“Small Plates”: Short story collection includes tasty morsels

Not all of the dishes in Katherine Hall Page's 'Small Plates” (William Morrow, 223 pages, $24.99) are equally appetizing, but the short story collection certainly includes several tasty morsels.

Page's series character is caterer Faith Fairchild - star of 21 novels (none of which this reviewer has read) - and she makes an appearance in the majority of these stories. Ms. Fairchild appears to fit comfortably into the tradition of (somewhat) reluctant, amateur sleuths who consistently find themselves involved in mysteries.

Unlike many mystery stories, Page doesn't always start with the crime. Indeed, she often saves the true misdeed for the final portion of a tale.

For example, 'Sliced” finds Faith competing against several of her longtime culinary nemeses in a charity event based on a reality cooking competition. While we learn much of Faith's back-story, the main narrative is arguably an extended diversion from what is really going on.

This tendency to save the shocking revelation for the end of a story puts one in mind of O. Henry - that master of the twist ending - and can feel gimmicky as one encounters the approach multiple times in 'Small Plates.”

I found the collection's final story, 'The Two Marys,” the most satisfying in the book, in part because it didn't rely on a shocker of an ending.

It also is the longest story in the book, and may benefit from Pages's comfort with more extended narratives.

The story, which involves a baby discovered in a barn on Christmas Eve, benefits from Page's decision to stretch out a bit, providing a coherent, suspenseful tale that has a more natural arc than many of the other selections on the menu.

' Rob Cline is a writer and published author, marketing director for University of Iowa's Hancher.