The Body in the Cast: A Faith Fairchild Mystery (Faith Fairchild Series Book 5)

The Body in the Cast, the fifth volume in Katherine Hall Page's cozy mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild

Hollywood has come to town - and Faith Fairchild has to feed it! Hired to cater meals for the movie crew that is filming a modern-day version of The Scarlet Letter in the tiny New England village of Aleford, Faith is eager to treat the talented tantrum-throwers to the best of her culinary delights.

But an accusation that her famous Black Bean Soup is poison has left a bad taste in Faith's mouth. Her exploration into the source of the nasty slander leads the amateur investigator behind the scenes to a shocking off-camera murder. And suddenly more than Faith's reputation is at stake - her life itself could end up on the cutting room floor.

Read more Continue reading Read less FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Faith Fairchild, caterer and minister's wife in Aleford, Mass., rebounds from her last case, The Body in the Vestibule , as a crew filming a remake of The Scarlet Letter arrives in town while a fierce local election is at stake. Happily, Faith lands the job as caterer for the production company of A , which includes Maxwell Reed, the director known as the "New Jersey Fellini," some stars of considerable magnitude, and even, as a lowly production assistant, Faith's old schoolmate, Cornelia Stuyvesant. But problems seem to plague the production. First, a fire breaks out in a nearby barn; then the company's soup is laced with a laxative. Everyone, including the police, considers these events just pranks, but after a stand-in is poisoned on the set, Faith suspects sabotage and initiates some subtle snooping. When a candidate for Aleford's Board of Selectmen is bludgeoned to death and his opposition (and half-sister) disappears, Faith decides more than movie madness is occuring and begins to investigate in earnest. Pen and ink illustrations and five recipes add little to this lively tale that stands perfectly well on the merits of Page's spirited characterization and energetic plotting.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindleedition edition. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Hall Page is the author of twenty 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." She has also been a nominee for the Edgar Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband.

--This text refers to an alternate kindleedition edition. FROM LIBRARY JOURNAL
Now that former Manhattan caterer Faith Fairchild ( The Body in the Vestibule , LJ 9/1/92) has reestablished her business in Aleford, Massachusetts (whence cometh minister/husband Tom) , she divides her time between food preparation, family, and sometime sleuthing. As location caterer for a famous film director, Faith experiences arson, food poisoning, and murder until the not-too-obvious culprit goofs. Page provides an abundance of aromatically and vividly detailed food, a veritable host of characters, and just a bit of froth--with appended recipes. Well recommended.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindleedition edition. FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS
Continuing in the Rich vein of murder-on-the-menu (five recipes included) , Hall again serves up trouble for plucky New England caterer Faith Fairchild (The Body in the Vestibule, etc.) , who's been hired to feed the cast and crew now shooting an updated version of The Scarlet Letter in picturesque Aleford. And as if that's not exciting enough for the star-struck townsfolk, Aleford is also in the midst of a heated election for the Board of Selectmen. Moreover, the child star is tantrum-prone; the director is ogling the leading lady's stand-in; and everyone suffers when Faith's fabled bean soup is doctored with laxatives. Then the stand-in is poisoned and one of the candidates has his head bashed in while another runs off to Boston for safety. Despite the warnings of her minister-husband Tom, Faith starts to snoop--which ultimately leads to her being trapped in the star's trailer with an unconscious school chum, a bloodied Oscar, and flames licking at the locked door. Sprightly, with a light dusting of satire and, alas, a heavy dollop of this year's most overused plot complication: child abuse. Faith outscores Goldy (see Diane Mott Davidson's The Cereal Murders, p. 1166) as a detective, but Goldy seems the more creative cook. -- Copyright 1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindleedition edition. REVIEW
"A New England ambience that's irresistable." -- The Hartford Courant

"A thoroughly modern heroine...her admiring fans will look forward to many more delicious offerings." -- Mostly Murder

"If you enjoy a lively read, you're sure to like THE BODY IN THE CAST. The story really sparkles." -- Romantic Times Magazine

"Katherine Hall Page's series just gets more sophisticated and graceful...most intriguing yet." -- Kate's Mystery Books Newsletter

"Lively...spirited characterization and energetic plotting." -- Publishers Weekly

"Readers will find treasures aplenty in these fast-flying pages." -- The Clarion-Ledger [Jackson, MS] --This text refers to an alternate kindleedition edition. Read more Continue reading Read less