The Body In The Birches
by Katherine Hall Page fits perfectly into the genre of culinary
mysteries. The plot puts a lot more emphasis on the family
dynamics than the mystery. This makes for a compelling character
study where the food becomes almost a supporting character.
The focus is on two families, the Fairchilds and the Proctors,
which Page blends together in a complex story of family relationships.
The book opens with a quote from Oscar Wilde, “After
a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own
relations.” Readers are alerted to the two themes of
the story, good food and how a family can be torn apart. In
this case, the inheritance of a century-old estate becomes
the center of the family feud. Surrounding the July Fourth
holiday, family members are invited to The Birches in Maine
to show why they should inherit the estate. The three in line
are Simon, Babs, who sends her proxy, daughter Sophie Maxwell,
and Sylvia. It does not take long for the sniping to begin
that culminates in the murder of the housekeeper found by
Faith Fairchild, the amateur sleuth/caterer and a clergyman’s
spouse.
The July Fourth holiday is played out in this small town because
Page, who lives in Maine, always sees the Fourth as “a
really big deal here. It marks the start of the summer. There
is such a sense of history. People do up the holiday with
parades, themes, local organization raffles, and booths. It
is much like a bazaar. I write stories surrounding this holiday
because it is a time when family dynamics really come into
play.”
Page hopes that readers get the lesson of the book, “Families
need to sit down and talk. My aunt once told me ‘I always
told my five children don’t ever not talk to each other.’
I became interested in the inheritance story line when I read
this feature story about how people make decisions about who
should be left what in their will. People get emotionally
attached to places and objects that represent the person who
has died.”
Although Faith is Page’s main character in this series,
Sophie Maxwell steals the show in this book. As with Faith
she loves to cook and becomes the centerpiece of the family
after the housekeeper is found dead. She is intelligent, kind,
and caring. Through the sub-plots the author is able to intertwine
the characters, since Sophie was the babysitter to Faith’s
children, Ben and Amy.
The culinary pieces are presented with enticing recipes in
the back of the book and cooking tips scattered throughout
the story. The five recipes include an appetizer, main course,
and dessert, and are referenced in the plot.
Food plays a role in the plot, with Page putting the actual
recipes at the end, “I did not want them to interrupt
the narrative. I understand a lot of readers are not interested
in the food at all. Personally, I like to read mysteries by
food authors like Virginia Rich. I like the way food can define
a person or situation, which is why I made Faith a caterer.
For me, the recipes are the hardest part of the book to write.
I start to think of them as soon as I put the finger to the
keyboard. I became interested in cooking a year after I was
married when we went to France. It was my Julia Child moment.
I ate an Omelet that tasted wonderfully and realized if you
want to eat like that you have to cook like that.”
The Body In The Birches explores how people will do anything
to achieve their goal, even commit murder. Reminiscent of
the game “Clue:” who did it, with what object,
and where, the Proctor family finds itself in a deadly competition
to inherit the estate.
Page gave a shout out about her next book, The Body In The
Wardrobe. Sophie Maxwell returns as the main character. Page
is finding it fun to “write about a younger group of
people. I am challenging myself to write something a little
different. I hope to give a good puzzle, but at the same time
to write descriptive characters and settings. In this next
novel Sophie will be married and must deal with a large body
count in her new hometown of Savannah, Georgia.”
Reviews of Katherine Hall
Page's Faith Fairchild series
Body
in the Bonfire #12
The
Body in the Lighthouse #13
The
Body in the Attic #14
Body in the Snowdrift #15 [review
1] [review
2]
The
Body in the Ivy #16
The
Body in the Gallery #17
Body
in the Sleigh #18
Body
in the Gazebo #19
The
Body in the Boudoir #20
The
Body In The Piazza #21
The
Body In The Birches #22
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