Murder She Wrote: A Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran Series: Murder, She Wrote #59
Published by Berkley on October 8, 2024
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 265
Format: eARC
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It’s Christmastime in Cabot Cove, but there’s more homicide than ho-ho-ho in the newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.
Christmas is not an easy time to sell a house, but in Boston tycoon John Bragdon, Cabot Cove Realtor Eve Simpson has found a buyer for the old Jarvis homestead. Unfortunately, Eve gets a lump of coal in her stocking in the form of Kenny Jarvis, who has been missing for years and presumed dead but has now come back to stop his sister from selling their childhood home.
Eve presses on, organizing a welcome dinner for Bragdon and his wife, Rose Marie, to meet the leading citizens of the town, including Jessica Fletcher. Dinner is interrupted by an uninvited guest—not Santa but Kenny, who threateningly promises Rose Marie she will never live in his house.
When she is found dead a few days later, Kenny is the natural suspect. But Jessica isn′t so sure he′s on the naughty list . . .
I don’t read Murder, She Wrote mysteries often, but I always enjoy them. I grew up watching Jessica Fletcher and the other characters on tv and still turn it on occasionally. It’s Christmastime in Cabot Cove and everyone is gearing up for the holidays. This year, the town is going all out as it tries to be named the state’s best holiday destination. Eve, however, is more concerned with selling the old Jarvis place. Her job gets more difficult by the minute, First, missing, presumed dead, Kenny Jarvis shows back up. Then, the potential buyer’s wife dies, possibly murdered.
This one takes its time getting to the killing, but it’s fun to get caught up in all the town drama and Christmas planning. I loved the small Thanksgiving dinner and all the Christmas events, but if you’re here solely for the murder mystery you might be disappointed. The mystery was fine. There were several suspects even if it was rather obvious who the killer was.
About Jessica Fletcher
Jessica Fletcher (born Jessica Beatrice MacGill, and writes under the initialed J.B. Fletcher) is a fictional character from the US television series Murder, She Wrote.
In keeping with the spirit of the TV show, a series of official original novels have been written by American ghostwriters, including Donald Bain, Jon Land, and Terrie Farley Moran, and published by the New American Library. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious “Jessica Fletcher.”
About Terrie Farley Moran
Terrie Farley Moran is the bestselling author of the Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series including the Agatha Award winning Well Read, Then Dead. Along with Jessica Fletcher, she co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series. She also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Terrie’s short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly and numerous anthologies. “A Killing at the Beausoleil” was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Short Story. “Inquiry and Assistance” received the Derringer Award for Best Novelette.
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