In my March newsletter I asked my readers what their favorite Food Blogger mystery novel was and my inbox was overflowing with replies. To date, there are five Food Blogger mysteries released. They are THE UNINVITED CORPSE, THE HIDDEN CORPSE, THREE WIDOWS AND A CORPSE, THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and THE CORPSE IN THE GAZEBO.
Reading each email I received, I started seeing that the most favorite books among my readers were mine also! Now, as an author, I do love every book I write but I can’t help but have favorites.
Today I’ll share with you the top three books and why they’re my faves.
THE UNINVITED CORPSE –
This is the first book in the series and the first book I sold. It will always hold a special place in my heart. In this book, Hope Early is settling into her new life back in her hometown of Jefferson, CT. When her sister is accused of killing a rival real estate agent, Hope has no choice but to do a little of her own sleuthing to clear her sister.
As I wrote the first draft of this book, I created characters that I love and enjoy writing so much. Sally and Jane Merrifield are two characters that are a pure joy to write. There’s also Hope’s bestie, Drew Adams. When I plot out scenes that include the Merrifields with Hope and Drew, I know it’s going to be a great writing day. Then there’s Ethan Cahill, the police chief and longtime friend of Hope’s. They have a solid foundation and a mutual attraction.
Another character that was fun to create was Maretta Kingston. She’s such a sour person but she does love her hometown. Then there’s Elaine Whitcomb. What a hoot to write, especially the cooking lesson scene. There are so many more reasons why I love this book, but I don’t want to write…well a novel here. If you haven’t read THE UNINVITED CORPSE, I hope you’ll add it to your TBR.
THREE WIDOWS AND A CORPSE –
All I had when I sat down to write this book was an idea about a scavenger hunt and three widows bickering with each other and all three under the suspicion of murder.
When I began outlining the book, the scene where the bigamist is found dead and his widows are there, was a scene I was so looking forward to writing. But, as the plotting continued, another scene when the widows show up at Hope’s house quickly became my most anticipated scene to write. This book was so much fun to write that I was a little sad when I typed, The End.
THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH –
In this book, I loved connecting a twenty-year missing person’s case with a present-day murder. The book also includes a true crime podcast which gave me an opportunity to weave it into the story.
I felt as I was writing the book that there was a sinister vibe to it, not too much to make the story uncozy (yeah, that’s not a word, you understand what I’m talking about). For some reason, I think the killer reveal really underscored how we really don’t know people. Fun fact – my local library was used as the inspiration for the cover of the book.
To read more about the Food Blogger Mystery books click here and you’ll be directed to the series page.
If you haven’t tried the series yet, I hope you’ll give it a chance. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite book. Also, another Food Blogger mystery is coming this fall. More info on that will be coming soon.
If you have read the series, which book is your favorite?
