The Body in the Fjord

Faith Fairchild #8

by Katherine Hall Page

In The Body in the Fjord, writer Katherine Hall Page returns with the eighth installment in her Faith Fairchild mystery series. Set in the exotic fjords of Norwayand featuring the delicious recipes that Page fans have come to expect The Body in the Fjord is tightly wound with adventure and suspense. This time out, Faiths friend and neighbor Pix Miller takes center stage, heading off to Norway, where she sets out to investigate the sudden disappearance of a family friend. Posing as a member of Scandie Sights, a Norwegian tour group, Pix is drawn into intrigueand murder. She discovers a sinister world of stolen antiques, secret histories, and deadly promises as her search for the truth takes a turn she never expected. Unfazed, she doggedly persists until she finds herself the unwanted object of a killers attention. Written in Pages delightful style and moving at a breakneck pace, The Body in the Fjord will keep readers on the edge of their seats from first page to last.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Cooking, Food

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Katherine Hall Page is the author of twenty-five 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.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book - this time it was all Pix doing the sleuthing. I do prefer the Faith stories but this had interesting information about Norway and that made up for it.

[Glen]

When a family friedn disappears in Norway, a Preacher's wife comes calling, and finds a body in the fjords (Pining for the Fjords?)

I found it forgettable.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not great literature but extremely fun to read while in Norway

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this mystery is the description of Norway - the scenery, the food, culture and customs.

[Kathie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as interesting as the previous books. Made Norway seem like a sountry of unfriendly people still stuck in WW2 mode.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faith Fairchild is not the star of this story although recipes are included. This is Pix Miller’s story (Pix is a close friend of Faith’s). Pix’s mother Ursula Rowe has received a call for help from a childhood friend in Norway. Her granddaughter is missing, the girl’s boyfriend is dead. Can Ursula come and help find Kari and what happened? Ursula needs Pix, younger and more spry to go with her to follow-up where the police have not.

Ursula and Pix join the Scandie Sights tour up the western coast of Norway (Kari and Erik had been working the tour when Erik drowned and Kari vanished.) They casually ask questions about the sad events of the tour and meet and question the other guests, hoping they might discover facts that the police may have missed. Pix’s investigations get her into some very dangerous places.

As on any tour, there is a lot of dramatic scenery, a wide mix of travelers with their stories and mishigas, and, of course, food. There are details about Nordic customs and traditions, fjords, the illegal trade and smuggling of Norwegian antiquities, the Nazi occupation, not to mention Norway’s contentious relationship with Sweden. After all, they were one country until 1905.

There is more than one crime and more than one perpetrator and lots of motives all around. The atmosphere and details may slow the action for some readers, but I found them fascinating. I made me want to visit Norway for the scenery the smorgasbord if not the herring, the fiske (fish) pudding, or the lutefisk. Recommended.

Readalikes:
Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen mysteries; Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow mysteries; M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin cozies; Joan Hess’s Claire Malloy series; Carolyn G. Hart’s Death on Demand mysteries; Sarah Graves’ series Home Repair is Homicide; China Bayles mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert; Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Bear mysteries.

Pace: Leisurely paced
Characters: Likeable; earnest
Storyline: Plot-driven
Writing style: Engaging
Tone: Atmospheric; strong sense of place
Frame: Western Coast of Norway; contemporary
Theme: Amateur investigates

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I'm being generous with the rating, but I connected with the story, characters, and the setting, Norway 🇳🇴 of the book.

I was drawn to this book when I noticed similar titles, the body in the... I selected this one when I noted it was set in Norway. It's been many years since I've been there but I recognized the fjords, towns and the Norwegian food. I laughed until I cried about Pix's description of the smorgasbord that is laid out at breakfast and how many different versions of herring that is served. I only disagreed with one fact, the raspberry preserves being served with the vafler. Maybe there was some but I remember the lingonberry preserves and this is also what my Scandinavian family prefers.

So besides the setting and accuracy. I enjoyed the characters and the suspense of the story. There was a lot to take in and several subplots going on but I think that is what made me not want to put this book down. I even received a bit of a history lessons about Lebensborn babies.

I think the only thing that could have enhanced this book was a description of some of the Norwegian terms for those who aren't familiar with. A couple I even questioned if I was remembering the correct item when the Norwegian term was used.

I did see from someone else's review that this wasn't the authors regular character, Faith Fairchild. So those that like her being the main character may not be as pleased with this book.

[Rosalind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to Norway? Would you love to experience the dramatic fjords, forests, historic hotels, and museums, and meet the wonderful Norwegian people? An armchair journey is the next best thing, and you can have that, plus a satisfying body count! This is the itinerary that awaits you with “The Body in the Fjord, the eighth “Faith Fairchild Mystery” by Agatha Award-winning author Katherine Hall Page. In this book, it is Faith Fairchild’s friend Pix Miller who becomes the amateur sleuth. A sudden telephone call from family friend Marit Hansen, a long-time Norwegian resident, sets off the chain of events. Marit’s granddaughter Kari disappeared after her fiancé was found dead from a strange accident. Marit needs help in finding Kari. But Pix must travel from her small New England town to Norway on a rush basis. That’s the only way Pix can join the tour group in progress where Kari and her fiancé worked. If she blends in as a fellow tourist, perhaps she will pick up clues. She certainly finds clues, plus dangerous situations, and suspects aplenty, all while hoping from one beautiful scenic spot to the next. I found the travel descriptions in this book to be delightful, and I loved being taken along with Pix on this journey. “The Body in the Fjord” is the coziest of cozy travel mysteries. Highly recommended for mystery readers who love armchair traveling.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pix Miller and her mother embark on a Norwegian tour, ostensibly to sightsee but driven by a deeper purpose: Searching for the missing granddaughter of a family friend.

The story ambles along, at times almost lulling readers into a daze, yet it builds toward a conclusion that rewards persistence with quiet satisfaction.

Pix’s fellow tourists add texture to the journey, though most fade into the background, serving as little more than narrative scaffolding. They leave no lasting mark as you close the book.

A tense moment finds Pix trapped in a hotel sauna, a brush with death that crackles with menace. A brash American’s fatal “accident” unravels as murder, stirring a flicker of intrigue.

For readers drawn to tales of smuggling and the illicit chase for hidden treasures, the mystery holds extra allure. This series entry delivers a dependable, if unremarkable, read—a three-star effort that holds your attention without commanding it. I’m eager for the next installment, curious to see where Faith Fairchild takes us.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it 4 stars except Pix did an incredibly stupid thing when she drank the coffee given to her by the farmer's wife. Someone hit her on the head and kidnapped her and she drinks the coffee the wife had with her - very stupid. Other than that, a very good mystery. I liked that it featured Pix, not Faith, and that it was set in Norway. Good descriptions of Norway's beautiful scenery. Complex plot, mostly good character development. Set on a tour so lots of extraneous characters to muddle the suspect pool. I liked that the author included a subplot about the lebenborn during WWII. I had never read about that. Terrible, though not surprising, history of rape and forced pregnancies during Germany's occupation of Norway, so they could create their Aryan race. I'll read another by this author, especially since Pix did get herself out of the kidnapping, didn't need to be saved, and she and Kari exposed the smuggling plot and the murderer.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can stick with it, the mystery picks up steam around the middle of the book. Honestly, the only reason I kept reading was because of the amazing descriptions of Norway, the food, the culture and the history. It prompted me to look up Norwegian tours on Pinterest, even! But I didn't hustle right out to find another book by this author.
I think, though, I WILL try one more, because it might've just been a bad week and her other books may move along a little faster!

Recipes in the back of the book, by the way.
If I ever need to make my own lutefisk.... :)

[Julie Trapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This is really a Pix Miller, not a Faith Fairchild mystery. Ursula has received a phone call from a good friend in Norway that her daughter is missing from a cruise ship. So she and Pix go over there and join the cruise at one of the ports. I could do without the history lessons throughout the book. It probably helped some people understand the story better, but I found it all boring. Anyway, they meet up with Ursula's friend, snoop around, ask questions, get threatened, get bonked on the head, find a dead body and solve the mystery.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I read one of Katherine Hall Page’s Faith Fairchild series. This one barely featured Faith, but rather her friend Pix Miller heads to Norway to find the missing granddaughter of one of her mother’s friends. This really brought the amateur into amateur detective. The plot was intriguing: a missing granddaughter and her dead fiancée, a swastika painted on a hotel lawn, and, of course, a body in the fjord. As with all cozy mysteries, there are some mildly unrealistic occurrences, but I really did enjoy this. Heck, I almost want some lutefisk for lunch!

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover and description of the audiobook made this sound like a much grittier story than it was! I didn’t realize this was going to be a “cozy mystery” and well,
I learned that those really aren’t for me! I also have spent a significant amount of time in Norway so the book felt very condescending to the reader—-as if the reader was one of the dumb tourists on the Scandi-Sights tour group! I finished it because the mystery was just intriguing enough that I could listen to it while falling asleep and not think about work or the woes of the world, but not interesting enough to keep me awake.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is wonderful. In this book, the 8th in the series, Faith's best friend Pix is on her way to Norway to help her mother's friend find her granddaughter. The well written descriptions of the country, the scenery and the traditions makes you feel as if you are there (and there is a recipe included that I like too!). The story has several twists and keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out what is going on! This was a book I couldn't put down!

[Anne Libera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic cozy mystery with great travel detail from Norway. It's a bit less of a time machine than the first few books (we've moved into an era of computers and cellphones) but still good fun. I could do without the predictable "amateur detective is found out by the creators of the complex plot and finds their life in danger" moments but it's still a good time to read about food and conspiracies.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pix takes the spotlight again as she and Ursula travel to Norway to find a missing family member.

The story was slow to get going and was ultimately a little disappointing (and I’m a Pix fan!). Maybe it was because Norway and the food wasn’t appealing to me. Maybe it was because I was missing the familiar cast of characters. Maybe it was because the villains were one dimensional…

I love this series, but this entry was just “meh” for me.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the description of the western coastal area of Norway and of the food from that region. The plot was predictable, the characters also.....I was interested in the part of the plot that dealt with the Lebensborn children, another horrible result of the Nazi occupation during WWII.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

#8. Faith Fairfield’s best friend, Pix Miller and her octogenarian mother, Ursula Rowe,hurriedly leave overnight to go to Norway and the aid of Ursula’s childhood friend, Marie Hansen. Her granddaughter, Kari, is missing and her boyfriend, Erik, dead in a fall at Kjosfossen at Flåm. Marie wants Ursula and Pix to join the tour group the young people were working with for the final fjord cruise section to try to find Kari and learn what happened. Page does a marvelous job describing the beautiful and varied scenery or Norway, twining in history and even involving WW II German occupation, and the Lebensborn babies. Pix investigations and questions bring her into danger as she discovers secrets, smuggling and yet another dead body.
Much to be admired, but lengths Pix goes to get into trouble in middle of night is unrealistic. All ends well.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read any of the other books so I don't know how this one compares with Pix and her mother being the main characters but for a cozy mystery, it was enjoyable. When an old family friend's granddaughter goes missing, Pix flies off to Norway immediately (must be nice) to help find the girl.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of Katherine Hall Page's books. I chose to re-read this book as part of my recent interest in my Norwegian heritage. It is every bit as good as I remembered, even tho the usual central figure of Page's books, Faith, is not front & center this time. I loved visiting Norway with Pix!

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series and this one was different because Pix was the main focus of this book. The author is very descript and I could picture the setting in Norway perfectly. The descripts made me want to visit the country The story developed a llittle slowly with a cast of too many characters. This wasn't my favorite of the series but still a good read.

[Freddy S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was superb. A good read for most anyone.
For me and a few friends it was especially pleasant due to the Norway setting. We worked there for numerous years (me for ten) and found that her descriptions of people and their Norwegian characteristics were superb. And the food took us back there as well. A lovely clean and friendly place with just one or two murderers (ha).

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this addition of the Faith Fairchild mysteries, the sleuth is not Faith, but her dear friend and next-door neighbor Pix Miller. Pix and her mother fly to Norway to investigate the disappearance of a family friend by joining a Norwegian tour group, Scandie Sights. I enjoyed the mystery and also enjoyed learning about Norwegian history, food and art. Delightful as alwas.

[Amanda Yuzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like my other read in this series, probably 2 1/2 stars. Knew what was going on but didn't ID the culprit on my own. Not really a Faith Fairchild mystery as her friend is the protagonist ~ kind of reminded me of the later Murder, She Wrote episodes when Jessica would bookend a story about someone else. Again, unnecessary language and seediness (although mild by today's standards).

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith Fairchild is in the background in this installment of the cozy series, as friend Pix Miller is convinced to accompany her mother to Norway so they can help mom Ursula's friend Marit Hansen find out what has happened to her missing granddaughter. They join the tour group Kari was helping to shepherd. Both the mystery and the descriptions of Norway's sights and cuisine are very enjoyable.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pix Miller Mystery

This book was all about Pix. The mystery part was good but there were way too many descriptions of scenery and the hotels which I found too boring. I had a hard time getting through this book.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eminently readable, though rarely compelling. I don't mind swapping in Pix instead of Faith and appreciated the travel details and history. I did struggle to differentiate some of the characters at times, or to get the import of the prologue.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first for this author and this series. Some reviews have said they are better when it is Faith doing the sleuthing, and I was not overly impressed with this one featuring Pix. I did enjoy the setting as I have been to Norway (although her characterization seemed somewhat)

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of characters to keep track of.