Synopses & Reviews
In this, the thirteenth captivating appearance by Faith Fairchild, award-winning author Katherine Hall Page brings her incomparable sleuth to an idyllic vacation spot, where death takes no holiday under the late-summer sun.
Something is very wrong on
Sanpere this summer . . .
Escaping the misery of a particularly sweltering August in Aleford, Massachusetts, caterer and minister's wife Faith Fairchild and her family take a long drive to their favorite getaway, peaceful Sanpere Island off the coast of Maine. But things have changed since their last visit. The unique ambience of Sanpere is being threatened by aggressive real estate developer Harold Hapswell, whose plans to fill the island with huge, showy new mansions has infuriated many residents. Tensions are high, with animosity between year-round islanders and "summer people" reaching dangerous new levels. It's no wonder that, in an atmosphere so thick with ill feeling, murder rears its ugly head.
The first outrage occurs when a successful real estate agent nearly dies after drinking a turpentine-laced cup of soda pop. Then, while exploring the grounds of Sanpere's historic, now-abandoned lighthouse, Faith has the misfortune of stumbling across the corpse of Harold Hapswell himself. His death is officially ruled an accident, but Faith's tried-and-true instincts tell her otherwise -- an unsettling inkling that is confirmed by the discovery of a second, more obvious homicide.
With fear running rampant throughout the island and volatile emotions approaching the detonation point, the intrepid amateur investigator knows she must throw caution to the wind and track down a murderer, for the sake of an innocent friend and the island she loves -- even if it means placing her own life in peril.
Review
“The author writes with grace and gentle wit, expertly weaving all her material together into a satisfying whole.” Denver Post
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“As cozy as any hand-knit shawl.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Pages young sleuth is a charmer.” New York Times Book Review
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“Faiths fans are sure to be pleased.” Kirkus Reviews
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“This highly entertaining series effectively mixes modern-day moral dilemmas with charm, warmth, and humor.” Booklist
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“This whodunit provides fully satisfying fare for a cold winters night around the fire.” Publishers Weekly
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“Pages eye for detail adds to the appeal of a book best read to the sound of the surf.” Boston Herald
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“An expert at the puzzle mystery.” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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“Pages literary concoction is satisfying and surprisingly delicious.” Los Angeles Times
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“Spine-tingling.” Library Journal
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“Enchanting. . . . Pages style is entertaining and unpretentiously cultured.” Portland Press Herald
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“Faith is a gem.” Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Synopsis
- Page won an Agatha Award for her first Faith Fairchild mystery, The Body in the Belfry, and for her short story "The Would Be Widower."- Avon Books will publish the mass market edition of The Body in the Bonfire in February 2003. It will contain a teaser chapter from The Body in the Lighthouse.
About the Author
Katherine Hall Page was born and grew up in New Jersey, graduating from Livingston High School. Her father was the Executive Director of The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and her mother is an artist. She has a brother and sister. Early on the family developed a love of the Maine coast, spending summer vacations on Deer Isle. She received her BA from Wellesley College, majoring in English and went on to a Masters in Secondary Education from Tufts and a Doctorate in Administration, Public Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard. College had brought her to Massachusetts and she continues to reside there. Before her career as a full-time writer, Ms. Page taught at the high school level for many years. She developed a program for adolescents with special emotional needs, a school within a school model, that dealt with issues of truancy, substance abuse, and family relationships. Those five years in particular were rich ones for her. This interest in individuals and human behavior later informed her writing.
Married for twenty-seven years to Professor Alan Hein, an experimental psychologist at MIT, the couple have one nineteen-year-old son. It was during her husband's sabbatical year in France after the birth of their son that Ms. Page wrote her first mystery, The Body in theBelfry, 1991 Agatha Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel. The thirteenth in the series, The Body in the Lighthouse, will be published by William Morrow in the spring. Ms. Page was also awarded the 2001 Agatha for Best Short Story for "The Would-Be Widower" in the Malice Domestic X collection (Avon Books). She was an Edgar nominee for her juvenile mystery, Christie&Company Down East.
Descended from Norwegian-Americans on her mother's side and New Englanders on her father's, Ms. Page grew up listening to all sorts of stories. She remains an unabashed eavesdropper and will even watch your slides or home movies to hear your narration. Her books are the product of all the strands of her life and she plans to keep weaving.