The Body in the Boudoir (Faith Fairchild Series #20)

by Katherine Hall Page

Overview

“Fans of the Faith Fairchild series will probably be over the moon for this prequel that lovingly details how Faith met her husband” (The Charlotte Observer).

Massachusetts minister’s wife, caterer, and sometime amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild returns in The Body in the Boudoir, the twentieth installment in the Agatha Award-winning mystery series by Katherine Hall Page that provides mystery, heart, wit, suspense, and mouthwatering recipes aplenty.

Page turns back the clock this time to 1990, as a young Faith Sibley prepares to wed the love of her life, Thomas Fairchild . . . if she can survive a malefactor who’s trying to disrupt the ceremony by doing away with the bride. Fans of cozy culinary mysteries, like the bestselling Goldy Schultz novels of Diane Mott Davidson, will adore the tasty mayhem Katherine Hall Page cooks up in her Boudoir.

“Readers who might have drifted away from Katherine Hall Page’s pleasing mysteries starring Faith Fairchild, the congenitally curious wife of a New England minister and the proprietor of a catering company wittily named ‘Have Faith,’ should accept the homecoming invitation extended in The Body in the Boudoir.” —The New York Times Book Review



“A rollicking adventure of intrigue and suspense, plus . . . it’s a lot of fun catching up with the past fun and shenanigans that Faith always manages to find herself embroiled in, and this is a very fitting way to celebrate such a huge milestone for this mystery series.” —Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas)

“Cozy fans will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly

“[A] fun yet intelligent and layered look at the story behind a favorite series.” —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062065490
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/18/2023
Series:	The Faith Fairchild Series , #20
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	277
Sales rank:	126,546
File size:	682 KB

About the Author

Katherine Hall Page is the author of twenty-three previous Faith Fairchild mysteries, the first of which received the Agatha Award for best first mystery. 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.” The recipient of the Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement, she has been nominated for the Edgar, the Mary Higgins Clark, the Maine Literary, and the Macavity Awards. She lives in Massachusetts and Maine with her husband.

Editorial Reviews

Readers who might have drifted away from Katherine Hall Page's pleasing mysteries starring Faith Fairchild, the congenitally curious wife of a New England minister and the proprietor of a catering company wittily named "Have Faith," should accept the homecoming invitation extended in The Body in the Boudoir.
—The New York Times Book Review

Marilyn Stasio

Set in 1990 New York City, Agatha-winner Page’s satisfying 20th Faith Fairchild mystery (after 2011’s The Body in the Gazebo) flashbacks to the whirlwind romance that led to Faith Sibley’s engagement to the Rev. Tom Fairchild. Despite the carefully laid plans for a perfect wedding, someone appears to be making attempts on Faith’s life—and Faith has no idea who it is. Could the person determined to do her in, heaven forbid, be a Sibley family member or one of Tom’s disapproving Massachusetts relations? Meanwhile, her sister, Hope, asks Faith to help her discover who’s stealing her business clients. In addition, Faith’s former employee, Francesca, appears to want her family in Italy to believe she’s living in England, not New York, so there’s plenty to distract Faith before the wedding—if there is a wedding. Cozy fans will be enthralled. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (May)

Publishers Weekly

This fun yet intelligent and layered look at the story behind a favorite series will be devoured by fans and attract new readers.” — Booklist

“Includes recipes, menus, drink concoctions and much charm.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A smooth and seamless read . . . In the same way that Faith delivers delectable food to her clients, Ms. Page provides a gourmet treat for cozy mystery lovers.” — New York Journal of Books

“Despite the fact that this is a murder mystery...the narrative warms with a sweetness rarely found in the genre. And it’s more rare and more pleasurable because this quality doesn’t resolve into a high-fructose gooey glob.” — Asbury Park Press

“Fans of the Faith Fairchild series will probably be over the moon for this prequel that lovingly details how Faith met her husband . . . and then follows every calorie, fabric and gift of her glamorous upper-crust wedding preparations.” — Charlotte Observer

“A rollicking adventure of intrigue and suspense, plus . . . it’s a lot of fun catching up with the past fun and shenanigans that Faith always manages to find herself embroiled in, and this is a very fitting way to celebrate such a huge milestone for this mystery series.” — Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas)

“Readers ... should accept the homecoming invitation extended in The Body in the Boudoir [and] the retro fun of perusing a vintage wedding menu, shopping at Bergdorf’s bridal salon and having tea at the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel.” — New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

A smooth and seamless read . . . In the same way that Faith delivers delectable food to her clients, Ms. Page provides a gourmet treat for cozy mystery lovers.

New York Journal of Books

Despite the fact that this is a murder mystery...the narrative warms with a sweetness rarely found in the genre. And it’s more rare and more pleasurable because this quality doesn’t resolve into a high-fructose gooey glob.

Asbury Park Press

This fun yet intelligent and layered look at the story behind a favorite series will be devoured by fans and attract new readers.

Booklist

Readers ... should accept the homecoming invitation extended in The Body in the Boudoir [and] the retro fun of perusing a vintage wedding menu, shopping at Bergdorf’s bridal salon and having tea at the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel.

New York Times Book Review

A rollicking adventure of intrigue and suspense, plus . . . it’s a lot of fun catching up with the past fun and shenanigans that Faith always manages to find herself embroiled in, and this is a very fitting way to celebrate such a huge milestone for this mystery series.

Times Record News (Wichita Falls

Fans of the Faith Fairchild series will probably be over the moon for this prequel that lovingly details how Faith met her husband . . . and then follows every calorie, fabric and gift of her glamorous upper-crust wedding preparations.

Charlotte Observer

This fun yet intelligent and layered look at the story behind a favorite series will be devoured by fans and attract new readers.

Booklist

Fans of the Faith Fairchild series will probably be over the moon for this prequel that lovingly details how Faith met her husband . . . and then follows every calorie, fabric and gift of her glamorous upper-crust wedding preparations.

Charlotte Observer

"A rollicking adventure of intrigue and suspense, plus . . . it’s a lot of fun catching up with the past fun and shenanigans that Faith always manages to find herself embroiled in, and this is a very fitting way to celebrate such a huge milestone for this mystery series."

Time Magazines Record News (Wichita Falls)

"A rollicking adventure of intrigue and suspense, plus . . . it’s a lot of fun catching up with the past fun and shenanigans that Faith always manages to find herself embroiled in, and this is a very fitting way to celebrate such a huge milestone for this mystery series."

Time Magazines Record News (Wichita Falls))

The 20th entry in Page's Agatha Award-winning series (after The Body in the Gazebo) has caterer and amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild recalling 1990, when she almost became a hit-and-run victim on her wedding day.

Library Journal

Which matters more, the ingredients in the wedding cake or the clauses in the pre-nup? On the flight to Italy to celebrate their anniversary, caterer Faith Fairchild (The Body in the Gazebo, 2011, etc.) reminiscences about the prelude to her marriage to Tom, which included such semi-disasters as her sister's betrayal by her beau, her future sister-in-law's pesky attempts to reunite Tom with their next-door neighbor, one assistant's leaving to open her own restaurant, another's search for a missing World War II veteran who done her granny wrong, and, oh yes, four attempts on Faith's own life, one by food poisoning, another by a shove on a subway platform, a third by a bit of falling brickwork at her Uncle Sky's estate, and one more when the brakes on a car she'd borrowed gave out. Unlike Faith, Sky's housekeeper couldn't escape someone's murderous urges. While she lolled about in Sky's wife's boudoir dolled up in her marabou-trimmed peignoir, someone crept in, whacked her dead, then slithered out, resurfacing days later to incinerate the poor woman's sister and brother-in-law in a propane fire. Would Faith's wedding have to be cancelled, or at least postponed? Of course not. After all, the champagne had already been ordered, and all the relatives were certainly willing to cover up the scandal caused by one of their own. Includes recipes, menus, drink concoctions and much charm, but a denouement so silly that it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Kirkus Reviews