The Body in the Gazebo

Faith Fairchild #19

by Katherine Hall Page

Minister’s wife, caterer, and amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild must solve a deadly mystery more than seventy years in the making in The Body in the Gazebo, the nineteenth ingenious whodunit in the delectable, Agatha Award-winning series by Katherine Hall Page. Faith has a lot on her plate as she attempts to solve a Depression Era murder while trying to clear her husband’s name after he is accused of a heartless theft. Poignant, suspenseful, puzzling, and all-around marvelous, The Body in the Gazebo is cozy culinary mystery at its very best—complete with scrumptious recipes from Faith Fairchild’s kitchen and a resolution that would make Dame Agatha Christie proud.

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

259 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2011

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

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more to this is on my blog.

I received the hardcover of The Body in the Gazebo as a LibraryThing Early Reader book, and I was tickled - I've liked Katherine Hall Page's Faith Fairchild series from the beginning. It's one of several "cozy mystery" series about a caterer or chef who keeps finding bodies and solving the attached mysteries, and then after you find out who dunnit you can apply yourself to the recipes in the back of the book. (I always wonder with these series, though, why characters like Faith Fairchild or Goldy Schulz or [insert cozy hero/ine here] don't see friends and family go screaming away from them; would you really want to be friends with someone who seems to (sometimes literally) stumble over a body every six months?)

The jacket art is very attractive, but odd; I don't know what the red-and-white-check tablecloth is supposed to represent. It makes it look as though Faith opens an Italian restaurant, or goes on a picnic.

I like the series ... but I don't like Faith that much. She is, avowedly and proudly, a snob. Any food which costs less than one of my hours' pay, or clothing which costs less than one of my weeks' pay, is beneath her, and it's annoying and extremely unattractive. And she's *still* stunned that she can bring herself to live in this tiny provincial place.

Besides that snobbery - an irritation that is not unique to Faith among fictional characters - this was a well-done mystery with a very different slant. There is a body, but Faith isn't the one to stumble over it here, and in fact it's a body long gone to dust before she was born. As Faith's best friend and neighbor Pix frantically prepares for her son's wedding and the two-week-long gathering his soon-to-be in-laws have arranged for the two families, her mother (Ursula) falls abruptly, alarmingly ill. Faith promises to help look after her while Pix is gone, which is one of the only reasons Pix goes - and almost as soon as Pix is gone, her mother begins to unfold a story to Faith, looking for her help. It is a secret, even from Pix and her brother, which has been dormant for decades - and isn't anymore. Intertwined with the old murder story is a current mystery involving funds missing from a church account to which only Faith's minister husband Tom has access, along with a smaller but still personally important mystery involving a person from Pix's past at the wedding.

The storytelling is excellent. The interludes of Ursula's story drew me in, and I would honestly have enjoyed staying there for the whole book; Ursula as a girl was engaging, and that story was terrific. It's fascinating to see how Katherine Hall Page has grown as a storyteller from the first Faith Fairchild mystery, which was very much in the frothy cozy vein; later books like Gazebo show greater depth and almost, at times, poetry. (I wonder if KHP has written anything in a different vein under a different name. I'd like to see it.) However I feel in general about Faith, I love her marriage to Tom. The problems they have had in past books have been believable and painful, and I like them much better than I do her. I like Faith's assistants, and I like Pix, though she carries some cliches with her. Actually, many of the characters and situations carry along some been-there-done-that baggage, which is one reason I like the Fairchild marriage so much: it feels genuine.

The reason I rate this at three and a half stars instead of higher has quite a bit to do with said cliches, and the tiresome repetition that series like this can't seem to manage to avoid: in each book there is a certain set of touchstones which have to be included, such as a synopsis of the first book, and the story of how Faith got to where she is as a caterer and as a minister's wife in Aleford, and brief summaries of any other books that are touched upon in the current story. Some of these are more necessary than others, and I'm sure I'm wrong when I grumble that the wording is always the same. There just has to be a better way than this infodump. The main reason, though, for the less than very high rating has a great deal to do with part of the climax. Melodramatic and over the top, it felt absurd, and as though it had been dropped in from another book (either an earlier one in this series, from which it felt very familiar, or ... Robert Ludlum or something). Pity; I enjoyed most of the rest quite a lot.

[Elaine Nickolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a good story and I enjoyed it once something finally started to happen. The very slow start caused this read the score I gave. I like my books to have something that grabs me before alost halfway through.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this book, from the setting in Martha’s Vineyard and South Carolina as well as Aleford, and in two different eras, but the conclusion was abrupt and improbable. Still, less improbable than the last one

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two separate mysteries dominate this book. In the present, Faith's husband has been accused of embezzling from the Church's discretionary fund and at the same time, her friend Pix's mother is telling her of a mystery in her own past.

I really enjoyed the pre and post depression era descriptions in Ursula's story. The contrast of past and present as well keep me engrossed.

A fun fast read

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. This was fine. There were a few unlikely things, and a few lovely things, and overall I liked it okay.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a mystery does not to be a page turner to be enjoyed. Katherine Hall Page, the author had several spinning plates in the air at the same time with this story. The sleuth in this story is Faith Fairchild. I haven't read any of the previous books of this series so this is a new experience for me.

Faith Fairchild 's long time friend, Pix, is going to her son's wedding party and rehearsals and she feels unsure of herself. Another friend of Faith's, Niki, told her that she just found out that she was pregnant and didn't want to tell her husband. Faith's husband has a big problem of his own. There is $10,000 missing from the church's discretionary fund. Will he loose his job?

To top it all, Pix's mother, Ursula, is compelled to tell Faith a richly detailed story that include family secrets and also requires action from Faith! It was this story that drew me in the most. This family tale goes from just before the Great Depression to Depression. It includes important facts unknown to even Pix, her daughter. Since I love historical fiction this really hooked me. I was struck by telling of differences in living situations that the Great Depression made to the rich socialites. The setting was mostly, Martha's Vineyard and Aleford. Martha's Vineyard is very different from Aleford, both in the beauty of the physical surroundings and the feeling of the place.

The whole book is fairly light and entertaining but it also whets my interest for more books set in the time period of what I call Ursula's family story. I must say that I am glad that I am not Faith Fairchild and I wonder in the other books in the series, doesn't she always have too much on her plate? This is so ironic because I wondered while I was reading, why are there plates on the cover of the book and only a cut off portion of the gazebo that is in the title. Now I understand.

I recommend this book to all who love light mysteries.

I received this book as part of the Amazon Vine program but that in no way influenced my review. My thoughs are my own.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It always feels a bit unfair to rate books in the middle of a series without having read the previous, but here it is. Even as a gentle cozy mystery, it was a bit light on the mystery and the motive. I am not sure why we were supposed to care about Pix and the wedding (perhaps she is a beloved character from the series and this was a transition book for the character?). Also, I want to know what drove someone to murder or to embezzlement. You would think strong emotion would be behind murder, purpose behind embezzlement. Let's hear about it. As a character-driven genre, cozy mysteries are all about the sleuth and their connection to other characters. I wish Faith Fairchild was a bit less judgmental and less interested in material goods and privileged life. It was off-putting to me. I wanted to like the book--Katherine Hall Page is a lovely, lovely person. Very generous, very gracious, but I was disappointed in this mystery.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cozy Faith Fairchild mystery but a few things I didn't get:

1. Why was the main story backlogged till the end of the book? I felt like we didn't even get to the "good" part until 50 pages before the end!

2. What was the point of the story about Pix and Dr. Cohen? I really didn't care, especially when it was clear it wasn't going to tie into things at all.

3. On that same token, I didn't like that the narrative shifted so unevenly. I feel like this is becoming a common theme in authors' books and unless it's consistent and for a purpose, it's a big fat no-no. (We didn't really need Niki's perspective just that one time.)

Otherwise, it was great! I liked seeing Patsy again since the most recent Faith Fairchild I read featured her prominently. Plus, it's always fun to read about a city in which I live and work!

[Rebecca Talkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is something like #19 in the Faith Fairchild series of books. I have probably read everyone of them and this one was the best overall. There actually was no body, it dealt with a death from the past as seen and recalled by an elderly woman. Yet, despite spending time in the past it was very much a book of this era with the current subjects of bullying, the financial collapse and safety on the Internet intertwined in the story. I could not put this book down and finished it in a day.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy mystery and a series I have read for years. Enjoyed it!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a mystery, and far too much fluff.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of my least favorite books in this long-running series about a Massachusetts caterer and minister’s wife. I’m not a huge fan of the story-in-story stuff that seems so popular with everyone else. This is one of those story-in-story books. I’ve enjoyed the four people who ultimately make up this family, especially Faith Fairchild. She’s not this cloying sweet character, but nor is she selfish or thoughtless. Quite the opposite. I don’t know that I’d eat all the food she cooks, but much of it fascinates me. She’s a bit snobbish, living life in her small town but always reminding readers that she’s really from Manhattan. Well, bully for you, Faith.

In this installment, Faith’s friend, Pix Miller, is off to her son’s wedding at Hilton Head. She’s conflicted about going, since her mom is quite ill, but Faith promises to check on the old woman daily and let Pix know if something goes badly.

While visiting with the old woman, Faith learns of a story that not even Pix knows about her mom. Prior to the Great Depression, Pix’s mother had a brother who was a bit of a gambler and a rogue. A party guest murders him one summer night during a Martha’s Vineyard party the victim hosted.

It’s up to Faith to figure out a nearly century-old mystery while working to clear her husband’s name. Ten thousand dollars is missing from a church discretionary account, and some congregants wonder whether Minister Tom Fairchild embezzled the money.

Before this ends, two people endanger Faith’s life in a morass of threats and blackmail.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble getting into this one. Too many storylines? Ursula’s story of the Martha’s Vineyard murder of her feckless older brother when she was an early teen and threatening letters she’s getting now 80 years later, Sam and Pix off to wedding preps in SC for son Mark’s wedding, Tom and Faith trying to figure out who stole $10,000 from the pastor’s discretionary fund, Amy’s problems on bus/at school.
Too many things going on.

[Kristin Aasheim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed as this is the first I have read of her books. The narration was a bit awkward and didn’t really flow. The Pix narration just didn’t have enough substance and felt unnecessary. I’m moving on to another author. Not sure if I’d try another book at this point. Also, hated the forced use of slang from the early era. To much going on from too many places. In addition, there were several editing errors in my edition. Distracting and made the book feel amateurish.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Faith's husband, the minister, is accused of the theft of money from the church. She must try and clear his name along with solving a decades old murder involving her best friend's mother, Ursula Rowe. As usual, there are recipes in the back. The book had a very slow start, and was not riviting. Enjoyable read for a rainy afternoon.

[Kaeeap · Rating 3 out of 5]

as mysteries go this one is better than many I've read recently the characters are most interesting and the several plots running along are all well constructed ending tied up a little ridiculously though

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reserve 5 star ratings for those few books that are pretty much life changing. This would earn that rating but I suspect it will blend in with all the other excellent books in the series that I am in fact reading in series.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to read the whole series now!

[Mckenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow book, seemed like the story lines jumped which was confusing. The part that could have been exciting was only a few pages.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Three plots revolve around Faith Fairchild, two of them mysteries, and are nicely brought together at the end by her sleuthing. All the loose ends are resolved.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Katherine Hall Paige. As always a clean book but it keep the readers attention from the very start.

[Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is different. The murder is very old. It makes a good story with good characters. Pix comes into her own at her son's welding and the plans leading up to it.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly languorous story, with a number of disparate threads that are pleasant enough. And then a ridiculous ending tacked on.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A library find.
November 2023.
Enjoyable.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun cozy mystery. I liked all the characters

[LaRee Hansel]

great book, enjoyed reading this book.

[Martha Cheves · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Body in the Gazebo – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Where could she hid it? It wouldn’t do to have her daughter come across it. Not that Pix was nosy, but she sometimes put Ursula’s wash away, so the Sheraton chest of drawers was out. And the blanket chest at the foot of the bed that had been her grandmother’s was out, too. Pix regularly aired the contents. There wasn’t much furniture in the room. Some years after Arnold died, Ursula had removed his marble-topped nightstand – the repository of books, eyeglasses, reading lamp, alarm clock, and eventually pill bottles – replacing it with a chaise and small candlestick table, angled into the room It felt wrong to go into bed during the day, but she wanted a place to stretch out to read and, increasingly, to nap. Somehow the chase made her feel a bit more like a grande dame than an old one. There was a nightstand on her side of the bed, but her granddaughter, Samantha, often left little notes in the drawer and might notice the envelope. Ursula always saved the notes – bits of poetry Samantha liked or just a few words, “Have sweet dreams, Granny.” Generally Ursula did. Her days had been good ones and she felt blessed. Arnold, the two children, although Arnold junior lived in Santa Fe and she only saw him and his wife during the summer in Maine and on her annual visit out there. Three grandchildren, all healthy and finding their ways without too much difficulty so far. But you never know what life will hand you. She stood up, chiding herself. The six words – “Are you sure you were right?” – had entered her system like a poison, seeping into the very marrow of her bones and replacing her normal optimism with dark thoughts.’

Ursula Rowe has a problem. Someone is sending her notes pertaining to something that happened years before when her brother Theo was still alive. The notes threaten to tell her family about Theo whom her family doesn’t even know existed. When she was young, her parents never talked about him and Ursula never found the right time to tell her own family that she had a brother. This is something she can’t handle alone so she decides to solicit the help of her daughter Pix’s best friend Faith Fairchild.

Faith finds Ursula’s story quite intriguing and will do whatever needs to be done to help but she too is faced with her own family problems. Her husband, the Reverend Tom Fairchild has been “accused” in so many words, of dipping his hand into one of the church funds. It appears that there is $10,000.00 missing and only he has access to the account. As for Pix, she has gone to Charleston to meet her son’s new in-laws and help plan for the wedding. But she adds to Faith’s building plate of problems by admitting that she recognized the bride’s father. He turns out to be someone she met while in college and that the over a weekend party, the 2 got to know each other “very” well. Problem is, she recognized him but he apparently didn’t recognize her.

So in The Body in the Gazebo, I found Faith with her plate full in trying to solve everyone’s problems as well as comfort those who needed comforting. But, being the true friend and the creative person she is, she can handle just about anything. See, she isn’t like her husband, seeing only the good in people. And that’s just part of what made The Body in the Gazebo such a fun read. Oh, did I forget to tell you, Faith is also a caterer? Throughout the book you will find her preparing different dishes for different events with the treat of the recipes for her dishes being given at the end of the book! Being a cook myself, this made a good read even better.

2011
HarperCollins
259 pages
ISBN# 978-0-06-147426-2

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is this first book that I've ever read in the Faith Fairchild Mystery series. You should have no trouble getting to know the characters even if you haven't read another of this series. It wasn't difficult to get to know Faith, Tom, Pix, Ursula, Niki and the other various characters in Aleford. I couldn't wait to start reading this because, the cover intrigued me, the mystery described was in the 1920's & it sounded really interesting.

Honestly, I had to really make myself keep reading this book through the first 100 pages. Throughout these first 100 pages the main mystery (Ursula's story) was barely touched on. Those first pages were mainly about Pix and her son's upcoming marriage and meeting her soon to be son's in-laws. It felt like the author was trying to provide too much information on a few of the characters for people who hadn't read this series before. After reading so many details about Pix's soon to be son's in-laws and the upcoming wedding plans I felt like it was a bit of an information overload. I kept wondering "where's more of Ursula's story?". After the first 100 pages Ursula's story picks up the pace and it kept me interested and wanting to read on.

In this book there's basically 3 other subplots going on at the same time of Ursula's story (the main mystery). There's an embezzlement found at the church where Faith's hubbie Tom is pastor, Pix's son's marriage and her knowing her son's soon to be father-in-law and Faith's assistant Niki's pregnancy that she has been hiding from her husband. The story kept going from present-to-past and story-to-story, sometimes all in one chapter. In my opinion, I think this book would've been better with just one subplot or just sticking to Ursula's story.


Also, at times the main character Faith seems to be a bit of a snob. At times she talks as though that anyone who is less financially blessed than her or anyone less educated is a tasteless clod. Of which, she at times prides herself on. Of course many of the suspects are poor, uneducated, have filthy homes and have "bad taste". I found it odd since she was a pastor's wife.'

Overall, it's still a good cozy type mystery which, after the first 100 pages was pretty interesting. Ursula's story was great and the descriptions of the old homes and the traditions of that era were really well done. Also, there's some tasty recipes included in the book. I really enjoyed this book when Ursula's story was being told. I'd probably read another of this series but, only if I stumble upon one.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eighteenth chronologically and nineteenth in the publication order in the Faith Fairchild culinary-religious mystery series. This one challenges Tom and also takes us back to the 1920s of Ursula's teens.

My Take
Okay, the whole takedown scene at the end was pretty unreal. Not that I minded seeing the straits to which the bad guys were reduced…talk about justice at last! But it was just too easy a finish.

Zach gives a brief yet thorough précis of the number of ways computer hackers work while the Uppity Women's Luncheon Club whip it out for a friend in need.

I also think the embezzlers got off too light and I wanted to see some decent payback…dang it!

The Story
Ursula is getting nasty letters that hearken back to her teens when her brother was murdered.

A new parishioner with the heart of a Scrooge has gotten very active with the church and has coerced an independent audit of the Church's books. It appears that Tom has embezzled $10,000 of church funds.

On a positive note, Pix is panicking over having to spend several weeks bonding with the potential in-laws — Mark is getting married!

The Characters
Tom, Faith's husband is a reverend, also comes in for some nastiness that proves how naively trusting he is with people. How sad that he can't even find Christians within his own church.

It's rather nice to get some back history on Ursula, Pix's mother. Proves up what a truly decent woman she is as are her parents! Pretty rare to encounter parents willing to buck the status quo. Theo was Ursula's brother. Mark, Pix and Sam's oldest child, is getting married! And it turns out that the new daughter-in-law's father is an old beau of Pix's.

Niki Constantine is preggers! A fortunate event that is eclipsed by an unfortunate event. Zach Cummings makes an appearance to help Faith with some computer hacking insight as does a former church intern, Lily Sinclair.

The Cover and Title
The cover is more picnic than gazebo. I suspect they got stories mixed up since there are no picnics in The Body in the Gazebo although, I suppose, you could say that life for the Fairchilds and Ursula Rowe is not a picnic… As a title, it is accurate.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for an honest review.

From the inside cover flap:


"I have to tell you something . . . something that happened a long time ago." When Ursula Lyman Rowe speaks these words to Faith Fairchild from her sickbed in Aleford, Massachusetts, Faith has no idea what lies in store for her.

It all starts when Ursula's daughter, Pix Miller, Faith's best friend and neighbor, reluctantly leaves town for her son's wedding prepartations. Pix knows that Faith and her husband, the Reverend Thomas Fairchild, will keep an eye on the slowly recovering Ursula. What she and Faith don't know is that the tale Ursula spins over the course of several weeks will reveal an unsolved crime dating back to 1929 and the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, more current mysteries are brewing. The discretionary fund at the church has been pilfered and the Reverend Fairchild is the only person with access to it. As a rumors spread through town, Faith must clear her husbands' name before it's irreparably damaged. And when Pix meets her in-laws-to-be for the first time, she's in for the surprise of her life . . .

The Faith Fairchild Mysteries are one of my favorite cozy series.

What I liked about the book: In this book there are two mysteries - one vintage and one modern day. At first I thought that might make for a confusing read, but Page does a nice job of moving between the mysteries.While this was not a fast paced, on the edge of your seat, page turner of a read it was a rather enjoyable one. It's a light read and the murder having occurred so many years ago allows the reader some distance. I enjoyed learning more about the minor characters in Faith's world. Not only do we learn more about Ursula, but we get some insight into Faith's assistant, Niki and Urusula's daughter Pix. Of course the recipes included at the end of the book are always an added bonus.

What I didn't like about the book: There really wasn't anything I didn't like about the book.It was a nice light entertaining read.

This is a good series for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries centered around food.