The Body in the Casket (Faith Fairchild Series #24)

by Katherine Hall Page

Overview

The inimitable Faith Fairchild returns in a chilling New England whodunit, inspired by the best Agatha Christie mysteries and with hints of the timeless board game Clue.

For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts and Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.

Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. "I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be, but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me."

Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a twenty-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain call.

Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in the Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062439581
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	12/05/2017
Series:	Faith Fairchild Series , #24
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	243,099
File size:	2 MB

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

12/01/2017
Hired to cater the weekend birthday party of a retired Broadway producer, Faith Fairchild soon learns Max Dane chose her for her sleuthing skills. After receiving a casket as a gift, he's convinced that one of his guests plans to kill him. Page's latest, following The Body in the Wardrobe, is set in an isolated country house and will tempt fans of Broadway musicals as well as Agatha Christie's readers.—LH

Library Journal

Katherine Hall Page…has come up with another smart twist on her cozy formula featuring Faith Fairchild, a minister's wife and keen-eyed amateur detective from suburban Massachusetts…The mechanics of the murder mystery are well set up and executed, but what you're hungry for is what's on the menu.

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

09/11/2017
Agatha-winner Page’s 24th Faith Fairchild mystery (after 2016’s Body in the Wardrobe) is a cracking good traditional manor house mystery. Faith isn’t enthusiastic about leaving her family for three days to cater the birthday celebration of legendary Broadway impresario Maxwell Dane—at least not until Max offers to pay her more than she has ever earned for a single event. But Max wants Faith for her sleuthing ability as much as for her catering skills. Someone recently had a coffin delivered to Rowan House, Max’s mansion in Havencrest, Mass., and he suspects the grim warning came from one of the people who had roles in his last and most ignominious Broadway production, a spectacular flop entitled Heaven or Hell. Who wants Max dead? Is it the director Max fired, the embittered set designer, the slighted actress who should have had the lead, or one of the other artists whose careers were never the same again? Realistic characters and a pair of intriguing side stories contribute to a satisfying read. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Katherine Hall Page, who has written almost two dozen culinary mysteries, has come up with another smart twist on her cozy formula featuring Faith Fairchild.” — New York Times Book Review

“A cracking good traditional manor house mystery.” — Publishers Weekly

“Those who enjoy a traditional mystery with appealing characters and a New England feel will enjoy this.” — Mystery Scene

“The always-engaging Fairchild and the supporting cast of spirited recurring characters will appeal to fans of Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schulz series and Carolyn Hart’s Annie Darling novels.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

The always-engaging Fairchild and the supporting cast of spirited recurring characters will appeal to fans of Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schulz series and Carolyn Hart’s Annie Darling novels.

Booklist

Those who enjoy a traditional mystery with appealing characters and a New England feel will enjoy this.

Mystery Scene

Katherine Hall Page, who has written almost two dozen culinary mysteries, has come up with another smart twist on her cozy formula featuring Faith Fairchild.

New York Times Book Review

The always-engaging Fairchild and the supporting cast of spirited recurring characters will appeal to fans of Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schulz series and Carolyn Hart’s Annie Darling novels.

Booklist

2017-09-18
A coffin as a birthday gift is either a bizarre joke or a very bad omen.Every aspect of Faith Fairchild's life in lovely Aleford, Massachusetts, is about to cause her trouble. Her college-bound son Ben's girlfriend, who tells him she needs some space, has unfriended him on Facebook. Her best friend Pix's daughter has lost her job and her boyfriend and moved home. Pix's widowed mother is dating a man whose motives are suspect. The town council, whose members include Faith's minister husband, is divided over a proposal to put in a strip mall. But these problems fade away when Faith receives a call from Max Dane, once a famous Broadway producer, offering her an outrageous amount to cater a weekendlong birthday party for a dozen people at his nearby estate. Arriving at Max's mansion to discuss the arrangements, she meets his attractive jack-of-all-trades, Ian Morrison, who will help her cater to the guests. Although Max does indeed want to throw a birthday party, he's actually hiring Faith for her talents as an amateur sleuth (The Body in the Wardrobe, 2016, etc.) because he's sure one of his guests has sent him a coffin containing a Playbill from his 20-year-old production of Heaven or Hell: The Musical. The play was a flop that wrecked the careers of many associated with it, and all his invited guests had a part in the disaster. After giving Faith a tour of the magnificent house, Max reveals that it was the home of his mother's wealthy family, who cast her off when she married beneath her. They continued to invite the younger Max to stay every year, but his visits had proved so awful they were practically abusive. Although two of his guests die before the party, the rest arrive on time. Can Faith figure out which of them harbors thoughts of murder before the deed is done?The mystery, though surprising enough, is outshone by family problems, detailed descriptions of the setting, and devilishly delicious food.

Kirkus Reviews