Hope Early is happy to help her best friend hand out candy at his Aunt's house because she is to ill. The aunts house is rumored to be cursed because a murder-suicide happened there a century ago. Hope doesn't believe in such nonsense but starts to wonder when she finds a woman dead on the front lawn. Hope and her best friend decide to look into the woman's death. They soon happen upon a stack of love letters that link the dead woman to his aunts husband. With his Aunt Last the main suspect Hope knows she has to help her name. Follow along as she dives I to her investigation, will she find the killer or will Aunt Issy end up behind bars.

A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder shows Hope handing out candy with Drew, but the night doesn't end with everyone happy with their candy.

Will Hope keep Issy out of the line of fire with the police?

Hope Early
Hope Early is excited about her plans to help out her best friend, Drew, by handing out candy at his aunt Issy's house this Halloween night. Drew's aunt is sick and cannot hand out candy to all the kids who will come to see her house. Hope is a fantastic character who wants to help her friends by solving a mystery if the police are questioning them. I love how she is so organized and has her blog posts all ready to go. Hope has a knack for solving mysteries that, even with Ethan's help from the police station, can't get answers like she does.

I also like how Hope interacts with Ethan and his kids, and I can't wait to read more about that dynamic.

The Mystery
Hope Early was out on Issy's lawn to pick up any candy wrappers or anything like that after a night of catering to a lot of trick-or-treaters when she found a dead body on the lawn. There is a whirlwind of finding evidence, and the police suspect Issy of killing the dead woman. Since Hope doesn't want to see a dear friend go to jail, she starts investigating. Our sleuth finds out so much about Drew's family while trying to keep Issy out of jail. I have to say that I didn't expect two different mysteries and not who the killer was. The killer wasn't even on my radar.

Five Stars
My rating for A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder is five stars. I also recommend this whole series to anyone who likes cozy culinary reads with recipes in the back. Ms. Sennefelder has done an excellent job of making the killer a surprise to her audience. This author is an amazing writer, and I love all these books. I can't wait to see where else Hope ends up going.

Don't forget to check out the recipes in the back. They are Pumpkin Bars with Chocolate Chips, and Banana Nut Muffins with Crumb Topping.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Corpse at the Witching Hour by Debra Sennefelder.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

“A Corpse at the Witching Hour” is the nicely done sixth book in Debra Sennefelder’s Food Blogger cozy mystery series. In this book, Hope Early is busy with her blog, trying out new recipes, and planning home improvements (both her own and best friend Drew’s) but agrees to help Drew hand out candy at his Aunt Issy’s house on Halloween. Hope loves seeing the kids in their costumes but is shocked to discover a murder victim in Aunt Issy’s yard. It turns out that the murder victim was someone well known to Drew’s family and Hope’s investigation leads to family secrets and strains her relationship with Drew. For the most part I enjoyed the mystery especially as family secrets were revealed and I loved reading about the various meals that Hope cooked. However, while I enjoyed the mystery, there were times in the book when Hope’s character got to me as she blatantly (and sometimes rudely) questioned suspects – by the end of the book I was surprised that she had any friends and a boyfriend left! While I thought the mystery had some nice twists and turns, I thought there weren’t enough clues to help guess who the killer was and felt that revelation came out of nowhere. Still, reading this book wasn’t a bad way to spend a few hours.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

A Corpse at the Witching Hour is book #6 in the Food Blogger Mystery series by Debra Sennefelder.

This was another enjoyable addition to the series. I was happy to see Hope again! There was a lot going on in this book. The different storylines are wrapped up nicely at the end. I did feel that Hope came on a bit strong in this book, but overall, it was an entertaining read.

Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for the free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Another great mystery set off by a great cast of characters.

There were a few mysteries within mysteries in this book and they were all great. I was glad to get to know more about Drew as well as see Hope and Ethan's relationship growing.

What a great mystery! When Hope Early , a food blogger, sees her best friend's elderly Aunt sneak outside on Halloween night, Hope becomes involved in a decades old mystery that leads to murder. Not only does Hope have to prove her best friend's elderly Aunt is not guilty of the crime, but Hope has to make sure she's not the next victim!

The mystery has "red herrings" and "twists and turns" that keep you guessing. Hope is not a "run into danger" sleuth, which I enjoy. She's relatable, smart and kind.

A compelling mystery that you won't be able to put down!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are mine.

Food Blogger

It is spooky time in Jefferson and food blogger Hope is spending Halloween handing out candy with her BFF Drew at his aunt Issy’s home known as the Osbon house, a haunted house and site of a murder-suicide that led to the legend that every 20 years a woman dies (dun-dun-dun). Sure enough, Hope finds a dead witch in the front yard while cleaning up candy wrappers. Okay, not a witch but rather a woman dressed like a witch. There is a lot to unpack in this latest food blogger mystery, past history, present conflicts, and possible future events. Hope has a lot on her plate with recipe testing plus blog writing and the remodeling project involving the barn and a pesky anonymous complainer challenging her permit to build the much needed studio kitchen. Hope might not know who the complainer is but she does know who makes a good suspect. It couldn’t have been Drew’s aunt she is/was sick, right. Then there is Drew’s cousin Thurston who is all business, maybe monkey business. Honestly, it looks like Drew’s family are all possible suspects except for Drew who has Hope for an alibi. Suspecting Drew’s family is not going to bode well for their friendship. At least her relationship with Ethan is on the upswing, he seems to have made peace with Hope’s need to ask questions, track down clues, and indulge her curiosity. She does all three of these things and sometimes, most times, she succeeds in finding the clues and getting the answers but sometimes people are not all that happy to share. Unlike Hope, who is always happy to share a fresh baked treat like her Pumpkin Bars with Chocolate Chips (recipe found at the end of the story and my pick for recipe and review). As you can read, this is a complicated mystery that is sure to put you in the spooky spirit and keep you turning pages. The misdirects work well and the food descriptions will make your mouth water. This was a great holiday cozy and I look forward to the next one.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Food blogger Hope Early's blog is growing by leaps and bounds and it is time to expand into a new space if she can get past the terrifying thoughts that keep her from committing to the project. She needs a little more time before taking that leap of faith. Her friend Drew has just taken a leap of his own in buying the family homestead, Fenn House. It needs work but he is willing to put in the time especially if Hope is willing to help.

Hope had been looking to spend Halloween with her boyfriend Ethan and his two daughters but the girls will be spending the day with their mom. and Ethan as the chief of police will be working. So when Drew tells her his Aunt Issy isn't feeling well and asks her if she wants to help him hand out candy at her house she really has no reason to say no, except that the house is rumored to be cursed. Legend has it there was a murder-suicide there a century ago and since then every 20 years a woman suspiciously dies there on Halloween. It has been 20 years so while Holly doesn't believe in curses she is a bit nervous about herself and Aunt Issy, the females on the premises for the ghostly event.

It isn't until after all the trick-or-treaters have gone home that Hope makes a shocking discovery. A dead woman on the front lawn. Who is she? Why was she here? Is the house truly cursed? Detective Reid is on the case but Hope believes his theory is flawed so she starts investigating putting both herself and Drew at risk. Will they be able to uncover the killer? Or will one or both be the killer's next victim/s?

______

I am so happy that this series has found a new home. Hope is a wonderful protagonist and an admirable amateur sleuth. Her stories were nowhere near complete. Her relationship with Ethan and his girls is evolving now that their mother is out of rehab. Her Hope at Home blog is growing and her pets are adorable even though Princess is a little persnickety, Bigelow is a friendly ball of fur with floppy ears. Her BFF Drew is there for her no matter what and she for him but the friendship had a few bumps in this story. Ms. Sennefelder has created characters that are true to life with realistic ups and downs and a murderer thrown in to shake things up.

The author did a great job of world-building. Hope's home and barn, Fenn House, and Osbon House, as well as every place in between, are all described in detail making it easy to envision each place clearly.

Ms. Sennfelder has crafted a multifaceted mystery with twists, turns, and a big surprise for one of the characters. Hope is on a mission and not even Ethan can keep her from digging into everything past and present in her effort to find the truth. Clues do start to come together but Hope finds herself at the wrong place and the wrong time when she realizes she is in the room with the killer. I will say I had my A-Ha Moment right when she had hers. I really enjoyed the takedown and the moments after. Another mystery is solved as well and that one I had pegged.

The end of the story ties up the lingering loose ends and sets up for some big changes coming in Book 7 A Corpse Among the Carolers. It will be released on November 12, 2024. 

A Corpse at the Witching Hour is a fast-paced twisty Halloween mystery with captivating characters. I am delighted that this series is continuing. I hope to read many more Food Blogger Mysteries!

I'd missed reading about Hope since there was a two-yearish gap between this and book 5. Now that her stories have a new publishing home, I was glad she was back with all her friends. Her pal Drew always cracks me up and her sweetie Ethan's gotta be a saint in training for all the patience he's had with Hope and her sleuthing.

Some good changes were in store for both Hope and Ethan if they could just get this murder solved first. I'm nearly a year late reading this but better late than not at all, right?

When food blogger Hope helps her friend hand out candy in a supposedly haunted house the evening takes a drastic turn of events. While cleaning up the decorations Hope discovers a body of a woman dressed as a witch. The investigation begins with everyone a suspect including Hope.
The story flowed along will and I enjoyed the characters and the happenings going on. A fun and cozy read.

3.5 stars
This is an entertaining, fun read. I enjoyed the mystery and the various characters that we spend time with. They each added to the fabric in the story in a different way. I especially love that there is no love triangle in this cozy. The story is easy to read and get into. I enjoyed how the holiday – in this case Halloween – plays out and adds to the atmosphere of the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first book I have read in this series. I liked the premise and the mystery was intriguing. Hope was a little annoying at times, but I was able to deal with her.

A Corpse at the Witching Hour is a fun and entertaining foodie cozy. Hope is one of those characters that you come to like very quickly. She’s independent , has a very curious nature and a bit too smart for her own good. She has this way about her that allows her to get information. And she’s always willing to share what she finds out with the towns police force.

Deborah Sennefelder pinned and entertaining cozy mystery that gets us ready for the Halloween season. This may be my first forte into the series, but I was entertained enough that I will definitely be keeping Hope and her adventures on my radar.

Ding, dong, the witch is dead! It can’t get any more ghoulish than a dead witch on Halloween night in this 6th. book in the series.

I was captivated by the Halloween-themed cover of this cozy, so, even if I had not read previous books in the series, I was glad to read it as I get myself in the pre-Halloween season mood.

The book was fun and well written, but I was disappointed at the numerous references to previous murders that the protagonist had helped solve.

Another downer for me were the endless characters…just when I thought I knew who about a dozen people were, and was trying to fit them together, a new set of people would pop up.

When the murderer was revealed, it was unexpected, and surprisingly, very little was written about it…it was treated a minor incident in my opinion, and that was disappointing, since I had read this whole book leading up to the climax, which it was only mildly detailed. The protagonist was always so unbelievably busy and involved in so many activities. I liked the fact that her boyfriend is a policeman, but she still gets scolded for sleuthing!

I am sure that after I start reading first book in the series I will get to know the characters and will make the reading experience more cozy.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an advance copy and publish a personal review.

I love this series. Hope is dang near a pit bull when it comes to trying to sniff out clues in order to find the killer. This time is no different, only the stakes are higher when it comes to her friend's family being in the crosshairs. This one had a huge number of shocks in it. I spent a lot of the time reading just thinking 'wow' I cannot believe that just happened.

The mystery itself is fast paced and I'll admit, there were several times when I thought Hope wasn't going to make it through this one. She makes a lot of people mad in this one, all for good reasons of course, so I hope that people will understand.

I was a little bit frustrated with Ethan though. You'd think that things would be moving a little bit faster with him and Hope and I'll be honest, I didn't think they were going to make it to the end of this story either. Luckily though, with all the surprises intact in this bottle rocket of a story, he makes things right in the end.

I love all of the characters. The world building is great, and I love that Hope thinks quick on the spot. Even the mean characters are written well. I just loved this book. And just in time for the cooler weather to start making an appearance. I officially feel like it's fall after reading this book. I loved it and I recommend this and any of the books in the series.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and to Debra Sennefelder for the ability to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine and are completely honest.

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were engaging, the mystery was interesting, and the possible suspects kept me guessing whodunit.
I haven't read the other books in this series (although I have now added them to my wish list), but I had no problems following along while reading this book.

Many thanks to Beyond The Page and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

I did not find this book engaging nor did I care for the fawning main character. Not something I would recommend.

Food blogger Hope Early loves Halloween, the trick-or-treaters, the food, and the companionship of friends,& but when her plans change late on she finds herself at her best friend, Drew's aunt’s house handing out candy. The house is a popular Halloween destination because of its history of murder, suicide, and mysterious deaths every twenty years. As the clock ticks down to the next two decade anniversary, Hope remains sceptical until she spots a body, reinforcing the legend and propelling those she loves to the top of the police suspect list! 

This is book six in Debra Sennefelder's Food Blogger mystery series and I loved it. Hope is branching out with her blogging business, Drew is looking to find his place on the property ladder, while her boyfriend and police chief, Ethan, has a surprising decision to announce. All of this happens alongside Hope's investigation and provides a multilayered storyline which really works. There are also two recipes included both of which sound yummy.

I was able to read a copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Beyond the Page Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this, was miles away from the killer’s identity, and happily recommend it.

An excellent continuation of the series, and it leaves the characters in a nice spot that feels a little more resolved at the end. Lots of delicious descriptions of food and Hope's blogging, and a really excellent Halloween theme.