THE BODY IN THE BOUILLON

Here, spunky New England minister's wife Faith Fairchild (The Body in the Kelp, The Body in the Belfry)--while volunteering at a posh retirement facility under the aegis of venerable Dr. Roland Hubbard--barely has time to introduce herself before an old-timer falls face down into a cup of soup that she brings him. Then when a severe snowstorm forces Faith to stay the night, Eddie the groundskeeper/drug-dealer is waiting in her bed--dead. Despite warnings from husband Tom and best friend Pix, Faith persists in snooping--and discovers: several of Eddie's blackmail victims; a resident kleptomaniac; a philandering wife; and the black sheep Hubbard son, James, who quickly becomes a hit-and-run statistic. A final confrontation with the murderer will find Faith scurrying around the Hubbard House grounds just as Tom drives up. Not very plausible, and the author's strengths--genteel satire and wry humor--are not much in evidence here. Still, those in search of mild-mannered amateur-sleuthing might appreciate the nosy Faith (and enjoy her catering touches, too).