Debut author Debra Sennefelder kicks off a cozy mystery series with a story with a well-developed amateur sleuth and a promising cast of supporting characters. The Uninvited Corpse will appeal to readers of Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva series.

Hope Early left a career as a magazine editor after her divorce and a stint as a reality show competitor on a baking show. Now, she’s back home in Jefferson, Connecticut with a career as a food and lifestyle blogger. In the mornings, she enjoys coffee with a lifelong friend, Police Chief Ethan Cahill. She’s busy and content, happy to share an assistant with a good friend, Audrey Bloom. When Hope heads to Audrey’s book release and spring garden tour, Hope’s sister, Claire, crashes the party. But, it’s Hope who wanders into the study at Audrey’s house and finds the body of realtor Peaches McCoy. Hope saw the angry reaction of other guests when Peaches showed up uninvited, but the investigating police detective pinpoints Claire as his primary suspect. Peaches had snatched a few deals away from Claire, a fellow realtor, and Claire had threatened to “kill” Peaches. Hope knows her sister couldn’t kill anyone.

As a teen, Hope enjoyed solving mysteries at a book group run by a local mystery author, Jane Merrifield. Now, Jane encourages Hope to ask questions and look for the real killer. Hope knows who she saw at Audrey’s party, and she alienates friends and acquaintances by probing for answers despite Ethan’s warnings. Even another death doesn’t take Claire off the suspect list. That murder only encourages Hope to continue to look for a murderer.

Sennefelder’s debut mystery in the Food Blogger series has an amateur sleuth who comes with an interesting, original background. She’s surrounded by characters who seem to have a more established relationship with the protagonist than in many debuts. The book comes with the recipes and pet that seem to be required with many books. But, it’s the background and characters in The Uninvited Corpse that promise an intriguing new series.

Debra Sennefelder’s website is www.debrasennefelder.com

The Uninvited Corpse by Debra Sennefelder. Kensington. ISBN 9781496719920 (paperback), 368p.

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FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.