The Body in the Cast

Faith Fairchild #5

by Katherine Hall Page

Minister's wife Faith Fairchild of Aleford, Massachusetts, has restarted the catering business that she ran successfully in Manhattan, and one of her first customers is a Hollywood film company. After a star is poisoned, Faith must once more play amateur sleuth to uncover the killer.

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

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Love Faith and Tom. Classic “Hollywood has come to town” situation

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hollywood is coming to New England. The quiet little town of Aleford, Massachusetts is chosen by legendary director Max Reed as the site of his cinematic retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic The Scarlet Letter. The town is already in a bit of an uproar over a local election which features a candidate using smear tactics to try and get an upper-hand on his more popular opponent. The movie folk don't help matters, bringing their own infighting, jealousies, and talented tantrum-throwers.

Faith Fairchild, wife of the local pastor and owner of the Have Faith catering company, is up to eyebrows in the Hollywood glamor--Have Faith has been chosen to provide all the snacks and meals for the horde of glitzy stars. Everything is going well until someone doctors the black bean soup and there is a question of whether it was a practical joke or a targeted attack on certain members of the cast. But when the star's body double is poisoned, it soon becomes apparent that the practical joker is deadly serious. Another death follows and Faith is determined to find the links and help the local police find the killer before the bodies in the cast outnumber the living.

I have to say that I didn't find this entry in the Faith Fairchild series as appealing. For one thing, I didn't much care for the two stories lines--politics and movie-making. Tying the two murders together seemed forced and I think the plot would have been much improved if we'd had just one thread to follow. I'm still not clear how the second victim got their hands on the items that forced the killer to eliminate them. Or why it was necessary to foist that plot line on us. We could have achieved the same effect if the second victim had come from the inner circle of Hollywood folk.

Faith also annoyed me a bit. She's a pastor's wife, but she's a terrible snob. Both about food and about clothes. Maybe it's always been there and I just never noticed before--but this time around she seemed to be name-dropping famous designer clothes right, left, and center. Most of the small town pastor's wives I've come across would be lucky to own one designer clothes item let alone multiple outfits. But that's a small quibble.

The actual mystery-solving by Faith went well. There's a tiny bit of coincidence--she just happens to be in the right place at the right time to discover the second murder fairly quickly. It's not like she had followed up some clue that helped her figure out who was next on the hit list or where the action might take place. But she does recognize other clues that the police miss and her right-hand helper Pix also does some nifty detective work of her own.

A decent cozy mystery that unfortunately wasn't (for me) as good as previous selections from the series. ★★★--just.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Heather W · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Such a shame as I loved the Body in the Ivy which was my first dive into the Faith Fairchild series but this one was tedious and I found it a slog to get through. I could not engage with the story, and the solution(s) are fairly obvious throughout. I also hated one of the reveals about one of the victims, as it seemed to come from left field and was not, I felt, dealt with in an appropriate manner. I thought it was put in for shock value and then brushed under the carpet when it could have been used so much better in this plot. The reasoning behind the why was also a disappointment.

However, I will say that it was nice to read about Faith and Tom again, I love their relationship and characters. I also liked the addition of the recipes at the end. I shall be trying more in this series and hope that the books go back to the Body in the Ivy level.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faith Fairchild, caterer and wife of a New England minister, finds herself catering for a Hollywood update of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter when a movie crew spends some weeks filming on location in Faith’s village of Alesford, Massachusetts. The mystery is divided between the hijinks and hysterics of the Hollywood crowd and a local election for selectman. The resolution beggars belief, and some of the writing about the actors, director and crew veers into the cliché. I hope the next book in the series, The Body in the Basement, represents a return to author Katherine Hall Page’s glory days.

The fifth installment in this clever cozy series is a bit more hackneyed than usual, but, a lackluster Faith Fairchild novel will still provide more fun than most of what else is out there. Still recommended.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read - on to #6!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Had a hard time getting into the swing of this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this entry better than the last, so, for now, I'll continue reading. There are 2 major events going on in Aleford. First, one of the town selectmen has died so there's to be an election to fill the seat. And it's getting heated! Secondly, there's a movie filming in town! Famous director, famous actors, lots of egos.

Faith has a front row seat to the movie making as she's been hired to cater everything from snack tables, to meals, to the director's birthday party. And she's not happy when someone slips a laxative into her bean soup and everyone suffers -- movie and townsfolk alike. On the election front, the bullying front runner hints at tax improprieties in the past of his arch rival and half sister -- but she refuses to comment. People aren't sure what to believe.

Before too long, there's a death ... and Faith gets even more involved as a sort of 'inside man' for the local and stage police investigating, who, though chagrined at the situation, at least acknowledge that her instincts are generally on point.

[Deane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #5 on the list of Faith Fairchild mysteries...but only the second one I've read.

I enjoyed this more that the first one...lots of action and a new baby girl, Amy. Faith doesn't spend a lot of time with her children because she runs a catering business and is busy catering to a movie company doing a different approach to 'The Scarlet Letter" ....it is so far fetched from the actual story that I am amazed that it won awards.

Faith cannot leave any type of mystery alone so she gets more and more involved in the mystery of two of the cast members....but Faith does discover who the murderer is and again solves another case which doesn't make the policeman Dunne that happy...he would rather she stayed away from his crime cases.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

BK 5 in Faith Fairchild series finds her winning the catering contract for the film shoot of A, a modern retelling of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The town of Aleford is taken over by the egocentric director, cast, crew and all the extras, amid hotly contested election for town selectman. True to form Faith is in the thick of it from her Black Bean soup laced with Chocolax, while trying to cater to all the diverse personalities, amid jealousy, lust, lies and nasty little tricks that turn lethal, and she trips over the bodies.
Love the sly, dry humor and literary allusions that spice up the engaging writing.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faith has started up her catering business she had in NYC. She has been chosen to cater for the production crew of a movie being filmed in Aleford. The director is world famous. After a mysterious fire, a laxative being "added" to a dish, someone dying after eating her black bean soup, she starts to investigate also. Added to this is a local election in which half siblings are running for the same office. One is killed, the sibling disappears and Faith is up to her elbows in another investigation. She is still focused on brand names in clothing, shoes, everything that could possibly have a brand name. A bit snobby for a minister's wife.

[Dail Sams · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a famous movie director chooses Aleford for the set of his next movie, Faith Fairchild's new catering business is chosen to provide the food for the production. Two seemingly unrelated murders on set causes Faith's detective juices flowing and leads her into another dangerous situation with the director's jealous and egotistical wife who also plays the lead in the movie. Fairly far-fetched and just crass enough that I didn't fully enjoy the story.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith is hired to do the food for a birthday party for a once famous Broadway producer. All the people who were involved in his last show twenty years ago, which was a colossal flop, will be there.
Although Faith has misgivings about the project, she is offered a very large sum of money and she is curious to see the gorgeous mansion on a secluded property.

[Sara Eames · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoy the Faith Fairchild mysteries but, unfortunately, this wasn't one of the best - it was let down (in my opinion) by the solution to the murder, which I found somewhat rushed and far-fetched. However, the characters were well-written and, for the most part, the plot was enjoyable. I will continue to read these mysteries.

[Anne Libera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, predictable, cozy mystery series set in a small New England town. I find myself fascinated with the time traveling aspect of these - written in 1993 and the little cultural details of the time (Barney) but especially how the lead who is a professional caterer (and food snob) cooks the sorts of foods that I recall from my early fascination with cookbooks and food magazines at the time.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it harder to get into this book than some of the series. Perhaps because I am not enthralled by either small town politics or making movies, real or imagined.
That said, I think the writing, already enjoyable, improves with this one and! It is the first in the series with recipes.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faith is catering for a movie that is being filmed in Aleford the town is lives in. The film is odd a remake of The Scarlet Letter and the cast is equally odd. Her Black Bean soup has been tampered with and Faith wants to know who would do that and why.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to get better and better. Nice that recipes are included now!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one more than the previous installment, though the mystery was weak. Still, they are pleasant diversions when you are on a train for six hours!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hollywood movie making comes to little Alleford and Faith is contracted to provide the food on the set. But then there are two murders!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok.

[Paige Kuether · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have not read a book by this author. Slow beginning but I thought the plot was good.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasonably good. Certain parts predictable. I like Faith.

[Jehnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine. I wouldn't have thought the mid-90s would feel dated, but there it is.

[Amanda Yuzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably 2 1/2 stars. I figured out the solution but the characters were pretty interesting. A few unexpected f-bombs and the like kept it from being a true cozy mystery in my mind.

[DonHSr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that the main character is in the catering business there is way too much about food choices and not much at all about mystery. I'm done with the series.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Faith Fairchild series.

[Sarah "Kat" · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've liked this series in the past but this one just didn't grab me. The topic and the flow. If I didn't know better I'd think this was a different author.

[Susan King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a good story line, but was a little too slow.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the joys of election time in a small New England town. All that energy and excitement can be overshadowed by only one thing—the making of a movie. This is a fun book where a New England town, an election, and the making of a movie come together in some, well, delectably murderous ways. Perhaps I should explain:

Faith Fairchild has been asked to cater for a movie company that has come to her small community to remake Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter. Among those working for the company is a female high-school bully who had made Faith’s life rather miserable during those years. Of course, many of the people in town are asked to play extra parts, and there’s an election in the offing, too, which promises to be controversial indeed.

Early on, cast members suffer from food poisoning, very nearly ruining forever Faith’s reputation and that of her fledgling catering company. But the food poisoning is nothing compared to the shocking murder of a 20-something-year-old girl who was hired initially to be a gopher but who proved she had just enough of an erotic look to be more than a little appealing on camera.

Surprisingly enough, the author drops the F-bomb in here a couple of times, and when one character engages in excessive use of profanity, it’s rather amateurishly done. That may have been the author’s intent to demonstrate the instability of the character, but it made me feel as if I were eavesdropping on a playground in the ‘70s and the loud-mouthed bossy girl was heaving forth profanity by the mouthful. It just seemed a bit jarring and out of place for this series.

The series is rather formulaic; yet again, Faith’s life is endangered, and she’s forced to promise poor Tom, her husband, that she won’t do that kind of thing again—but the next book in the series is buried on my hard drive somewhere, so we know how that promise turns out.

Still, it’s a fun, albeit predictable, mystery. The magic of this series for me isn’t so much the mystery as the characterization of Faith herself. The author skillfully writes the character such that your heart instinctively goes out to her. She is immensely likable and so realistically portrayed that you’re pretty sure you could hear her voice and be captivated by her charm and propensity to both common sense and frilly things simultaneously.