Food blogger Hope Early takes on a cold case that’s heating up fast . . .
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Building on her recipe for success with her food blog, Hope at Home, Hope is teaching her first blogging class at the local library in Jefferson, Connecticut. She’s also learning about podcasts, including a true-crime one called Search for the Missing, hosted by Hope’s childhood friend, Devon Markham. Twenty years ago on Valentine’s Day, right here in Jefferson, Devon’s mom disappeared and was never found. Finally Devon has returned to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother—and she asks Hope to help.
The next day Hope discovers Devon’s apartment has been ransacked. Her laptop with the research on her mother’s cold case is missing, and Devon is nowhere to be found. When her friend’s body is later discovered in a car wreck, Hope is convinced it’s no accident. Clearly, Devon was too close to the truth, and the cold-blooded killer is still at large in Jefferson. Now it’s up to Hope to find the guilty party—before the food blogger herself becomes the next subject of another true-crime podcast . . .
Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!
Release Date: Sep 29, 2020
Series:Â Food Blogger
Book:Â 4
Publisher: Kensington
Price: $6.99
Author Website: Debra Sennefelder
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Hope Early is happy with her life as a full-time food blogger in Jefferson, Connecticut. Hope is busy growing her business and beginning to teach a class on blogging at the local library when her old friend, Devon Markham, returns to town. Devon hosts a true-crime podcast about women who are missing, inspired by her own mother’s disappearance twenty years before. Devon is back in town to get answers and asks Hope for her help. When tragedy strikes, Hope is more determined than ever to get answers about Joyce Markham’s disappearance even though it’s clear someone in Jefferson wants that case to remain cold.
This book is the fourth in a series, but the first I’ve read. Although the mystery doesn’t require reading any of the other books, I think it would have helped me to better connect with the characters. I like Hope, but other characters who are supposed to be good, like her boyfriend Ethan and her sister Claire, just didn’t impress me. Claire seems very self-centered, and I saw more chemistry between Hope and a detective she doesn’t care much for than with her police chief boyfriend. There are a lot of other characters in the book and it was hard to keep track of all the residents of Jefferson. I like a couple of her friends but never felt I got to know them well, and I would have enjoyed the book more if I would have.
The best parts of the book are the blogging class and the podcast. I actually wish there have been more details included as Hope was conducting her class. However, she does mention some of the things that are necessary in making a living from a blog that most readers like myself wouldn’t have thought about which was interesting. I like the podcast aspect of the book and the fact that a couple of the actual podcasts are included really brings that part of the book to life. Hope’s persistence is admirable and she refuses to give up until she gets justice for those who deserve it, even when the situation becomes dangerous. There is a lot of sadness, but the book ends on a positive note. Those who follow the series, as well as fans of Lynn Cahoon, should enjoy the book.
~ Christine
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