Faith's catering business has been slow with the downturn of the economy, so when her friend Patsy Avery proposes that she take over the café at Aleford's Ganley Art Museum, it seems like a not-to-be-missed opportunity. And Patsy has an ulterior motive—she discovers that the Romare Bearden piece she lent the museum has been switched with a fake and wants Faith to snoop around to find the culprit.
Life at the museum doesn't stay calm for long and Faith is soon enmeshed in the Ganley's murky past and present as she struggles to make connections among apparently disparate items: the fake Bearden, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, and a Jane Doe corpse that turns up as an unintended part of an art installation. At home, son Ben, now in the hell known as middle school, becomes involved in a cyberbullying escapade and husband Tom wants his wife to morph into June Cleaver.
Her investigation takes Faith into Boston's art scene and historic Beacon Hill, as well as into the lives behind the façade of the Ganley's very proper board of trustees. She is at her wit's—and almost dead—end, as the killer strikes again, and again.
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Publishers Weekly
Is it art or murder? In Page's savory 17th Faith Fairchild mystery (after 2006's The Body in the Ivy ), the caterer/chef uncovers sinister doings at the Ganley Museum of Art in Aleford, Mass. When Faith's friend Patsy Avery, the president of the museum's board of trustees, asks her to investigate a potential forgery, Faith is reluctant to jump back into the detecting world. She finally agrees to open a cafe in the museum at Patsy's urging, but soon discovers a bald female corpse floating in a tank intended for an art installation. Faith's subsequent investigation reveals that the woman, who called herself "Tess Auchincloss," had a stolen Degas sketch stashed in her apartment. Joining forces with Det. Lt. John Dunne, Faith scrambles to solve the case even as the list of suspect grows and another murder occurs. Along with fun foodie details, Page provides an entertaining subplot involving Faith's rebellious teenage son, Ben. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal
After 16 adventures, one would think caterer Faith Fairchild would know better than to snoop around a New England art gallery where paintings are being replaced by forgeries and murder is just around the corner. In Agatha Award winner Page's latest entry in her culinary mystery series, Faith spends almost as much time with her minister husband dealing with their petulant teenage son as she does snooping around and getting involved in the police investigation. Read Joan Hess for a more insightful rendering of the amateur sleuth-meets-mystery novel. Following The Body in the Ivy, this one is a letdown; recommended only where there is interest. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ1/08.]
Jo Ann Vicarel Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Kirkus Reviews
Forgeries and murder now on exhibit in a New England museum. Faith Fairchild, wife to minister Tom, mom to Ben and Amy, owner of Have Faith catering and amateur sleuth in picturesque, old-moneyed Aleford, a suburb of Boston, agrees to take over the Ganley Art Museum cafe. Between courses, she'll help her chum Patsy, a board trustee, discover who replaced the Romare Bearden painting with a copy. First, however, Faith, cleaning up after the catered opening of a controversial exhibition-a tiny goldfish swimming in a tank of water-finds the nude body of a bald girl floating in the tank. Who is she? No one admits to knowing her, although one member of the board wanted to marry her and several museum instructors used her as a model. Two out-of-the-blue calls to the cops identify her low-class midwestern origins-a far cry from the wealthy, artistic identity she fashioned for herself. Meanwhile, young Ben is causing problems at home and at school; Tom is fretting that Faith has become an absentee mom; and Faith, who saw no reason to tell the police about the forgeries, now realizes they may be connected to the murders. It'll be many restorative coffee and cookie breaks later before Aleford residents can feel secure in their upper-class bubble once again. Like all the Fairchild mysteries (The Body in the Ivy, 2006, etc.), this one is stronger on domesticity and culinary skills than on criminal behavior. The undemanding fare includes five recipes. Agent: Faith Hamlin/Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
Capers & Crimes Cozies
A delightful series.
Romantic TimesBOOKclub
"Page builds atmosphere and tension beautifully, mesmerizing the reader."
Jean Lowery
May there be many more adventures ahead for Christie, Vicky, and Maggie.
Jean Lowery Nixon Two-Time Edgar Award Winner
May there be many more adventures ahead for Christie, Vicky, and Maggie.
Romantic Times BOOKclub
Page builds atmosphere and tension beautifully, mesmerizing the reader.
Portland Press Herald
Enchanting...well-written...Page’s style is entertaining and unpretentiously cultured.
Mystery News
Realistic and well-drawn characters...alluring, appealing, well-written, and savory.
Kate's Mystery Books Newsletter
The evocative description...is superb and detailed as only Faith’s wicked eye and wit can describe.
The Globe and Mail
It’s rare to get a writer who out-plots Christie, but Page does a fine job.
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
An expert at the puzzle mystery.
Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Faith is a gem.
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Fun...a little mystery with a big-hearted love of NYC...[Readers] will enjoy Big Apple.
Dallas Morning News
Peopled with entertaining and resourceful characters and sprinkled with mouth-watering recipes.
Boston Herald
Jaunty, breezy...Bouillon tastes great
Los Angeles Times
Page’s literary concoction is satisfying and surprisingly delicious.
The Poisoned Pen
Warmhearted yet acerbic, cozy without being sappy, with luscious recipes as a bonus.
The Hartford Courant
A New England ambience that’s irresistable.
Mostly Murder
A thoroughly modern heroine...her admiring fans will look forward to many more delicious offerings.
Booklist
Entertaining and ingeniously deceptive murder mystery.
State Journal-Register (Springfield)
Delicious books...sheer fun.
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
[W]ill leave her readers guessing until the very end and wanting another serving of Faith Fairchild.
El Paso Times
This book is a great take-along for a summer vacation.
Boston Globe
...intricately plotted...
Bangor Daily News
Intriguing.
The Drood Review of Mystery
The combination of crime, Faith’s cordon bleu dishes, and New England in the snow is, as usual, irresistable.
Rendezvous
A down to earth...entertaining read.
The Trenton Times
Diverting...This is a mystery that will make the reader chuckle while they try to figure out who done it.
Washington Post Book World
It sparkles like a yankee pond on a bright autumn day!
New York Times Book Review
[W]ell told...close, careful observations of the complicated dynamics within large families...[Page] at her solid best.
Portland Herald
Enchanting... well-written.... Page’s style is entertaining and unpretentiously cultured.
Denver Post
The author writes with grace and gentle wit, expertly weaving all her material together into a satisfying whole.
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
"Faith is a gem."
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