Body in the Bouillon (Hardcover)

Faith Sibley was an up-and-coming caterer in Manhattan when she met and married Tom Fairchild, a minister. This new lifestyle wasn't totally strange to her, as her father and grandfather had been ministers, as well. It was the New England part of the equation that was the jolt, but gradually the small town charm began to take hold, as did her transplanted catering business 'Have Faith'. The birth of their son, Benjamin, made life wonderful, until the first murder in THE BODY IN THE BELFRY.

Now, it's two-and-a-half years later, coming on for Christmas--the busiest time in the church--and in this story, a large old estate in a nearby town has been converted to a residence for the well-heeled older citizens of the area. Run by a doctor, Roland Hubbard, plus his son and daughter, the genteel establishment should apparently have no problems. But a friend of Faith's Aunt Charity has discovered something, and mentioned it in a letter to her, but without any explanation. And then, suddenly, he dies. Aunt Chat asks Faith to please find out what went wrong.

When Faith seizes on the idea of visiting another resident acquaintance, she is taken for kitchen help, as the staff is temporarily overcome with the flu. She decides to go along with the idea, until the person she was going to visit collapses into the bouillion she had prepared.

An invitation to the Christmas Ball by the 'Pink Ladies' Volunteers takes Faith and Tom to Boston for the evening, and provides an introduction to the rest of the Hubbard family as well as various staff members, some of whom are definitely on the eyebrow-lifting side. As winter begins to settle in, preparations are underway for the church's Christmas season, not to mention all the holiday cooking and shopping, and Faith is kept busy with all the activity.

Her car slides off the road during a blizzard, necessitating a stay overnight at Hubbard House. What a terrific opportunity to do some exploring! But, when Faith returns to her room, she finds it occupied. By a corpse. Following so close after an accidental fall by one of the Pink Ladies, it's time to call in the forces of law.

The presence of John Dunne, a Detective Lieutenant of the State Police, plus Charley MacIsaac, the local police chief ensures a thoughtful conclusion. Indeed, you could do a lot worse than to embark on this series of life (and the occasional murder or two) in a small town in New England. I think you'll be glad that you did. My librarian recommended the first book to me, and I'm certainly happy I followed her advice.

What kept me going back to this book was the way the minister and his wife acted; both to each other and to others. People tend to put ministers, priests, rabbis, etc. up on pedestals. Faith and Tom Fairchild are allowed to be Human. She is distracted in church by the case, she has unchristian thoughts regarding various obnoxious characters, and she likes to indulge herself in designer clothes and gourmet cooking. She and her husband even have a real sex life! Egads! Yet, she is there for a friend in need or a parishioner. It was a little shocking to me at first (a southern fried Baptist), yet when thinking about it, it was nice to see a minister & his wife being Human instead of Holy. You can do both without being a hyprocrit; difficult, but do-able.

The book is great! Go get it and enjoy!