The Body in the Bog: A Faith Fairchild Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Katherine Hall Page (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997

Faith Fairchild is momentarily shocked to find her husband, the Reverend Thomas Fairchild, embracing Lora Deane -- and relieved to discover the distraught nursery school teacher is merely seeking solace and advice. Lora has been receiving threatening phone calls. And she's not the only resident of tiny Aleford, Massachusetts, who is being terrorized. Ever since local environmentalists have begun protesting the proposed housing development that will destroy Beecher's Bog, the more vocal opponents have become targets of a vicious campaign of intimidation-which is more than enough reason for Faith to launch into some clandestine sleuthing. But when a body turns up in the charred ruins of a very suspicious house fire, Faith is suddenly investigating a murder -- and in serious danger of getting bogged down in a very lethal mess indeed!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The cozy village of Alesford, Mass., may seem an unlikely spot for murder, but such crimes gravitate toward Faith Fairchild, the local minister's wife and self-employed caterer. In her seventh case (after The Body in the Kelp), the sleuthing mother of two and her husband, Tom, find themselves in the middle of a town controversy over the proposed development of Beecher's Bog, a popular nature spot. The disagreement turns nasty when opponents of the planned luxury housing begin receiving poison pen letters. An arson fire and a corpse later, the town's residents are enraged and fearful as they plan the annual Patriots' Day celebrations. Faith keeps an eagle eye out for the murderer, whom she eventually encounters in her own company kitchen. While Page's pacing lacks crispness, some unusual characters-a preschool teacher who has an apparent double life and the feisty town historian who heads up POW! (Preserve Our Wetlands!)-and Faith's good nature generally compensate in this New England mystery, which is accompanied by five recipes, including one for Faith's Yankee Pot Roast.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Although Page (The Body in the Cast, LJ 10/1/93) employs an alliterative title gimmick, the real hook lies in the recipes she has included in her book. Series sleuth Faith Fairchild occupies her time in small-town Massachusetts with her husband, Tom, a preacher; their two small children; Have Faith, her catering business; and an occasional murder. When wetlands are converted into a chi-chi housing development, poison pen letters fly, one of the houses burns, and police discover murder. Faith's persistent quest for clues exposes many secrets, but the ultimate confrontation occurs in Have Faith's kitchen. Well-delineated action and characters mix easily with Faith's attendant domesticity. A good read.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380727129
• ISBN-13: 978-0380727124
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #795,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Hall Page is the author of seventeen previous Faith Fairchild mysteries, the first of which received the Agatha Award for best first mystery, and recently The Body in the Snowdrift was honored with the Agatha Award for best novel of 2006. Page also won an Agatha for her short story "The Would-Be Widower." She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith stumbles over yet another dead body and invesigates, February 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Body in the Bog: A Faith Fairchild Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Faith Sibley has always detested living in the fishbowl of being a Minster's daughter. So it is a shock even to her that she fell in love with the Reverend Thomas Fairchild. Her feelings are genuine and deep for the man. She leaves the sophistication of her beloved New York City to settle with him in the backwater town of Aleford. Initially, Faith was bored with her relocation, but after opening her own catering business, the town began to grow on her. Also helping her keep the ennui away is the fact that she always seems to keep stumbling over corpses and spending much of her time on solving how the victims died despite the vociferous protests from the police and her husband to mind her own business. An independent woman, Faith goes her own way so it is not surprising that when a rash of ugly incidents, culminating in arson and murder, happens, she is in the forefront trying to discover who the culprit is. Once again, Faith stumbles over a corpse in an isolated area. After a few more days of sleuthing without any progress, Faith decides to use herself as bait in order to catch the guilty party. Her plan backfires when she becomes caught in the murderer's web with no one but herself nearby to help her. Like the previous six Faith Fairchild novels, THE BODY IN THE BOG, is a classic cozy that showcases the pros and cons of living in a small New England town where everyone knows everyone else's most intimate secrets. Katherine Hall Page makes her characters and the town come alive, leaving the reader feel as if they are visiting with old friends. This is a very special and charming mystery series that entertains and educates at the same time. It is strongly advises to read all the books in this series for an extraordinary experience. Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Developers vs. environmentalists, December 29, 2000

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Body in the Bog: A Faith Fairchild Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Lora Deane appeals to Tom and Faith Fairchild for help when she begins receiving threatening phone calls. She figures that it must be either her ex-boyfriend or a relative, Joey Madsen who is threatening her because she refuses to contribute to his new housing project at Beecher's Bog. The controversy becomes broader when the town becomes divided over the new project and those who oppose it begin to receive poison pen letters. A brick through Lora's window and the destruction of a piece of heavy equipment at the construction site deepen the community's concern. Soon there are two dead bodies and an attempted poisoning. Faith, as always, feels that her investigative powers are superior to the police, so she sets up a trap for the person she suspects is the murderer. Instead, Faith herself is trapped in a dangerous situation. This is another good "cozy" from a reliable author who also includes delicious recipes from her heroine at the end of the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Body for Faith..., April 11, 2006

By 

L Smith "acozylover" (Macomb, MI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Body in the Bog: A Faith Fairchild Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

In the 7th book in the Faith Fairchild Mystery series, a group of environmentalists have the town of Aleford, Mass divided. A group of housing developers wants to build homes near the Beecher's Bog, and a group of tenacious environmentalists are trying to block the construction. Faith gets pulled by both sides, and feels tension in the town mounting. When her child's preschool teacher starts receiving threatening phone calls, and a house in the new development burns to the ground (with a body inside), Faith feels things have gone too far. But when Faith stumbles upon a body in the bog, she is determined to call out the killer.

After reading "The Body in the Big Apple" on a whim, I decided to continue with this series due to the likeable character of Faith. I like the town, and the interesting characters brought to life in this book, and thought it was an appealing mystery premise. I look forward to reading all of the books in this series.

The first book in the series is "The Body in the Belfry". Enjoy!