village — its narrow streets and the castle earthworks known as 'the Rings' — as the backdrop for the opening Dorset Crime novel.

What is Corfe Castle in the Dorset Crime series?

Corfe Castle is the location of the series' first case. DCI Lesley Clarke, newly arrived in Dorset, works her opening investigation in and around the village. The setting establishes the series' use of real, atmospheric Dorset landmarks as the scene for each crime.

Which Dorset Crime books feature Corfe Castle?

Corfe Castle is the central setting of The Corfe Castle Murders, the first book in the Dorset Crime series, and the village reappears later in the series. To read about it from the start, begin with The Corfe Castle Murders.