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The Body in the Boudoir (Faith Fairchild #20) by Katherine Hall Page.*

On their way to Italy to celebrate a significant anniversary, Faith, unable to fall asleep, loses herself in remembering how she and her husband Tom met, fell in love, and married after a whirlwind engagement.

After this set-up in the prologue, the narrative flashes back to 1990.  Faith has recently begun her catering business, Have Faith, and and she's respectably busy. Carrying a tray of food to a wedding buffet table, she is aided by a handsome male wedding guest, who introduces himself as Tom and tries to start a conversation.  Faith excuses herself because she must get back to work,. but later in the evening, as the caterers are packing up, Tom asks her to dance.  Her bartender offers to drive the van back to work, and suggests that Faith just head home. 

Overhearing, Tom asks Faith to show him around New York as he has to leave soon.  They spend a magical few hours taking a carriage ride around Central Park, and the ferry to Staten Island.  During the course of the evening, Faith finally asks Tom what he does for a living and is surprised to learn that he's a minister.

Faith's own father is a minister, and when they were quite young, Faith and her sister had made a pact that neither would marry a clergyman.  But that fantastic first date with Tom, and then cards, flowers and daily phone calls convince Faith rather quickly that she'll have to break that bargain because she's desperately in love with him.

Of course, since Faith Sibley is involved, there are always conplications.  Her favorite Uncle Schuyler, who owns a mansion on Long Island offers to host the ceremony and reception, but when Faith and her mother go to meet the caterer there,  they find a blood-covered body in his wife's bedroom.  This does put a damper on things, but Schuyler insists the wedding must go on as planned.  Faith agrees, but during the few weeks remaining, she does her best to figure out what happened.

The story will make sense to newbies, but will be much richer for those who've read some or all of the previous titles in the series.  Page's prose is charming and the plot is aborbing.  Prepare to read in one sitting!


FTC full disclosure:  This was a library book.*