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.


From Library Journal
After a string of house robberies, including one at her own, series caterer and sleuth Faith Fairchild (The Body in the Bog, LJ 4/1/96) determines to retrieve her stolen property. She uncovers a ring of antiques thieves and murder and still has time for recipes. Recommended.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review
"...all kinds of inside dope sure to fascinate--and infuriate--paranoid property owners."


Publishers Weekly
"Tightly written, with strong characterizations and delightful descriptions of its New England setting...enticing conclusion."


Booklist
"This highly entertaining series...effectively mixes modern-day moral dilemmas with charm, warmth, and humor."


The Poisoned Pen
"Warmhearted yet acerbic, cozy without being sappy, with luscious recipes as a bonus."


Mystery News
"Realistic and well-drawn characters...alluring, appealing, well-written, and savory."


Kate's Mystery Books Newsletter
"An eclectic blend of the elegant, the witty, and the mysterious...Page excels at characterization."


Dallas Morning News
"Peopled with entertaining and resourceful characters and sprinkled with mouth-watering recipes."


Rendezvous
"A down to earth...entertaining read."


Book Description
Stretched almost to the limit by the capricious demands of a Boston Brahmin bride-to-be, caterer and minister's wife, Faith Fairchild, faces real tragedy when she discovers the body of an elderly friend. Sarah Winslow had apparently surprised burglars ransacking her Aleford, Massachusetts, house. No sooner has Sarah been laid to rest than the Fairchilds find themselves the next target -- the parsonage is stripped of all their most precious possessions. Devastated and furious, Faith takes action, scouring pawnshops, antique marts, and auctions. As she turns up some of their stolen property, she is drawn onto a dangerous path of larceny and corruption in New England's venerable antique business -- a path that soon leads Faith straight to a killer!


About the Author
Katherine Hall Page was born and grew up in New Jersey, graduating from Livingston High School. Her father was the Executive Director of The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and her mother is an artist. She has a brother and sister. Early on the family developed a love of the Maine coast, spending summer vacations on Deer Isle. She received her BA from Wellesley College, majoring in English and went on to a Masters in Secondary Education from Tufts and a Doctorate in Administration, Public Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard. College had brought her to Massachusetts and she continues to reside there. Before her career as a full-time writer, Ms. Page taught at the high school level for many years. She developed a program for adolescents with special emotional needs, a school within a school model, that dealt with issues of truancy, substance abuse, and family relationships. Those five years in particular were rich ones for her. This interest in individuals and human behavior later informed her writing.Married for twenty-seven years to Professor Alan Hein, an experimental psychologist at MIT, the couple have one nineteen-year-old son. It was during her husband's sabbatical year in France after the birth of their son that Ms. Page wrote her first mystery, The Body in theBelfry, 1991 Agatha Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel. The thirteenth in the series, The Body in the Lighthouse, will be published by William Morrow in the spring. Ms. Page was also awarded the 2001 Agatha for Best Short Story for "The Would-Be Widower" in the Malice Domestic X collection (Avon Books). She was an Edgar nominee for her juvenile mystery, Christie& Company Down East. Descended from Norwegian-Americans on her mother's side and New Englanders on her father's, Ms. Page grew up listening to all sorts of stories. She remains an unabashed eavesdropper and will even watch your slides or home movies to hear your narration. Her books are the product of all the strands of her life and she plans to keep weaving.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Katherine Hall Page has delighted readers with her mysteries featuring the indomitable Faith Fairchild, professional caterer and amateur detective in quaint Aleford, Massachusetts. This time out, the crime occurs too close to home -- Faith's own home! She becomes the latest victim in a rash of neighborhood burglaries when thieves break in and clear out all her jewelry and silver. Undaunted by skeptical police, Faith sets out to find her precious belongings by figuring out how the break-ins are linked, plunging headlong into the complicated maze of New England's lucrative antiques business. Before long, she finds herself in the middle of a ring of scheming dealers who prefer theft to auctions and who aren't averse to murder if the price is right.

Boasting a popular, plucky heroine, deft plotting, and witty, suspenseful prose, The Body in the Bookcase draws on Page's real-life experience with a break-in at her home. And as Faith prepares a lavish feast for finicky Stephanie Bullock's wedding, Page showcases more of the delicious recipes her readers have come to adore.

SYNOPSIS

"A smartly executed excursion into the shady side of the antiques tradeturns up all kinds of inside dope sure to fascinate-and infuriate-paranoid property owners."

The New York Times Book Review

Booklist

Katherine Hall Page lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with her husband and son.

FROM THE CRITICS

Marilyn Stasio - New York Times Book Review

Faith Fairchild...is so perfect you want to go for your gun....this undercover look at the dark side of the antiques trade turns up all kinds of inside dope sure to fascinate — and infuriate — paranoid property owners.

Rendezvous

A down to earth...entertaining read.

Mystery News

Realistic and well-drawn characters...alluring, appealing, well-written, and savory.

Poisoned Pen

Warmhearted yet acerbic, cozy without being sappy, with luscious recipes as a bonus.

New York Times Book Review