The Body in the Belfry: A Faith Fairchild Mystery

I don't know why. I'm not Christian and the series revolves around a minister's wife. Page just creates characters that feel like they are alive, and you want to find out what the're up to. Yes, if I knew of her I'd stay far away because everyone winds up dead at places she goes to, but I love to read about them

The author was on a Boston TV station this week being interviewed for her 17th book in this series. I had never heard of her, but as a great fan of mysteries decided I'd start with the first one and go from there. As a resident of a small town in Connecticut, I was tickled at her descriptions and comments about folks in a small New England town. It's all true. Faith, the main character, has a bit of a time adjusting to a slower pace of life, but I think she will fit in eventually. The author said during the interview that the town is fictional. She didn't want to have people correcting her on locations, roads, etc. I think the idea of including recipes in the books is a nice touch. It gives the stories an added touch.

I recommend this book for a really fun read - it's perfect for any vacation. Ms. Page has a wonderful sense of humor and is a fantastic writer! I am looking forward to reading all the other Faith Fairchild mysteries.

This book is the beginning of a growing list of "Body in the _____" series. Its heroine is Faith Sibley, a native New Yorker who has started a gourmet catering service. She meets and falls in love with Tom Fairchild, a young minister who whisks her away from her beloved home town to a much different life in rural Massachusetts. Faith is trying her best to fit into the role of pastor's wife in a small town where everyone's family goes back several generations and where everyone knows everyone else's business. While taking a walk with her baby son, Benjamin, Faith discovers a dead body in a belfry. The body is that of Cindy Shepherd a young, willful girl who had made plenty of enemies in their small town. The suspects include Cindy's fiance, and several men with whom she had had affairs and was subsequently blackmailing. Faith's curiosity and unofficial investigations eventually lead her and Benjamin into grave danger. This is an interesting and well-written "cozy".

Page has created an energetic and rather believable heroine in Faith Fairchild, a gourmet chef who marries a clergyman and moves from her hometown of New York City to a small town in New England. She feels like an outsider in her new home, but gets right in the thick of things when she finds a body in the town's most historic building. She is amazed to find that many of the residents are more upset that she rang the old bell than that a person was murdered! I thought this book was highly entertaining, though I must admit that I spent a good deal of time wondering just which suburb she was supposed to be in, being myself a resident of the area. I would definitely recommend this book as a fabulous New England "cozy" with fun characters, solid writing, and good red herrings. She has written a good number of books in this series (Body in the Belfry being the first), so there is a lot to look forward to when you dive in! Page has also written a few young adult mysteries under the title of Christie and Company, which I have heard are also quite fun and educational for young readers.