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Posts Tagged ‘the body in the sleigh’

Reviewed by Allen Hott

This is the first book by Katherine Hall Page that I have ever read. But I can definitely see why she has won several Agatha Awards.

The Body in the Sleigh opens quickly and also mysteriously when Mary Bethany finds a large basket with a red bow in her barn on Christmas Eve. The note on the handle says “For Mary Bethany” and wrapped in a beautiful afghan was a baby! Since the baby was asleep Mary went on and tended to her herd of goats, as they were in fact her source of income thanks to the goat milk and subsequently the goat cheese.

Later back in the house she finds a note explaining that the baby boy’s name is Christopher and the mother being unable to care for him wants Mary to do so. Also along with the note is an envelope containing thousands of dollars in packets of hundred dollar bills.

On the same Christmas Eve in the same town on the Island of Sanpere off of the coast of Maine, Faith Sibley Fairchild found the dead body of a young girl. The body had been placed in a sleigh that was part of the municipal Christmas setting.
Faith had taken her children by the scene to take their picture for Christmas. Upon seeing the body she took the children from the display and called the police.

This double act of mystery then leads into the very well written story that holds the reader’s attention throughout.

Faith has already been involved in solving a previous mystery on the island so the police are happy to have her input as the police work of solving the new happenings begins.

Where did the baby come from? Who is the mother? Why did she choose Mary Bethany to become the surrogate parent? Where did all of the money come from that was in the envelope? Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

Faith and her family are spending the holidays at their cottage in Sanpere Island in Maine.  Her husband, Reverend Thomas Fairchild, is recuperating from surgery.  The couple really looked forward to this time in Sanpere Island because it was not too often they got to spend some family time together.  What a place to be for the holidays.  There were plenty of enjoyable winter sports to keep them busy.

It did not take long for this nice, relaxing holiday to turn into something frightening.  On a trip to the Sanpere Historical Society, Faith discovers a body in an antique sleigh that is decorated for the Christmas holidays.  The victim, Norah, was a teen drug addict.  What happened to the young girl?  Did she die of a drug overdose?  Was she murdered?

Things do not get dull as a local resident, Mary Bethany, who raises goats, finds a newborn baby in a manger in her barn on Christmas Eve.  There was a note asking her to take care of the baby.  A large amount of cash was left with the baby also.  How did the baby get there?  Is there any relation to the body found in the sleigh?

Mary asks Faith to help her find the identity of the baby’s mother.  What they discover is more than they imagined. 

Katherine Hall Page has won several awards for her cozy mysteries.  The Body in the Sleigh is one of her best to date.  This storyline has more of a deeper plot compared to your normal cozy mystery.  It’s one that will keep you reading late into the night to find out what will happen next.  Also, there are some really “yummy” recipes at the end of the book. 

A copy of this book was supplied to the reviewer by the publisher.