The Body in the Belfry is about a young caterer named Faith Fairchild who recently left New York to live with her husband, a priest, in a small town in Massachussets. A few months after the move, Faith discovers the body of one of the local teenagers in the town's belfry. Throughout the book, Faith works to solve the mystery, endangering herself in the process.

The Body in the Belfry was not only the first of Katherine Hall Page's work on 'The Body' series, this book is also known for being the first book she ever wrote. Katherine Hall Page started writing The Body in the Belfry in 1987, a few years after her son's birth. Page finished writing it in 1990 and submitted it to be published the same year.