Customer Reviews

The Body in the Vestibule (Beeler Large Print Mystery Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I find the characters of Faith and her husband Tom Fairchild to be very enjoyable. They are not what you would think of as the typical minister and his wife. However, I did not think this particular mystery was as good a work as the others in the series. I kept getting certain characters in the book confused and most of the "suspects" were forgetable. I also thought the plot was a bit vague or complicated.

If you haven't read any of the Faith Fairchild books I would say start with a different one than the Body in the Vestibule but if you are a die hard fan, than the book is probably worth reading just for the delight of spending some time with the Fairchilds.

Love following the family grow. Having this story set in France is a nice change although Faith does manage to find dead bodies where ever they travel. Good thing they don't use a travel agency. Look forward to new mysteries with Faith, she's part of my extended "family",

Didn't like all the French words and food nonsense, and the culprit(s) were pretty darn obvious. At least Faith was better with Ben this time, acting like a mother should rather than like she couldn't stand being with him. Just an ok read though.

Note: I've read this entire series up to "Body in the Attic," and the best rating I've given any of them is 2 stars, which is sad and says a lot about the series. I kept reading because it really has potential but it never lives up to it, so save yourself the trouble and agony and try a a different series *try Carolyn Hart's "Death on Demand" series; most of them are fun and enjoyable*, or stop after "Body in the Cast," which was the best of the series. That's my recommendation, anyway.

Note: I've read this entire series up to The Body in the Attic: A Faith Fairchild Mystery (Faith Fairchild Mysteries), and the best rating I've given any of them is 2 stars, which is sad and says a lot about the series. I kept reading because it really has potential but it never lives up to it, so save yourself the trouble and agony and try a a different series, such as Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand (Death on Demand Mysteries, No. 1) series, most of which are fun and enjoyable, or stop after The Body in the Cast: A Faith Fairchild Mystery, which was probably the best of the series. That's my recommendation, anyway.