Amazon.com Review
Katherine Hall Page won an Agatha Award for her first Faith Fairchild mystery,
The Body in the Belfry, and since that debut she has developed a rich cast of characters around her beloved amateur sleuth. Now, in her ninth outing, Faith embarks on an adventure that draws from Page's personal experience with the burglary of her home in 1995. A former New Yorker, Faith is settled--or at least settling--into life in the small Massachusetts town of Aleford. Her husband, Tom, is a minister, and Faith feels called to make the rounds of the parish. But her first visit leads to a grim discovery: Sarah Winslow, the town librarian and a collector of antique books, lies dead in her home, tied to a chair. Sarah's house has been pillaged. Only a day after the funeral, Faith returns home to discover her own house has been torn apart, and many of her prize possessions--silver, jewelry, keepsakes--have been stolen, too. Of course, Faith does what any self-respecting minister's wife would do: she begins an investigation that leads her into a market of illegal antiques deals and shady pickers. Along the way she encounters even more murder and mayhem.
As with other books in the Faith Fairchild series, one of the graces of the novel is the too-funny-to-not-be-real portrait of New England life. And the culinary components of this mystery once again derive from Ms. Fairchild's catering business, Have Faith. The recipes--from Avocado Bisque to Chocolate Oatmeal Goodies--are presented in tantalizing detail at the close of the book. But you won't be drawn to Page's series just for the food. The Body in the Bookcase serves a brisk mystery populated with a quirky cast of New Englanders you'll be sad to see depart. --Patrick O'Kelley
From Publishers Weekly
Graced with recipes from amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild's cookbook-in-progress, and inspired by the real-life burglary of the author's home, this ninth spirited entry continues Page's popular series (The Body in the Fjord, 1997) about the Aleford, Mass., caterer, wife and mother of two. Faith, like everybody else in town, is appalled when 80-year-old Sarah Winslow is found dead after her house is burglarized. After her own home is broken into, Faith decides to solve the crimes. Feeling violated by the loss of many family heirlooms, she begins a search of pawnshops and antique dealers, bringing her into the often corrupt world of antiquing. Her catering firm, meanwhile, is finalizing plans for the wedding of spoiled socialite Stephanie Bullock, whose parents, Julian and Courtney, have been separated and feuding for years. Faith discovers that George Stackpole, a crooked antique dealer, possesses not only many of her stolen goods but a past connection with Julian Bullock, a respected dealer. As she recklessly pursues Stackpole, she places her life in danger. Page's tale is tightly written, with strong characterizations and delightful descriptions of its New England setting. The author braids her various storylines neatly and briskly, right up to the enticing conclusion in which Faith confronts the brains behind the burglaries. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
