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The Body in the Vestibule (Faith Fairchild Series Book 4) Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 155 ratings

“Former Manhattan caterer Faith Fairchild and her family find mystery in Lyons, France in this engrossing adventure” in the beloved cozy series (Publishers Weekly).

Satisfying her hunger for epicurean adventure in the French provinces, small town caterer and minister’s wife Faith Fairchild decides to throw the perfect dinner party. But during cleanup after the last guest has departed her gastronomical triumph, she encounters something neither expected nor welcome: a dead body lying in her vestibule.

Unfortunately it doesn’t help
la belle americaine’s credibility when the corpse vanishes before the local gendarmes arrive. But Faith realizes that, though the police refuse to take her seriously, a killer just might. And if she doesn’t get to the bottom of this fiendish French conundrum, Faith’s successful feast could end up being her last.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest engrossing adventure of Faith Fairchild--a young wife and mother and former Manhattan caterer--is set in Lyons, France. Faith, four months pregnant, her husband Tom, a minister who is finishing research for his dissertation, and their three-year-old Ben live in a huge fifth-floor apartment. Taking out the garbage one evening, Faith finds the body of a homeless man from the neighborhood in the trash bin. When the police arrive, however, the body is gone and Faith's credibility is in question. At a party she meets Chief Inspector Michel Ravier, who asks about the body and tells her to call if she witnesses anything else unusual. Then Marie, a prostitute whom Faith passes when she takes Ben to school, advises her to return to America because she knows too much. After Marie's body is found in the river, frightened Faith is unable to get in touch with Ravier, so she determines to look into the business herself. With beautifully detailed descriptions of Lyons added to Faith's intelligent observations, Page ( The Body in the Belfry ) continues to hit the mark with this charming series.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Former Manhattan caterer Faith Fairchild accompanies minister-husband Tom to Lyon on an extended research visit. Descriptions of French domesticity and frequent use of French language account for much of this title's draw as the Fairchilds fit right in with their neighbors. Then Faith discovers a body in her apartment's trash bin, but before the police arrive, the body disappears. They doubt her veracity until subsequent warnings, murder, and abduction lead them on a countrywide chase. A charming protagonist characterizes this.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007PRZNEO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books (July 15, 1992)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 15, 1992
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3098 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 155 ratings

About the author

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Katherine Hall Page
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Katherine Hall Page is the author of seventeen previous Faith Fairchild mysteries, the first of which received the Agatha Award for best first mystery, and recently The Body in the Snowdrift was honored with the Agatha Award for best novel of 2006. Page also won an Agatha for her short story "The Would-Be Widower." She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
155 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the books enjoyable and interesting. They appreciate the pacing and setting in France, learning about French culture. The books are described as flavorful, with recipes included at the end.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

9 customers mention "Fun to read"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's engaging mystery and food-related content. They find it an enjoyable adventure with a satisfying conclusion. The book is described as friendly, interesting, and full of intrigue. Readers appreciate the well-developed characters and the setting in France.

"...She is no P. D. James but the books are interesting and fun to read. I currently plan on reading them all in the order they were published." Read more

"...I really like Faith, she has real depth by this book. I enjoyed the food described throughout the book. Of course it made me hungry more than once...." Read more

"...I feel almost as if I have been there. Intriguing mystery story in an attractive setting, that's good enough for me." Read more

"...These murder mysteries are so satisfying from beginning to end. There is always a scary bite to them, will Faith live to tell the next tale?..." Read more

4 customers mention "Book enjoyment"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. However, they find it a bit difficult to understand how one woman is described.

"I enjoy her books, but find it a bit hard to understand how this one woman can keep finding herself in the midst of all the murder and mayhem." Read more

"I Liverpool's I love her books. She is always a fun read. Love all the foodie comments...." Read more

"Got these for my mother, she loves these books. Says they are great." Read more

"Great book..." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing and mention it takes place in France. They find learning about French culture fun.

"Very interesting location. Fun learning more about French culture and seeing how much I remember of high school French. (Very little)." Read more

"...Of course it made me hungry more than once. The book takes place in France and now I want to go and eat." Read more

"Gotta love Faith and her adventures. Having it take place in France was wonderful. Read the whole series and enjoy." Read more

"...Liked it immensely as it was set in France; it was an interesting setting...." Read more

3 customers mention "Flavor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's flavorful content and recipes at the end. They find it a fun read with interesting foodie insights.

"...I enjoyed the food described throughout the book. Of course it made me hungry more than once...." Read more

"...Her books are flavorful (especially as she adds recipes at end), full of intrigue, fulsome characters, and just plain fun." Read more

"...I love her books. She is always a fun read. Love all the foodie comments. Mysteries are always fun to read.....nothing too deep" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2024
    Very interesting location. Fun learning more about French culture and seeing how much I remember of high school French. (Very little).
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2018
    This is the last of the Page books that I read and have started The Body in the Cast. She is no P. D. James but the books are interesting and fun to read. I currently plan on reading them all in the order they were published.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2023
    I paid attention while reading this book but still was surprised. I really like Faith, she has real depth by this book. I enjoyed the food described throughout the book. Of course it made me hungry more than once. The book takes place in France and now I want to go and eat.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2013
    OK--Yes, I enjoy these books for "light" reading. I enjoy the fact that here is a woman who in spite of her constantly stumbling across dead bodies does trust the police to do their job rather than going off on her own.

    This one though irritated me with all the "french" which wasn't translated and while you could usually figure out from the context what is happening and yes, it was set in France but it still came across as something that "Well, everyone speak French and thus will understand this and if you don't, you are just ignorant." In other words, by the time I put it down I felt like I had just spent time with the snobby neighbors from next door who had returned from a trip.

    Go with one of the others in this series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2013
    I wouldn't mind staying a while longer in this delightful ambience. I want to go to Lyon and taste all the delicious food, and see the beautiful sights. I feel almost as if I have been there. Intriguing mystery story in an attractive setting, that's good enough for me.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
    I've read all of Faith's adventures and this one is just as satisfying as a bite of very cold mousse truffee.
    These murder mysteries are so satisfying from beginning to end. There is always a scary bite to them, will Faith live to tell the next tale? Of course she will, but that is not the point. Faith is pretty human, though with more energy than I've ever had, but no one wants to read about my naps! I like that the story has a real ending to them. not all angst and adrenaline, but a nice bit of normal life for Faith and her family. I'd like to see Her husband Tom get in some hot water, like Faith's friend Pix in THE BODY IN THE FJORD, just for a change and to allow Faith a little smugness. Looking forward to more of these...
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023
    I had missed this book earlier when reading the series and once I realized that, I got back to Amazon to find out which one it was and bought it immediately!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016
    If you don't know any French, it may be hard for you to get into this book because she uses quite a lot of French words in the beginning. But if you get through that, it has a great adventure storyline.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars LIKED THE BOOK VERY MUCH
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2016
    LIKED THE BOOK VERY MUCH..ESPECIALLY THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PEOPLE AND FOOD IN FRANCE..WILL READ MORE OF HER BOOKS.THE CONDITION OF MY BOOK IS GOOD AND THE SERVICE OF ORDERING VERY GOOD.

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