THE BODY IN THE CASKET by Katherine Hall Page

An Agatha Award winner for best first mystery Katherine Hall
Page continues to enthrall and entertain with her unique blend of
mystery, family, friends and delicious recipes.  She is such an adroit writer that when her heroine caterer and sometimes sleuth
Faith Fairchild is preparing a dish we are treated to cooking tips
as Faith thinks aloud.  We're so involved in the mystery at hand
that we're almost unaware of all that we're learning.

Faith is a heroine to be admired and the cast of recurring characters is more than welcome.  Whether you've read all of
Page's previous tales or are being introduced to the group for
the first time you're sure to be won over.  A native New Yorker
Faith has called the quiet Massachusetts village of Aleford home
for a number of years.  It is here that her clergyman husband Tom
practices and where their children have grown.  There's never a
quiet moment between what's going on at the church, Faith's
catering and son Ben's apparently broken heart.

     While Faith well knows her way around Aleford she is unfamiliar with Havencrest which is a
nearby territory for the rich and powerful.  It is also home to Broadway legend Max Dane who
calls on Faith to cater a party celebrating his seventieth birthday.  A theatre lover Faith wouldn't
dream of turning down this job.  However, she's in for a bit of a shock when she meets Dane for
the first time to make plans for the event - he wastes no time in saying, "I didn't hire you
for your cooking skills, fine as they may be, but for your sleuthing ability.  You see, one of the guests wants to kill me."

     And what a group of guests they are!  Max's guest list is drawn from the cast and crew of Heaven or Hell which was Max's last and only failed production.  And to make his or her intention crystal
clear Max has received an anonymous gift - an empty casket holding only a 20-year-old program
from Heaven or Hell.

     So all Faith has to do is prepare gourmet food for the party, discover who the potential killer
is and keep Max alive.  The big night arrives and an ice storm breaks.  What else could possibly
happen?  You'll find out when you read the latest Faith Fairchild mystery!

Enjoy