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On a recent weekend away with friends, I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t comfortable getting up to read, and turning on the light would wake my husband, so I decided to check the kindle app on my phone for something. I read Small Plates and I was absolutely delighted. Not only is it perfect for late night reading, but it held up well the next afternoon, when a downpour kept us inside and I spent an hour or two reading.
So, this was obviously my introduction to Faith Fairchild, but a quick poke round author ‘s amazon page showed that this is a long series of books. (I know! Squee! I’m so excited to have found a new series).
Faith Fairchild is a pastor’s wife in New England who also runs a catering business (but uncozily, if that makes sense. I don’t like “cozy” mysteries). This addition to the series is a collection of short stories, hence the name. Even though the fact of the catering business lends itself to such bromides as “Now, Page has whipped up a tasty collection of appetizing bites” or “this new book is a feast,” (both of those from the publisher), I am going to resist using culinary metaphors and just tell you that I loved this book.
In “The Body in the Dunes,” Faith’s vacation is rudely interrupted when a woman in terrible distress seeks shelter from her husband in Faith’s vacation cottage, only to appear the next day acting as if nothing happened. Faith knows she didn’t imagine the situation, and puzzles over the apparent happy couple who keep showing up wherever Faith and her husband go. In “The Proof is Always in the Pudding,” Faith manages to solve a superstition that has plagued her in-laws for generations, simply through sharp reasoning and a close reading of some old letters. In “The Ghost of Winthrop,” Faith undertakes to solve an apparent haunting of a valuable old house recently inherited by one of her husband’s parishioners.
Not all of the collection feature Faith Fairchild. “The Would-be Widower” is a tale of a man who wants his wife to die, and his various attempts to make this happen. The ending is delightfully creepy. In “A Perfect Maine Day,” Myra Peters body is found washed ashore and the whole town grieves the young bride, but the person who finds the body knows to look further. “The Two Marys” is a sweet tale of a woman named Mary Bethany who finds a baby in her barn on Christmas Eve, nestled among the goats, and how she deals with this turn of events.
Small Plates is a great collection of stories, perfect for a summer afternoon or an insomniac night or just about anything in between. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
Win it!
One of you (U.S. only) will win a copy of this book. Follow the instructions in the widget below to earn one or more entries, starting off by answering the question: “What’s your favorite small plate or starter course?”
Annmarie W. says
We received a set of 4 small plates from a friend at our wedding…they come from Tiffany’s and have a beautiful floral pattern on them!
Heather R says
my fiance is from Portugal, so I’ve learned to treasure a couple of strips of good presunto to get us started – which I haven’t found here in the states!
Helga says
I don’t have a favorite special plate. I would love this book though.
Hailey L. says
My favorite small plate or starter is a Southern Sampler complete with pickled okra, homemade pimento cheese, homemade black-eyed pea hummus and pita wedges.
heather says
Crab cakes is one of my favorites.
Kristen says
I like wontons.
Nancy says
I love cold boiled shrimp with a dipping sauce.
Amy M says
Since tapas is the theme, I could live on bacon-wrapped dates, but I’ve never been unhappy with a plate of oysters and a frosty martini in front of me. Never.
Nannypanpan says
Love shrimp cocktail
Kate I. says
I dig the calamares fritos offered at local eatery Tapa the World, which as you can imagine from the establishment’s name offers a number of small plate menu options (though I’ll try fried calamari anywhere the dish is on offer). I’m also a huge fan of oysters on the half shell. I can totally make a meal out of several small plates!! Rhonda, Angela, and I should have dinner together someday since we all seem to like seafood! (Amanda’s favorite sounds yummy too and I’d love for her to make the party into a dining foursome … who else would like to join?)
amanda hardesty says
Pretzel bites with beer cheese sauce
kathy dalton says
I have SMALL SCALLEOPED PLATE WITH LIL RED ROSES
Anita Yancey says
My favorite is a pink depression glass plate that my husband’s grandmother gave us.
Angela Saver says
My favorite starter course is Crab-stuffed mushrooms!
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Linda Kish says
My favorite is a plate from my mom’s china from when I was young. I thing it was Ming something. I just know it can’t be replaced anywhere. I’ve checked on the internet and it’s not available.
Benita says
My favorite s a wedgewood plate, so treasured.
Beth C says
A plate with flowers that my parents received on their wedding day.
Rhonda says
Tuna tartrate on my grandmas China.
anne says
My favorite small plate is a unique plate with an Italian design that I treasure greatly. Thanks for this lovely giveaway.