The Body in the Birches (Faith Fairchild Series #22)

by Katherine Hall Page

Overview

Real estate can be murder—especially when it's all in the family

This Fourth of July is one of the hottest on record, and even the breeze off Penobscot Bay can't cool things down for Faith Fairchild and the rest of the folks on Sanpere Island. But the fireworks are just beginning. After the celebrations are over, Faith discovers a body in the woods near The Birches, an early twentieth-century cottage.

The body is identified as The Birches's housekeeper, who seems to have succumbed to a heart attack. The death is only one of the dramatic events upending the historic house. A family gathering has been called to decide who will inherit the much loved, and very valuable, estate that has been in the Proctor family for generations. With this amount of money involved, it's just a matter of time before trouble arises among the warring potential legatees.

Faith is juggling her own family problems. Her teenage son, Ben, has started a job as a dishwasher at The Laughing Gull Lodge—learning things that could land him in very hot water. And her daughter, Amy, is worried about her new friend, Daisy Proctor. Daisy is terrified—convinced that someone is trying to permanently eliminate her mother from a shot at inheriting The Birches.

Another death occurs—and this time it is murder. Faith races to uncover a killer, one who is much too close to home!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062310828
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Series:	Faith Fairchild Series , #22
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Katherine Hall Page is the author of twenty-one previous Faith Fairchild mysteries and a collection of short fiction, Small Plates. She has won multiple Agatha Awards and 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

03/23/2015
Set on Sanpere, a resort island off the Maine coast, Page’s winning 22nd Faith Fairchild mystery (after 2013’s The Body in the Piazza) centers on who will inherit the Birches, a summer “cottage” built in the late 19th century by Josiah and Eleanor Proctor, the great-grandparents of Sophie Maxwell. A year after the death of Sophie’s childless great-aunt, Priscilla McAllister, the prospective heirs are summoned to the Birches by Sophie’s great-uncle-in-law, Paul McAllister. Per his late wife’s request, Paul must decide which Proctor descendant will get the grand house. Could the death of the Birches’ housekeeper, Bev, be related to the fierce competition among the family for Paul’s favor? Meanwhile, caterer Faith, her minister husband, and their two children are summering on Sanpere. When 15-year-old Ben Fairchild, for whom Sophie once babysat, unwittingly puts her life in grave danger, the stakes—and the suspense—rise. Tasty recipes round out the volume. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Fans of this long-running series will enjoy the glimpse into Faith’s rich life, reported with flowing narration, as well as the five picnic-friendly recipes.

Booklist

Once again Page has delivered an engrossing, finely crafted story about the intrusion of violence in the lives of good people....Page juggles a very well-constructed mystery with smart and sensitive family drama that never gets in the way of the suspense.

Connecticut Post

Katherine Hall Page is my favorite writer of the traditional mystery.

Harlan Coben

Enticing recipes at the back of the book and cooking tips sprinkled throughtou...The crime is solved satisfactorily...[but] let’s be honest: most of us came for the food.

New York Times Book Review

05/01/2015
It's the Fourth of July on Sanpere Island, off the coast of Maine. Proctor family members have gathered at The Birches to learn who will inherit the historic summer cottage. Faith Fairchild is also vacationing on the island, staying with her family at her friend Pix Miller's house while their own summer residence is being rebuilt. When Faith discovers the body of the Proctors' housekeeper in the woods, it is assumed that she died of a heart attack. But soon it becomes clear that someone is trying to sabotage the reading of the will. Faith also worries about her own family: her husband's mother is ill; son Ben has overheard things at his summer job that could have serious repercussions; and daughter Amy's new friend Daisy Proctor has her own troubles. VERDICT Reading this enjoyable long-running series is like having a conversation with an old friend. Faith and her family continue to grow, and now having teenagers will test her and Tom's patience. Anyone who likes Joan Hess and Donna Andrews will appreciate this well-crafted mystery (the 22nd after The Body in the Piazza).

Library Journal

Fans of this long-running series will enjoy the glimpse into Faith’s rich life, reported with flowing narration, as well as the five picnic-friendly recipes.

From the Publisher