A Corpse Among the Carolers

 

A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About A Corpse Among the Carolers

A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery) Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Setting - Connecticut Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing (November 12, 2024) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 226 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1960511920 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1960511928 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D6G64B46

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide” . . .

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year . . .

Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!

 What I Thought:

This is the 7th installment in the Food Blogger Mystery Series. I have not read all the books in this series, but I was not lost while reading this one. This one is set in Jefferson, CT during Christmas. Hope has arranged for a local antique shop owner to play Santa during the Jingle Bell Stroll Caroling event for the town. Hope thinks Santa has dozed off on a bench, but in fact, he has been stabbed. Of course Hope has to investigate on her own and gets into some sticky situations. As I said I have only read one other in this series, but I thoroughly enjoyed this installment. I love cozies set during Christmas and this one did not disappoint. The protagonist, Hope Early is a strong protagonist. The setting of the small town of Jefferson, CT is charming. I thought the plot for this one was well thought out and the story flowed well. This was a fast read that kept my attention throughout. There was more going on that just the mystery of who killed Santa, as details about the Santa' past come to light and there is another murder. There were several twists and turns that kept me guessing, but I was totally surprised by the reveal of the killer and was totally caught off guard. All in all a great holiday read. I will definitely be going back and reading the other books in this series. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book. 

About Debra Sennefelder

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.

She can be reached at Debra@DebraSennefelder.com

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Excerpt:

“How’s Trixie?” Hope asked. Right after Halloween, Drew worked on a story for a local animal rescue group, and there he met a girl who stole his heart. Her name was Trixie, and she was a four-month-old Jack Russell terrier. So, he thought it was a good idea to double down on the chaos of his life, which included renovating his new home, by adopting a puppy. Since she’d pretty much done the same thing, she couldn’t judge her best friend.

“She’s in her absolute terror phase. And those sharp little teeth are brutal. But when she’s asleep, she’s adorbs.”

Hope chuckled. She’d warned him, but he’d heard none of it. Though, she was confident he would survive Trixie’s puppyhood.

They stepped out of the church hall, their breath visible in the chilly winter air. She tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, her gaze wandering across the parking lot and stopping abruptly on a heated argument playing out just a few feet away.

Ralph Lang’s face was flushed with anger as he pointed a trembling finger at Mitty Fitzgerald. “You think you can get away with cheating me? Let me tell you, you’ve got another thing coming!”

Mitty Fitzgerald, his usual calm manner slightly rattled, replied, “Look, I didn’t cheat you. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hope watched with fascination as her curiosity was piqued. What had driven these two mild-mannered men into such a heated confrontation? Then she remembered. She’d heard that Ralph believed that Mitty had sold him a fake antique six months earlier. A tall, lanky man with a perpetual smile and a reputation for being the town’s easiest-going and most honest handyman, Ralph hadn’t missed an opportunity to gripe about Mitty and the lamp he purchased.

“This isn’t good,” Drew whispered to Hope. “We should break it up.”

Hope nodded, and together they stepped forward. But they were too late.

Before her eyes, Ralph’s frustration reached its boiling point, and he shoved Mitty hard enough to send him stumbling back into the side of his pickup truck. The impact echoed through the quiet parking lot, and Hope gasped in shock, her heart pounding.

“Whoa!” Drew’s eyes bugged out and, in a split second, he took off in a sprint. He put himself between the two arguing men. “You both need to cool off.”

Meanwhile, Hope hurried to Mitty, who peeled himself away from the side of his truck and signaled to Hope that he didn’t need any help.

Ralph’s chest heaved as he shot an accusing glance at Mitty. “This man is a swindler, Drew! He ripped me off, and I won’t stand for it. In fact, you should write an article in the Gazette about his shop and warn the public.”

Mitty, still shaken from the shove, shook his head. “It’s not true. I have never sold fake antiques. I have sold reproductions, but I’ve always made it clear what they were.”

Ralph huffed in frustration, then turned and stormed away. Before disappearing, he cast one last warning glance at Mitty. “You’ll regret this, Mitty!”

Hope couldn’t help but be astonished. Ralph was the last person she’d expect to lose his temper like that, and Mitty’s calm response was a stark contrast to the accusations. Something didn’t add up.

#2

The crispness that had filled the air earlier now had a frigid bite, carrying with it the promise of snow. Hope couldn’t suppress her grin as she envisioned another dusting of snow blanketing Jefferson. With every sip of her coffee, she indulged in thoughts of the snowy adventures she could share with Molly and Becca, her excitement mounting. That is, until a stranger caught her attention up ahead. Dressed in a dark brown leather bomber jacket, perfectly matched with dark jeans, the man stood outside the Antique Alcove.

There was a familiarity about him she couldn’t place until he turned to face her, and the pieces clicked into place.

In an instant, her mind raced back to the previous night when she tore her eyes away from Mitty’s lifeless body and noticed movement in the shrubs nearby. It seemed to have all moved so fast. So fast that she hadn’t fully registered that because of the faint glow of a nearby light pole, she had gotten a brief look at someone’s face. And now, the same man was looking directly at her!

Panic gripped her, and without hesitation, she knew she had to call the police. Her trembling fingers fumbled in her purse, her heart pounding as she desperately searched for her phone. The tap on her shoulder jolted her like a bolt of lightning.

“Whoa,” Drew exclaimed, scrutinizing his suede jacket for any traces of spilled coffee. “What’s got you so on edge? Stumble upon another body?”

Hope’s gaze darted toward the Antique Alcove, and with a hushed urgency she pointed in its direction. “No,” she replied, her voice trembling. “But I believe I’ve stumbled upon a killer.”