The Uninvited Corpse by Debra Sennefelder is the 1st book in a Food Blogger Mystery series, and my first book by this author. Hope Early is a food and lifestyle blogger, Hope at Home, who returns home to Jefferson, Connecticut. When hope finds a body, her sister Claire is the main suspect, and the sleuthing begins. This book has more twists and turns, that kept me reading page after page. I love the unique people and situations in this book. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I recommend this book.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hope’s schedule is crazy with recipe testing and shameless plugs for her food blog. Unfortunately, she has to attend the spring garden tour in the charming town of Jefferson, Connecticut. However, it isn’t the perfectly arranged potted plants that grab her attention; it’s the bloody body of loathed real estate agent Peaches McCoy.

Someone on the tour committed murder and for some reason Hope’s older sister, Claire Dixon, who, at best, saw Peaches as a professional rival is the number one suspect. When another murder occurs, suspicion lands squarely on Claire’s shoulders. Now, with two murders and all evidence pointing to Claire, Hope must set aside her burgeoning brand to prove her sister’s innocence. But the closer she gets to unveiling the killer, the closer she gets to someone intent on making sure she doesn’t uncover the truth at any cost.

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Series: Food Blogger Mystery
Author: Debra Sennefelder
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary
Publisher: Kensington

The Uninvited Corpse is a delectable mystery filled with wonderful food, the occasional insufferable character and a killer set on making sure that Hope’s sister pays the ultimate price for a crime she didn’t commit. For the killer’s plan to succeed, Hope must be taken out of the picture.

Hope is a woman set on helping her sister whether she likes it or not. Even when she promises that she will stay out of the investigation, Hope lands smack in the middle of everything. It seems that she keeps finding bodies everywhere she goes. All Hope really wants is to get back to her blog and her recipes, but her love of her sister makes it impossible to leave the investigation in the hands of the local police.

Hope is a very relevant character in today's world of social media and blogging. She is also a great example of what can happen when a person has time on their hands. Even though she is busy, she manages to stick her nose in the wrong places and almost gets it cut off. She is a modern woman with modern insights, and a lovely character the reader will enjoy getting to know.

Other characters in this book are remarkably average or outrageous but highly entertaining. When the killer is revealed, it will shock and surprise many. Readers will not quite believe the solution, but once they look at the subtle hints, they will accept that it is the only logical conclusion.

Although the location of the story is not described in depth, there is enough detail to add to the enjoyment of the plot and give the reader a clear idea of what the town of Jefferson and its resident are like when murder comes to town.

This series is destined to be popular, entertaining, and will give the reader hours of pleasure for a long time to come. The recipes in the back of the book are tantalizing and will make anyone want to try their hand at cooking, baking or just eating every dish. The Uninvited Corpse is highly recommended for anyone who likes their heroines stubborn, bold and persistent under demanding conditions.

Good start to what appears will be an enjoyable series. New career, return to home town, divorce, potential romance, and dead bodies. A delightful mix. I look forward to reading the next one.

When Hope's life crumbles in New York, she returns to her childhood home in NW Connecticut, a small town of great charm and not a lot of murder. Until now. Hope has been invited to a small gathering at a friends house for a tour of her lovely garden and to launch her friend's new book. Finding a body in the library isn't part of the party, the body of a woman who was not on the guest list. Things go from bad to worse to nightmare for Hope and her sister when the local police detective is certain that Hope's sister, Claire is the murderer. Before it's over another person is murdered and Hope has a close call of her own. All because she loves her sister and will do all that she can to clear her name.
This is the first in what I hope will be a many book series. The mystery is believable, the characters ring true and some of them I would like to have as friends. Hope conducts her snooping in a very real fashion, mistakes and all. She makes a lot of people mad and feelings are hurt but that's what makes this a realistic mystery. Added is a bit of romance and a sweet dog....and good food, too. Recipes are included.

THE UNINVITED CORPSE by Debra Sennefelder
The First Food Blogger Mystery

Peaches McCoy wasn't the only uninvited guest to attend Audrey Bloom's garden tour and book signing, after all Claire talked her sister, Hope, into bringing her along. But Peaches was the one most of the other guests disliked and Peaches was the one who became the corpse. With the detective in charge honing on on Claire as the killer, Hope feels she has no choice but to save her sister and figure out who killed Peaches herself.

THE UNINVITED CORPSE introduces us to Hope Early, a former magazine editor who claimed her 15 minutes of fame as runner up on a reality baking show. Now she's returned home to Connecticut where she's working as a food blogger. Hope is tenacious, if somewhat of a wimp. Unsure whether to risk exploring her feelings for her old friend, the current chief of police, she's certain to pick up after you and try to fix things. It's this maternal instinct and desire make everything just right that drives Hope to get involved with the murder investigation, despite being warned off by the police. She's also urged on by two likable characters, Jane and Drew. Most of the characters are not very likeable, however, this does make for some very good suspects and villains, but it also made me wish Claire would be found guilty!

Despite not having an affinity towards most of the characters, I did enjoy the book. Debra Sennefelder was able to draw me into her world with vivid descriptions and excellent pacing.

I requested this from Netgalley based on the cover and the description. Debra Sennefelder is a new to me author.
Hope Early is a food blogger in a scenic New England town. She has a busy life testing out recipes, gathering helpful household hints and preparing enticing blog entries.
This book started out slowly for me. There were a lot of characters introduced upfront and I admit I had a hard time keeping them straight. As the story progresses it gets better and the pace picks up.
Hope’s sister is accused of murder and of course Hope must help resolve this as she knows her sister didn’t do it.
I enjoyed learning about the blogging process, the interaction of the characters, and the sub-plots were tied up by the end of the book.

Just like the twisty turny backroads of Connecticut this debut novel twists and turns consistently. The effect is keeping the reader fully on the edge of their seats. Meet protagonist Hope Early a food blogger who gets mixed up with a murder investigation after discovering the body of a real estate agent who has made many enemies in the town of Jefferson, CT.
Debra Sennefelder, who grew up in New York City but moved to Connecticut seems to have that in common with the main character. What she does in the best possible way is provide clues that lead up to the catching of the murderer. I guessed a little before Hope did who the murderer was but I only gleaned that because I was on the hunt. Many times in cozies I feel the clues are not placed well with the villain. You still scratch your head but go along with it. In this mystery novel you say yes and I just cannot believe this. I am also very excited at the prospect of a tech saavey heroine. Hope know how to use a computer, a smart phone, and how to increase a presence on her blog. Which if you have been following along at home has been a thorn in my side with Hannah Swensen series. It was a fantastic read and I look forward to more in this series.

Synopsis: Leaving behind a failed career as a magazine editor and an embarrassing stint on a reality baking show, newly divorced lifestyle entrepreneur Hope Early thought things were finally on the upswing—until she comes face-to-face with a murderer . . .
Hope’s schedule is already jam packed with recipe testing and shameless plugs for her food blog as she rushes off to attend a spring garden tour in the charming town of Jefferson, Connecticut. Unfortunately, it isn’t the perfectly arranged potted plants that grab her attention—it’s the bloody body of reviled real estate agent Peaches McCoy . . .
One of the tour guests committed murder, and all eyes are on Hope’s older sister, Claire Dixon—who, at best, saw Peaches as a professional rival. And suspicions really heat up when another murder occurs the following night. Now, with two messy murders shaking Jefferson and all evidence pointing to Claire, Hope must set aside her burgeoning brand to prove her sister’s innocence. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer intent on making sure her life goes permanently out of style . . .

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and chose to write an honest review

Synopsis:

Leaving behind a failed career as a magazine editor and an embarrassing stint on a reality baking show, newly divorced lifestyle entrepreneur Hope Early thought things were finally on the upswing—until she comes face-to-face with a murderer . . .

Hope’s schedule is already jam packed with recipe testing and shameless plugs for her food blog as she rushes off to attend a spring garden tour in the charming town of Jefferson, Connecticut. Unfortunately, it isn’t the perfectly arranged potted plants that grab her attention—it’s the bloody body of reviled real estate agent Peaches McCoy . . .

One of the tour guests committed murder, and all eyes are on Hope’s older sister, Claire Dixon—who, at best, saw Peaches as a professional rival. And suspicions really heat up when another murder occurs the following night. Now, with two messy murders shaking Jefferson and all evidence pointing to Claire, Hope must set aside her burgeoning brand to prove her sister’s innocence. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer intent on making sure her life goes permanently out of style . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen! (Goodreads)


Review:

I had been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it. I have to say that is was well worth the wait.

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Hope is a smart, hardworking woman who is trying to make her own place in the blogging world. When a body is found at a garden party that she is attending, she feels compelled to try to find the killer before her sister end up in jail. I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Hope and her sister. It seemed realistic and added a lot to the story. I will say that there were a lot of characters introduced in this story and I had trouble keeping them straight in my mind at times. That is only my opinion and others may not feel the same way. The farther I read in the book it did get easier to keep track of everyone.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. I think that the author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I could imagine many of the scenes in my mind, which drew me into the story even more.

The mystery was well plotted and it was not easy to solve. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through. Add in the twists and turns and red herrings and even the most seasoned armchair detective will have trouble solving it.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I will happily read the next book when it is published.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

The Uninvited Corpse by Debra Sennefelder is the first book of the cozy Food Blogger Mysteries series. Hope Early has returned to her hometown of Jefferson, Connecticut and is now trying to make a success of a career in blogging after giving up her job at a magazine to be on a reality TV show which didn’t go as planned.

Hope has been invited to a friend’s party showcasing her gardening skills to launch her new book. Hope’s sister Claire decides to tag along to the event and things seem to be going well until Claire’s fellow rival at works shows up to the event uninvited. Little did the ladies expect though to walk into the study while helping to clean up only to find Peaches McCoy’s body lying on the floor.

Now with most cozy adventures Hope finds herself getting caught up in the investigation when it seems the police are directing their suspicion upon Claire. Hope finds herself trying to come up with theory after theory and a list of suspects to help show her sister couldn’t possibly have committed the crime.

This was certainly a solid start to this new cozy series. Another that actually had a feel of danger and plenty of suspects to throw a reader off onto who could possibly had done the crime. With likable characters and an interesting first case in this series I found myself enjoying this first book and would rate it at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

In this exciting new series we meet Hope. She is a fun character who does a food blog with tips and recipes for her followers to try out. I really liked Hope right away and found her to be funny and a bit quirky. The excitement starts right away when Hope is at a book signing. An uninvited guest shows up by the name of Peaches. I really liked that name and thought it fit the character well. Poor Peaches is not very popular in the town. Guess when you cut throat people at the job to get ahead, you tend to make enemies. I loved how the author quickly gave us a taste of how mean Peaches can be with her hostility towards others. She sure doesn't know how to make friends.

The town is all a buzz when a murder occurs and Hope discovers the body. Isn't it funny how gossip spreads so quickly? One of the things I liked most was how Hope quickly came to her sister's defense when she becomes a suspect. There is nothing better when family surrounds you when you need them the most. Ethan who happens to be the chief of police is a real almost by the book person. He does look the other way at times as Hope tackles trying to find who the killer is. I wonder if Hope and Ethan are more than just good friends?

As the investigation heats up, Hope starts to ruffle some feathers. Some people aren't excited by her snooping. I can see why a few would get upset when Hope takes it upon herself to check alibis. I loved how the author slowly added suspects and had me furiously turning pages so I could see what Hope was up to next. The deeper she digs the more she puts herself in danger. I really enjoyed the story and loved how the story flowed with ease. The ending is exciting as well as unexpected. It leaves readers anxious for more books from this gifted author. Be sure to check out the recipes at the end of the book.

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escape Virtual Blog Tour. The review is my own opinion.

Wow- where do I begin? This is a fantastic start to a new series I hope will offer many future books.
Hope Early is a blogger, mainly a food blogger, but from the things she shares with us I know she shares more with her blog readers. You may want to have a plate of goodies next to you to snack on as you read. My mouth was watering from the delicious descriptions. We are treated to some tasty recipes at the end as well.
There are a lot of characters, who are both friends and coworkers (or competitors) and involved in various interests, such as a garden club and reading mysteries. It seems that when a very competitive woman is murdered at a garden club event that there are plenty of motives for her demise. The most likely suspect that draws the immediate police attention is Hope's sister, Claire, a rival to the victim in the real estate business. Claire has in fact openly called the victim "a dead woman!"
The plot moves quickly and deals outs clues at a steady pace. The murderer could be anyone when a second murder takes place. Unfortunately, this does not clear Claire.
I enjoyed the settings and the characters. I am a blog reading fan and appreciated the way bloggers were portrayed. If only I had more hours in a day to visit those I love.
Hope has a housewarming party, (with her own uninvited guest,) so I am glad she will be around a while.
This series has all the wonderful elements cozy readers look forward to.

I really enjoy The Uninvited Corpse but I didn’t love it as much as I expected. The main character was great as were couple of her friends and the mystery was outstanding! I did not come close to figuring out the murderer. I enjoyed watching Hope work and seeing the way she integrated the blog into her life. She was a kind and well-rounded person although a bit nicer than some people deserved but that is ok. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that there were so many negative people in her life; even her relationship with her sister, whom she loves, is irritating. I thought the book was going to be a cozy mystery and to me good people and warm relationships are a key element that I look for in a cozy mystery so if that is lacking, a book that is excellent in all other aspects will not be great to me. If I had just expected it to be a female amateur mystery, I might have felt differently about the whole book. It was good enough that I want to read the next few so Debra Sennefelder and Hope are still on my list and I want to see more of Ethan.
I was excited to receive an advanced reader’s copy of the book from Kensington via NetGalley. I think most readers of amateur mysteries will enjoy the book. I hope that the picky point that bugged me will not bother others reader because I will be recommending it to my friends with that one caveat.

I really loved this one! Hope at Home, her blog is full of recipes, DIY, and lifestyle information. She is making a new life for herself, buying an old farmhouse and raising chickens while she fixes up her old house. Having left the big city and reality television behind. Living here in quite Jefferson is just what she needs. But this little town isn't as quiet and sleepy at all! Killers are on the loose and all signs point to her sister when a rival real estate agent is found dead in the study with her head bashed in with a rock.

When another murder takes place Hope is going to have to put on her Nancy Drew hat and notebook and get busy. She was after all the best crime solver in her school's mystery club, so obviously she should be able to figure this one out. But will it be in time?


I have found myself a new cozy author at Kensington!

A delicious new series! While at first this story was hard to get into, the series definitely has promise and picked up the farther you read. The characters are witty and each have their own unique attributes. The mystery was good once the story started going. Definitely worth giving a chance as this series has potential once it hits its stride.

This is the first in a new series. Hope Early is a food and lifestyle blogger who has returned to her hometown of Jefferson Connecticut. She is recently divorced, was a New York magazine editor, and second place finisher on a reality TV show “The Sweet Taste of Success” (this opens doors for her as she is sleuthing). Hope is attending the garden party and book signing for her friend Audrey Bloom when while cleaning up she finds the dead body of Peaches McCoy the rival realtor of her sister Claire. As it turns out, no one liked Peaches so there is no shortage of suspects, however, the detective in charge turns his attention to Hope’s Sister Claire as the killer. Hope is also starting to recognize her feelings for longtime friend Ethan the chief of police so her sister being the top suspect is a little sticky for these “friends”. Good solid mystery and a fast enjoyable read. This is the first of a series so it can be bogged down a little with having to set the foundation and introduce all the secondary characters. My favorite was Jane who is a former mystery writer who owns the inn with her sister and nudges Hope forward in her investigating. Not sure I like the addition of Matt as a potential love interest for Hope (given the hint that her and Ethan might be an item) that cropped up at the end. Not a fan of love triangles in cozies. Definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Review placed on Goodreads right now and will place on Amazon as soon as I can

Jefferson, Connecticut is not the place one would expect murder (except in a cozy) but Hope, a food blogger, finds herself investigating one in order to clear her sister, Claire. Peaches the real estate agent was not only Claire's rival, she was a rotten person. That means there are some twists and turns and more suspects than just Claire. This is a nice start to a new series. The relationship between the sisters is well done, the blogging details interesting, and the story well plotted. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious to see where this goes next.

This was a delightful book, perfect for this time of year. I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted. The mystery was good. My suspicion was correct has to who the killer was. I would recommend to anyone liking for. Great mystery

Hope Early left her big city life to return to her small home town, where she works from her home as a lifestyle and food blogger. If she thought she’d be living a quiet life, she was mistaken.
While helping friend with a garden party, an uninvited guest is murdered. Hope is pulled into the investigation when her sister becomes a suspect. To the local police, she’s THE suspect but as a reader, everyone in this small town is suspicious! Ms. Sennefelder pulls off a wonderful sleight of hand, not necessarily leading me in any particular direction, but casting suspicion in such a way as to keep me guessing—and turning the pages.
A great read! I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

The Uninvited Corpse is the debut of the Food Blogger Mysteries series set in the small town of Jefferson, CT and featuring blogger Hope Early. Hope is recently divorced, has given up her job as a magazine editor and is trying to put her appearance on a reality cooking show behind her. Deciding to move back to her hometown she's purchased an old farmhouse that she's happily renovating in addition to writing her lifestyle blogs.

While attending Audrey Bloom's Spring Garden party, Hope discovers the body of realtor and uninvited guest, Peaches McCoy. Audrey is planning a run for mayor and is dead set against the new real estate development being listed by Peaches. In fact, most of the ladies in attendance can't stand Peaches as she has a reputation for being a little too flirty with the men. Claire Dixon, Hope's sister, wasn't invited to the party either and as a competing realtor, fingers quickly point to her as the killer.

Determined to clear her sister's name, Hope sets out against the wishes of best friend and Chief of Police Ethan Cahill to track down a killer. Hope's investigation quickly lands her in trouble as not only is she offending the local townspeople with her questions, but the killer feeling she's getting too close, makes two attempts to end her nosiness permanently.

A captivating plot and interesting characters. Unfortunately, there is a hint of the dreaded love triangle appearing in future installments to the series.

I received an advanced copy of The Uninvited Corpse from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

The Uninvited Corpse is a good start to a new mystery series. I really liked the main character, Hope Early, and a couple of the supporting characters. However, most of the other characters were so mean and unlikeable that I found myself hoping they were either the killer or would be killed next. Some characters were antagonistic towards Hope for no reason that I could see. This is the first book I can remember reading where I hated so many of the characters. Of course, I'm not saying this is a bad thing. It was like watching a soap opera where you love to hate the villains and can't wait to see what horrible fate awaits them. I will say that the reveal of who the killer is was very surprising and satisfying. I truly enjoyed the book - so much so that I was bummed when it ended and there wasn't a teaser chapter for the next book. I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing what Hope gets into next.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.