The Body in the Bookcase: A Faith Fairchild Mystery

Stretched almost to the limit by the capricious demands of a Boston Brahmin bride-to-be, caterer and minister's wife, Faith Fairchild, faces real tragedy when she discovers the body of an elderly friend. Sarah Winslow had apparently surprised burglars ransacking her Aleford, Massachusetts, house. No sooner has Sarah been laid to rest than the Fairchilds find themselves the next target — the parsonage is stripped of all their most precious possessions. Devastated and furious, Faith takes action, scouring pawnshops, antique marts, and auctions. As she turns up some of their stolen property, she is drawn onto a dangerous path of larceny and corruption in New England's venerable antique business — a path that soon leads Faith straight to a killer! A crime-solving caterer delves into the dark side of the New England antiques trade in the Agatha Award-winning, “highly entertaining series” (Booklist).Stretched almost to the limit by the capricious demands of a Boston Brahmin bride-to-be, caterer and minister's wife Faith Fairchild faces real tragedy when she discovers the body of an elderly friend. Sarah Winslow had apparently surprised burglars ransacking her Aleford, Massachusetts, house. No sooner has Sarah been laid to rest than the Fairchilds find themselves the next target—the parsonage is stripped of all their most precious possessions. Devastated and furious, Faith takes action, scouring pawnshops, antique marts, and auctions. As she turns up some of their stolen property, she is drawn onto a dangerous path of larceny and corruption in New England's venerable antique business—a path that soon leads Faith straight to a killer... “Peopled with entertaining and resourceful characters and sprinkled with mouth-watering recipes.” —Dallas Morning News“Satisfying and surprisingly delicious.” —Los Angeles Times While preparing for the elaborate nuptials of Stephanie Bullock, the Have Faith catering company is stretched to its limits by the capricious bride-to-be. Taking a break from the demands of a blue-blood wedding, Faith is out and about one morning making her parish calls when she discovers the body of elderly Sarah Winslow gagged and bound. The house has been ransacked, and poor Sarah doesn't survive the brutal invasion of her home. Devastated by the death of her dear friend, Faith determines to find the burglars, especially when they target Faith's home the following week and strip the Fairchilds of their most precious antique heirlooms and family treasures.Faith's investigation draws her well beyond the confines of Aleford and into a dangerous ring of corruption and thievery that taints the world of New England antiques dealing. As her stolen property turns up in antiques stores and auctions, Faith follows the trail that leads to the killer, not realizing that she's much closer than she thinks until it's - almost - too late Cook Faith Fairchild of Massachusetts investigates a rash of burglaries, including her own home. She discovers a murderous racket in reselling stolen heirlooms with the participation of antique dealers. Caterer-detective Faith Fairchild takes on a case involving a ring of antiques dealers behind a string of burglaries in her quaint Massachusetts town Night had fallen in Aleford, Massachussetts, and its inhabitants-those who were still awake-were involved in a variety of pursuits.