The Body in the Birches: A Faith Fairchild Mystery by Katherine Hall Page

Sophie is only there because her mother is on a cruise and can't get back in time.  She was free at the time and needed a change of scenery to get over finding out that her dearly beloved didn't love her.  Catching him in bed with another woman is a sure sign it's over.  She's been to the beach house before and has many fond memories of it.  But the new memories being made are the kind you want to forget.

William Morrow and Edelweiss allowed me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 12th, so make a note to pick it up then.  There are several others in this series you could read while waiting.  This was my first read in this series, but it won't be my last.

Uncle Paul is going to pick one family to inherit the home.  He's going to observe them for a month and make up his mind about who would best carry on the family tradition and keep the home and estate secure.  When he announces this, the various members of the family begin snarling at each other.  Many haven't been regular visitors but no one wants to give up this valuable and important holding.

The sucking up is obvious, the characters are varied and no one is exactly normal.  The one odd guy is someone Sophie can't put in place.  He's not a relative.  He's actually not even the person he says he is; there is no one of that name.  He appears to be protecting her uncle, which is a good thing.  And she's attracted to him.  But after Ian, she's not getting involved.

When people start dying, it gets even weirder.  Faith knows something is wrong, but not what.  I enjoyed Faith and her good works and intuition, but Sophie is really the hero of this story.  When they bring Ian over to spend the weekend and he tries to get back together with her, he's out of luck.  She also manages to save the relatives she loves, even if it means she almost dies herself.

This is the tale of an old town with lots of history and its share of odd characters and traditions.  It's a cozy mystery but it's faster paced than most.  I enjoyed the story and the ending is perfect.  Ms. Page does a very nice job on this one!