The Cold Case and the Corpse (A Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher : Beyond the Page Publishing
Publication date : November 19, 2025
Print length : 230 pages
Paperback
ISBN-10 : 1966322429
ISBN-13 : 978-1966322429
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-1966322412
ASIN : B0G15X98ZV
When foul play pays a visit to a snowy mountain retreat, Hope Early will have to battle the elements to catch a cold-blooded killer . . .
With her first cookbook about to be published, food blogger Hope Early decides it’s the perfect time to attend a weekend retreat with a life coach and take her career to the next level. Her hopes for a life-changing experience are soon dashed, however, when she realizes the woman’s wisdom is nothing more than buzzwords and hollow clichés. Suspecting she’s a fraud, Hope discovers the woman is a longtime con artist and is even linked to an unsolved murder. But before she can learn more, someone puts an end to the life coach’s scam—permanently.
News of the murder has put everyone at the retreat on edge, and the stakes are raised when a fierce snowstorm threatens to strand them all there with the killer. With everyone a suspect and at least one other person pretending to be someone they’re not, Hope’s determined to unearth any clues that link the victim’s sordid past with someone at the retreat. But the killer is dead set on stopping Hope in her tracks, and what started as a weekend to build an exciting future turns into a struggle to survive another day . . .
Includes mouthwatering recipes!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Food Blogger Hope Early’s first cookbook will be published soon. Thinking this will send her career in a new direction, she decides to attend a life coach’s weekend retreat at a nearby lodge to help her make the transition. Traveling there was quite an adventure in a snowstorm. Hope picks up her sister Claire and her best friend, Drew, who is covering the event for the Gazette. Mayor Maretta Kingston is also attending the Limitless Living retreat. A few others round out the group.
Sadly, during the first session, Hope realizes the retreat is basically a scam, with the same old buzzwords and platitudes. It isn’t long before she uncovers the woman’s shady past, including being linked to a cold case murder. Unfortunately, before she can reveal more, she finds life coach, Maisie Cox, dead.
As the snowstorm rages on outside, roads get shut down and power lines are falling, everyone realizes they are trapped in the lodge with a killer. But who? Is it someone on the lodge’s staff? The deceased assistant? Another retreat attendee? Hope is determined to find out, and the killer is determined to make sure she doesn’t.
Hope is very down-to-earth and always busy. She treasures the time she spends with her fiancee, ex-police chief Ethan, and his daughters, Molly and Becca. She left her dog Bigelow, Poppy the chicken, and Princess the cat in Ethan’s care while at the retreat. He worries about Hope and does all he can to keep her safe. Mayor Maretta is fit to be tied throughout most of the story. She doesn’t trust the town’s employees to do their jobs unless she is right there or on the phone to supervise. Claire has something on her mind she is not willing to share. Drew is missing his puppy Trixie, but hopes to pen a major exposé about all the weekend’s happenings. Amy has a true-crime podcast whose investigation has turned up more dirt on the deceased. All of Ms. Sennefelder’s character continues to develop in realistic ways. I enjoy the tight friendships that have grown across the series.
I thought revealing the killer would be pretty straightforward, as it was a closed-room (lodge) mystery. Still, it was complicated by suspects and the deceased hiding their true identities, and by the fact that, aside from our core characters, everyone was hiding something. Also, there were a plethora of secrets that needed to be revealed. Hope really pressed to get answers, but the case was not solved when they were rescued from the snow and returned home. Hope was not giving up, but she let her guard down at the wrong time, and it could have cost her dearly. There is “never a dull moment on Fieldstone Drive,” and Hope sure gave everyone something to talk about.
The Cold Case and the Corpse was an entertaining read with fun characters and a well-plotted mystery. Winter in Jefferson, Connecticut, reminds me of the winters in Wisconsin. They can be a great time, right up until you’re stuck somewhere you don’t want to be. I did enjoy the ending, and an announcement made me very happy. The 9th installment of this series, A Cultivated Corpse, will be released on June 16, and I will be featuring it on an upcoming Cozy Wednesday.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of charming and suspenseful cozy mysteries set in small towns filled with intriguing characters and delightful pets. Based in Connecticut, Debra shares her home with her family and a lovable, slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. Her passion for mystery fiction, particularly cozy mysteries, inspires her to create engaging stories that blend crime-solving with delicious recipes and stylish fashion. She is the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series, and the Cookie Shop Mystery series. When she’s not plotting her next whodunit, you’ll find her baking sweet treats or indulging in a good book.
When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.
Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her writing companion, Connie.
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Find all of Debra Sennefelder’s books HERE.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.
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