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

Katherine Hall Page (Author)

Book Description

Series: Faith Fairchild Mysteries | Publication Date: September 1, 1993

Satisfying her hunger for epicurean adventure in the French provinces, small town caterer and minister's wife Faith Fairchild decides to throw the perfect dinner party. But during cleanup after the last guest has departed her gastronomical triumph, she encounters something neither expected nor welcome: a dead body lying in her vestibule. Unfortunately it doesn't help la belle americaine's credibility when the corpse vanishes before the local gendarmes arrive. But Faith realizes that, though the police refuse to take her seriously, a killer just might. And if she doesn't get to the bottom of this fiendish French conundrum, Faith's recent successful feast could end up being her last.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former Manhattan caterer Faith Fairchild and her family find mystery in Lyons, France in this engrossing adventure from Page's charming series.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Former Manhattan caterer Faith Fairchild accompanies minister-husband Tom to Lyon on an extended research visit. Descriptions of French domesticity and frequent use of French language account for much of this title's draw as the Fairchilds fit right in with their neighbors. Then Faith discovers a body in her apartment's trash bin, but before the police arrive, the body disappears. They doubt her veracity until subsequent warnings, murder, and abduction lead them on a countrywide chase. A charming protagonist characterizes this.
Copyright 1992 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: 352 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380720795
• ISBN-13: 978-0380720798
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Series

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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Light Read, June 24, 2000

By A Customer

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

This is a good light read that I read on vacation in about a day and a half. If you want something rich and edifying, look elsewhere. But if you want a fun romp, this series is it. This is the fourth adventure and I just bought number 5. I thought the characters were very interesting, and the south of France an interesting change of scenery. Faith gets herself into more jams than anyone I've ever known, but it's half the fun it. Relax and enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars France, Food, and Foul Play, December 12, 1997

By A Customer

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

Faith, mother of 1 4/9th's children, husband Tom, and son Ben, leave frigid Aleford, Massachussets to sojourn for a month in Lyon, France. While Tom pursues research for his dissertation, Faith relishes the chance to explore the centuries old section of the city round about their apartment, and indulge her caterer's love of gourmet food with daily trips to the open-air market and luscious meals. Unfortunately, pregnancy and the remains of a bouillabaisse prepared for that evening's dinner party conspire to introduce her to a disappearing corpse, and what had been an idyllic stay in France has now become thoroughly dangerous.

Whom to suspect... what are the motives? Do the three prostitutes know? What about the other street people? Are those teen-agers really just focused on their exam? Is there anyone on the police force who will take her seriously? What about the neighbors?

Faith finds herself moving deeper into the puzzle, receiving veiled threats, discovering clues to a second death (was it murder too?), and getting her hair done. Abductions, assaults, escapes, rescues, and the final confrontation make this an enjoyable evening's reading.

A final warning: do not read while hungry. The author is very liberal in her references to food and more than once had my stomach responding.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read, July 13, 2000

By 

Vicki J. Strom "vjs" (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

I enjoyed this book, and didn't figure it out until the end. Unfortunately I don't speak French, so at places I felt a little lost. She didn't always translate what was said in French (maybe it was meant to be obvious, but I couldn't keep up) so I was left feeling like I missed something. But despite that, I still enjoyed seeing what kind of problems Faith could get herself in to, and thankfully out of as well. I look forward to reading the next in the series.