jjokokomo's review against another edition
4.0
Another great Faith Fairchild mystery! New characters, delicious food. A fun, relaxing read.
kdilley33's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Faith Fairchild is looking forward to spending the Fourth of July holiday on Sanpere Island, Maine. This year is a little different than past celebrations since her family is staying with friends while their own cottage undergoes some much needed renovations. Staying with her friends, puts her right next door to an ominous situation. The unusual terms of a recently deceased woman’s will cause members of a wealthy family staying at the family’s beach home “The Birches” to compete for an inheritance and it looks like someone will do whatever it takes to be the lucky heir.
I have read several of the prior books in the series and always liked the main character, Faith. She is an excellent caterer, minister’s wife, and mother. She balances all parts of her life, although in this book she’s dealing with pride, but sadness, that her children are growing up. However, in this book, it’s another character that steals the show. Sophie Maxwell, staying with her uncle at The Birches, and a former babysitter for Faith’s children Ben and Amy, is such a wonderful character. She is smart, determined, vulnerable, and truly a good person. I loved all of the scenes with Sophie and would love to her appear in future books or even in a series of her own!
“The Body in the Birches” starts out on a high note with Sophie’s arrival at “The Birches” and the reader learning about all of the terms of her late aunt’s will. The scene of a house full of relatives hoping to inherit is reminiscent of a great Agatha Christie plot, with a house on the coast of Maine instead of the English countryside. I like seeing Faith interact with her Ben, but some of the scenes with Faith and her friends are a little too wordy and left me eager to get back to Sophie’s narrative. Overall, I really enjoyed this latest in the Faith Fairchild mystery series.
I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. I have chosen to write an honest review.
I have read several of the prior books in the series and always liked the main character, Faith. She is an excellent caterer, minister’s wife, and mother. She balances all parts of her life, although in this book she’s dealing with pride, but sadness, that her children are growing up. However, in this book, it’s another character that steals the show. Sophie Maxwell, staying with her uncle at The Birches, and a former babysitter for Faith’s children Ben and Amy, is such a wonderful character. She is smart, determined, vulnerable, and truly a good person. I loved all of the scenes with Sophie and would love to her appear in future books or even in a series of her own!
“The Body in the Birches” starts out on a high note with Sophie’s arrival at “The Birches” and the reader learning about all of the terms of her late aunt’s will. The scene of a house full of relatives hoping to inherit is reminiscent of a great Agatha Christie plot, with a house on the coast of Maine instead of the English countryside. I like seeing Faith interact with her Ben, but some of the scenes with Faith and her friends are a little too wordy and left me eager to get back to Sophie’s narrative. Overall, I really enjoyed this latest in the Faith Fairchild mystery series.
I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. I have chosen to write an honest review.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jesabesblog's review against another edition
3.0
By the time other series have gotten to book 22, they're often not worth reading. A sense of nostalgia can only take you so far. But the Faith Fairchild books are still so good I didn't care there wasn't ever a murder to solve - at least not a clear one. There were problems to worry about and, in fact, I found them more interesting than a straight-up murder. The change in format made the book feel fresh. It could probably be read as a stand-alone book, too, as the focus was more on a character other than Faith.
dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
This is the kind of story I expect from Katherine Hall Page, a murder mystery with tons of family drama!
This is one of my favorite cozy series. When a series lasts this long the characters are like old friends. Faith and Tom’s children have grown up right before our eyes. It is hard to believe Ben is a teenager, but Tom and Faith seem exactly the same. I would love to have them as neighbors!
We again travel to Maine with the Fairchilds and it is not your typical family vacation. The Proctor family has a home there too, The Birches, and a death in the family means a decision must be made on who will inherit the property. All interested parties have been called to spend the month of July there and then a decision will be made by the family’s oldest member. All the family has gathered to curry favor with Uncle Paul hoping they will be his choice. It isn’t long before the housekeeper is found dead and other “accidents” take place and somehow Faith finds herself right in the middle of the drama.
Faith is also facing some things on her own. Her kids are growing up and she is having a hard time with that plus Tom had to head back home when his mother is rushed to the hospital, leaving Faith on her own on Sanpere Island.
I really enjoyed this story because it focuses on two families but blends them together perfectly. There are several characters and new readers to this series may have a problem keeping them all straight. Many reside in Aleford or have an Aleford connection so they have appeared in previous stories. All these characters give us plenty of suspects too and I was a bit surprised by the ending.
It is hard to keep things fresh in a long running series like this and I truly thought the series had ended with The Body in the Piazza. I was thrilled when I found out about this latest installment. I hope we have many more stories featuring the Fairchild family ahead.
If you are new to this series you really should start at the beginning for maximum reading pleasure.
This is the kind of story I expect from Katherine Hall Page, a murder mystery with tons of family drama!
This is one of my favorite cozy series. When a series lasts this long the characters are like old friends. Faith and Tom’s children have grown up right before our eyes. It is hard to believe Ben is a teenager, but Tom and Faith seem exactly the same. I would love to have them as neighbors!
We again travel to Maine with the Fairchilds and it is not your typical family vacation. The Proctor family has a home there too, The Birches, and a death in the family means a decision must be made on who will inherit the property. All interested parties have been called to spend the month of July there and then a decision will be made by the family’s oldest member. All the family has gathered to curry favor with Uncle Paul hoping they will be his choice. It isn’t long before the housekeeper is found dead and other “accidents” take place and somehow Faith finds herself right in the middle of the drama.
Faith is also facing some things on her own. Her kids are growing up and she is having a hard time with that plus Tom had to head back home when his mother is rushed to the hospital, leaving Faith on her own on Sanpere Island.
I really enjoyed this story because it focuses on two families but blends them together perfectly. There are several characters and new readers to this series may have a problem keeping them all straight. Many reside in Aleford or have an Aleford connection so they have appeared in previous stories. All these characters give us plenty of suspects too and I was a bit surprised by the ending.
It is hard to keep things fresh in a long running series like this and I truly thought the series had ended with The Body in the Piazza. I was thrilled when I found out about this latest installment. I hope we have many more stories featuring the Fairchild family ahead.
If you are new to this series you really should start at the beginning for maximum reading pleasure.
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