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The Body in the Gallery: A Faith Fairchild Mystery (Faith Fairchild Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Author: Katherine Hall Page
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy Used: $6.40
You Save: $17.55 (73%)
New (33) from $9.93
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 86168
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.2
ISBN: 0060763671
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780060763671
ASIN: 0060763671
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Shelf wear, may contain some notes or highlighting, corners/edges worn and bent, may not include companion materials like cdroms or access codes.
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Product Description
Faith's catering business has been slow with the downturn of the economy, so when her friend Patsy Avery proposes that she take over the cafe at Aleford's Ganley Art Museum, it seems like a not-to-be-missed opportunity. And Patsy has an ulterior motive—she discovers that the Romare Bearden piece she lent the museum has been switched with a fake and wants Faith to snoop around to find the culprit. Life at the museum doesn't stay calm for long and Faith is soon enmeshed in the Ganley's murky past and present as she struggles to make connections among apparently disparate items: the fake Bearden, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, and a Jane Doe corpse that turns up as an unintended part of an art installation. At home, son Ben, now in the hell known as middle school, becomes involved in a cyberbullying escapade and husband Tom wants his wife to morph into June Cleaver. Her investigation takes Faith into Boston's art scene and historic Beacon Hill, as well as into the lives behind the facade of the Ganley's very proper board of trustees. She is at her wit's—and almost dead—end, as the killer strikes again, and again.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 This is a classic thriller which you cannot put down August 18, 2008
Katherine Hall Page weaves another tale of intricate mystery in the world of modern art which includes lots of revenge and deception for her character, Faith Fairchild. Set in the quiet town of Aleford, Massachusetts, Beacon Hill District, the story unfolds to raise the question "What do a forged Romare Bearden, a Jane Doe corpse, and Pepperidge Farm gold fish crackers have in common?"
A beautiful dead woman is discovered in Aleford's Ganley Art Museum in a most unusual display. A killer is on the loose and Faith is soon enmeshed in the museum's murky past and present. She believes the dead body and a fake Romare Bearden are related.
Patsy, Faith's friend, has loaned an original Romare Bearden painting to the gallery and believes that it may have been switched for a fake. Since Patsy is already on the Board of Trustees at the Ganley museum, Faith would need to be on the inside also. Patsy arranges for Faith to take over the cafe in the gallery, as Faith's catering business has been affected by the declining economy. Using delectable sounding culinary delights throughout the story and additional nuances about classic and contemporary artists, Fairchild keeps you entertained.
Life at the museum does not stay calm for long!
When the killer strikes again, Faith is in imminent danger and swears she will let the authorities handle the heavy work, but the police are naive and have missed some very obvious clues. And so, she must use her own detective skills to find the thief and expose the killer. Katherine Page Hall keeps you mesmerized until the very end. This is a classic thriller which you cannot put down.
Clark Isaacs
Reviewer
Art and Food Combine to Create Satisfying Mystery July 25, 2008
Combining food and art in her latest Faith Fairchild mystery, Katherine Hall Page's newest book, "The Body in the Gallery" is a yummy concoction (recipes included). This murder mystery, however, brings many things to the table, including an insider's look at the museum world, the life of a caterer, family problems in the Internet age, and an updated take on the popular small town sleuth.
Faith Fairchild's life is a busy one: She is a caterer, the wife of a minister, mother of two, and like most families, trying to make ends meet. When her friend Patsy (currently serving on the board of the Ganley Art Museum) suggests that Faith take over the museum's cafe, Patsy has an ulterior motive. Still, it seems like the perfect fit for Faith's talents, and she accepts. Patsy is hoping that Faith can help her uncover a case of switched artwork. However, there's more drama on the way when, on the opening night of a new and controversial exhibit, the caterer discovers a dead body floating in one of the installations.
Just as things heat up at the museum, so too are Faith's problems at home escalating. Her minister husband wants more of Faith's time (even as she is stretched thin with her new business launch), and Faith's middle school-aged son seems to be involved in secretive behavior online. All these problems at home seem to be mounting just when things seem to be getting even more dicey at the art gallery. As with most mysteries, a number of potential suspects appear on the horizon, more dead bodies appear, and events get more threatening for Faith as she gets closer to uncovering the truth behind the missing artwork and dead victims.
Whether you focus on Faith's relationships, her home life, the catering business, or the comings and goings at the art museum, this book is one to enjoy. Katherine Hall Page's writing seems to balance the cast of characters and competing storylines well. As readers, we root for Faith, understand her everyday trials and tribulations, and can easily follow the events surrounding the core mystery.
Just like a great meal, the variety of people and action within this novel provide a satisfying mix. It's homey, even while being set in the elite world of art. It's a little bit of a lot of ingredients that comes together in a satisfying whole. It's memorable in the way a fine dinner shared with friends should be, and there's few things more satisfying than that.
It was Faith all the way. June 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really liked the latest installment in this series. The only question I have is why I received this book with no dust jacket??? It was a good read over all.
Return of Faith May 27, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was eagerly awaiting the return of Faith Fairchild and this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed the descriptions of the art and cuisine in the book. I will definitely be making a couple of the recipes, especially the endive. I thought that having Faith take over the gallery's cafe was a clever way to put her on the "scene of the crime". Since we did not see much of the Fairchild family dynamic in the last book, the situation with Faith's son Ben and her husband Tom was a welcome update. One of the best aspects of this series is the way Faith juggles her many roles, which often conflict. The book takes place in the fall, and the descriptions of the fall festival and East-Coast fall weather make a great backdrop for the mystery. My only minor criticism is that the murderer was almost too much of a surprise. With the many other, more plausible, possible suspects, the murderer was a bit of a stretch for me. Without giving too much away, there is one red-herring scene in particular that seems to reveal the murderer and then there is never any explanation for the totally bizarre behavior of that person. But all in all, a great book and hopefully we won't have as long to wait before the next installment.
Another great addition to this series May 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Body in the Gallery is the latest in a series of mystery novels featuring Faith Fairchild.
Suspicious events are occurring at the Ganley Museum. After expressing her concerns, Patsy Avery, president of the museum's board of trustees, convinces Faith to expand her catering business by taking over the museum's floundering cafeteria, thus allowing Faith to snoop around while also observing the employees for any suspicious behavior. After coming in early one morning, Faith finds a body inside of a controversial art display. After the body is identified, there seems to be no evidence of a person by that name ever having existed. Faith teams up with the police force to determine who the victim really is and what circumstances led to her murder.
The plot is exciting and will appeal to mystery lovers. The author allows the reader to piece together the information and provides a long list of possible suspects. Perhaps reading some of the earlier books in the series may shed some light on to why a caterer is so involved in police work. Her actions of removing evidence from a crime scene and withholding other information from the police resulted in a mere slap on the wrist. Such actions are normally considered illegal.
The author has created a strong and independent heroine in Faith Fairchild you can readily relate to. The difficulties of balancing a career and a family were portrayed realistically. Faith's husband essentially blamed her for their twelve-year-old son's problems because she was not a stay-at-home mom. I enjoyed seeing Faith discover what her true role in life should be and watching her move toward it.
The Body in the Gallery will entertain and challenge you to assemble the facts in order to reach the proper conclusion. The story moves at a good pace and provides interesting background information on how museums are operated. Also included are a few recipes Faith's catering company prepared (although some of them look to be a little beyond my limited cooking skills).
Armchair Interviews says: Another fun cozy mystery that's a good read.
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