Title: The Corpse Who Knew Too Much (Food Blogger Mysteries #4)
Author: Debra Sennefelder
Published on: 29 September 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Food Blogger Hope Early is teaching her first blogging class at the local library in Jefferson, Connecticut. A true crime podcast, hosted by one of Jefferson’s ex-resident, is a huge hit. The podcast host, Devon returns to Jefferson to talk about one crime that changed her life – her mother’s disappearance twenty years ago.
Devon and Hope were good friends at school. Devon also knows about Hope’s previous sleuthing adventures so she asks Hope to help find the truth about her mother’s disappearance.
The next day, Devon’s apartment is found ransacked. Devon has gone missing. Hours later, Devon is found dead in a car wreck. Hope is convinced Devon was murdered. Hope has to find the killer before she comes another subject of the true crime podcast.
The Corpse Who Knew Too Much is the fourth book in the Food Blogger Mystery series by Debra Sennefelder. I do not think this book can be read as a standalone. To get an idea as to how Hope is related to the recurring characters in the series, it is better to start from book #1.
Having read the previous books of this series, I was eagerly waiting to read The Corpse Who Knew Too Much. My expectations are a little dampened. I wouldn’t say disappointed because the plot is solid and the story is well-written. However, at times, I felt the story was a little dragged.
There are too many characters and in spite of having read the previous books, I did take my time to remember who’s who. There are a few new characters and it was hard for me to remember them all. Anyways, the numerous characters did not spoil the read for me.
The pacing seemed a little slow as the story began. But once the crime occurs, the story picks up pace. Hope Early is a blogger so we do get to read the ‘inside life of a celebrity blogger’. The blogger theme is the best part of this series. I suppose every blogger can relate to certain things mentioned in this story. Like, Hope starts a class for newbie bloggers. A few have an issue with setting up the site or tweaking the menu and the jitters of writing your first blog post. Totally relatable.
Coming to the mystery behind the disappearance of Devon’s mother twenty years ago and fast forward to the present, Devon’s murder – I definitely think this is a very well-thought mystery (kudos to the author for coming up with a brilliant plot). The two cases have a connection, no doubt about it. But this also means the killer is roaming freely in Jefferson. And everybody knows of Hope’s sleuthing adventures. Including the killer…
I could not identify the killer. Leave it to Hope early to connect the dots. Having said that, Claire (Hope’s sister) does warn her – Hope and Ethan’s relationship will be strained with each case Hope intervenes. I am certainly looking forward to seeing what Hope’s going to do about this. Ethan is the chief of police and he definitely cannot let Hope do her part of amateur sleuthing… girlfriend or not.
Overall, The Corpse Who Knew Too Much was an enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
The Book Decoder 
I’ve noticed a number of books have characters who make money blogging, and I wonder what other bloggers think about that. Realistically, so few people many any money blogging, let alone enough to equal a full-time job. What are your thoughts on this?
Monetizing a blog doesn’t sound as easy as these characters make it seem. Having said that, bloggers must go over the line to promote their blog posts – publicizing on social media and all that – if they want to make blogging a full-time job. There’s always a risk it might backfire.🤷♀️
I keep seeing books about fashion bloggers. Those people who wear a brand’s clothes and then take pictures of themselves in fabulous places. It sounds unrealistic to me, probably because I don’t follow any blog that does that? I sure don’t see the book blog do anything like that. Perhaps we’re missing our opportunity!