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Murder, She Wrote #10
Murder in Moscow
Mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher visits Moscow as part of a United States publishing group to help Russia succeed as a democracy. But the poisoning of a Russian publisher, who possessed information which could topple the government in power, places her in a dangerous situation. Jess turns to the American Embassy for help, only to discover that the United States government is involved...
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1998
40 people are currently reading
871 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Fletcher
107 books1,064 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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 ghostwriter Donald Bain. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher." The series has been continued by authors Renée Paley-Bain, Jon Land, Terrie Farley Moran, and Barbara Early.
When the first novel in the series, Gin and Daggers, was published in 1989 it included several inaccuracies to the TV series including Jessica driving a car which she could not do as she never learned to drive. Due to fans pointing out the errors, the novel was republished in 2000 with most of the inaccuracies corrected.
Source: Wikipedia
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 ghostwriter Donald Bain. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher." The series has been continued by authors Renée Paley-Bain, Jon Land, Terrie Farley Moran, and Barbara Early.
When the first novel in the series, Gin and Daggers, was published in 1989 it included several inaccuracies to the TV series including Jessica driving a car which she could not do as she never learned to drive. Due to fans pointing out the errors, the novel was republished in 2000 with most of the inaccuracies corrected.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
September 12, 2025
3 Stars. Jessica Fletcher's first venture into the world of spies and intrigue. The concept was interesting, but I was left unfulfilled and a touch annoyed. Slight variants of the following occurred innumerable times with Jessica and various characters including US government officials. Here's just one; Jess is with Alexandra Kozhina, a young and beautiful writer in Moscow: "Turning she [Alexandra] said, 'It's time to go.' [Jessica:] 'Go where?' [Alexandra:] 'You will see when you get there.' [Jessica:] 'Ms. Kozhina, I don't intend to move from this couch until I have some answers.' [Alexandra:] 'In due time." Jessica then invariably does what she said she wouldn't, and the explanation promised rarely materializes. Our favourite mystery writer is part of a delegation to Russia of American publishers sponsored by the US Commerce Dept. It's the new democratic Russia of Boris Yeltsin. Jess has a special incentive; her publisher, Vaughan Buckley, will be along and will introduce her to her new Russian publisher, Vladislav Staritova. Unfortunately, at a lavish dinner, Vlady collapses and dies. Not the best way to start a business venture. It's OK, but .. (Fe2022/Se2025)
November 11, 2017
This was a good story, and nicely written...but it doesn't quite feel like the show that inspired it.
July 17, 2018
Picked this up off the “free” table at the library a while ago - with nothing else left to read I grabbed it as a last resort. A fast easy read - like the old TV show, simple and nice. I always loved Jessica Fletcher.
Loved that it took place in Russia, and that I was reading it on the very night Trump makes the biggest gaffe of his entire political career. To quote Winston Churchill, “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Got that Donald? 😧
Loved that it took place in Russia, and that I was reading it on the very night Trump makes the biggest gaffe of his entire political career. To quote Winston Churchill, “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Got that Donald? 😧
May 5, 2016
I enjoyed this book, but felt Jessica was a little unrealistic with demands for information at what were sometimes very inappropriate times. It's a personality thing - she wants to be in the know, but it did kindof bug me.
November 12, 2024
The typos ruined it as they were jarring. Also, I love rhe absurbidity of Murder, She Wrote like any other fan but this was too removed from reality and about half-way through I just wanted it to finish. Too many hijinks.
November 18, 2014
So sad - I've read every other book in this series and now I'm done - at least until new ones are published!
April 26, 2020
It seems that Jessica has fans all over the world and when she gets the chance to go on a Commerce Department trade mission to Moscow she jumps at the chance. Seth and Mort try to warn her about the crime in Moscow but as usual Jessica doesn't listen and gets into deep trouble. Mort and Seth aren't completely correct in their assessment either however for the first dead body shows up before Jessica even leaves the country.
From the time that she arrives in Washington on the first leg of her trip things start to get very strange. She finds that she is up to her elbows in spooks (the CIA kind) and she just can't get a straight answer from anybody. Before she leaves for Moscow she is asked to deliver a love note to a young Russian woman, to spy for the US government and then she finds a dead spook in the bushes. Not a very pleasant way to start a trip is it? Once she gets to Moscow the intrigue and apparent conspiracies just get bigger and the action starts to match that of a spy novel.
Most of this story is very gripping and I found myself not being able to put the book down at times but there were some serious flaws to be found here not the least of which was the ending. When all is said and done the reader and Jessica are left hanging by a bad ending that solves very little and makes most of the book seem irrelevant. For the most part I liked this book but I was very disappointed in the ending. The second big problem was the historical errors that show that the author didn't check his facts very well. First of all he had Jessica mention conditions in the Soviet Union at the turn of the century despite the fact that the Soviet Union didn't exist at the turn of any century. Secondly he has her tell a tale that insists that Jefferson Davis was Abraham Lincoln's first Secretary of War. Davis was Secretary of War for Franklin Pierce and was already President of the Confederacy before Lincoln was inaugurated. I know that this may seem picky but the historian in me just can't let it pass.
Overall this isn't a bad story but it is certainly not one of the best in this series. The story flows rather well and the plot does get exciting on occasion but I just didn't like the ending at all. I wouldn't recommend this as a good choice for someone who is new to the series but for us old fans it does offer a nice trip with our favorite sleuth and that in itself is enough to make this a pleasant read.
From the time that she arrives in Washington on the first leg of her trip things start to get very strange. She finds that she is up to her elbows in spooks (the CIA kind) and she just can't get a straight answer from anybody. Before she leaves for Moscow she is asked to deliver a love note to a young Russian woman, to spy for the US government and then she finds a dead spook in the bushes. Not a very pleasant way to start a trip is it? Once she gets to Moscow the intrigue and apparent conspiracies just get bigger and the action starts to match that of a spy novel.
Most of this story is very gripping and I found myself not being able to put the book down at times but there were some serious flaws to be found here not the least of which was the ending. When all is said and done the reader and Jessica are left hanging by a bad ending that solves very little and makes most of the book seem irrelevant. For the most part I liked this book but I was very disappointed in the ending. The second big problem was the historical errors that show that the author didn't check his facts very well. First of all he had Jessica mention conditions in the Soviet Union at the turn of the century despite the fact that the Soviet Union didn't exist at the turn of any century. Secondly he has her tell a tale that insists that Jefferson Davis was Abraham Lincoln's first Secretary of War. Davis was Secretary of War for Franklin Pierce and was already President of the Confederacy before Lincoln was inaugurated. I know that this may seem picky but the historian in me just can't let it pass.
Overall this isn't a bad story but it is certainly not one of the best in this series. The story flows rather well and the plot does get exciting on occasion but I just didn't like the ending at all. I wouldn't recommend this as a good choice for someone who is new to the series but for us old fans it does offer a nice trip with our favorite sleuth and that in itself is enough to make this a pleasant read.
April 2, 2020
The story was interesting and moved quickly. There are several bits left unanswered, governments on both sides want to keep their secrets. It was not the story I was expecting though. Jessica is mostly just a pawn, one with a lot of questions but who can’t get any real answers. She’s in danger, but has no control over her fate. It didn’t feel like a Murder, She Wrote mystery. We don’t get to see Jessica doing any detecting. She also makes several questionable decisions. It just didn’t feel like the right story for her character.
International intrigue and spy games are not what I’m looking for when I pick up a Jessica Fletcher book.
International intrigue and spy games are not what I’m looking for when I pick up a Jessica Fletcher book.
October 23, 2020
Okay, so typically I LOVE my cozy mysteries, seriously- just love them. This one intrigued me in a way I wasn't expecting. It started off like a normal cozy, but somewhere in the middle to end became a spy thriller- which I enjoyed, but as most real-life mysteries can attest, you don't always get the answers you want or any answers at all- which for a cozy enthusiast is downright frustrating.
So be warned cozy-ists , this one will leave you going "but what?" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So be warned cozy-ists , this one will leave you going "but what?" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
September 17, 2021
Haha what a book
August 17, 2023
I have vague recollections of my parents watching Murder She Wrote when I was younger, but I couldn't tell you what any of the episodes were about. I am, however, normally a big fan of the book series by Donald Bain. Unfortunately this book won't be going on my favourites list.
The premise sounded interesting enough. Jessica has been offered what sounds like an incredible opportunity - a trip to Washington DC with a number of publishing colleagues including her own publisher Vaughan. They'll be sightseeing, have the chance to network, and even meet the President of the United States. Then they'll fly to Russia with the goal of helping the Russians build their publishing industry.
However this trip is far from being the enjoyable experience Jessica was expecting. She is approached by a stranger with an unusual request and he is murdered the next day. In Russia, she and Vaughan are witnesses to a terrifying crime. She is warned that her conversations are being listened to and that her room has been bugged. And she doesn't know whom she can trust anymore.
Unfortunately, this reader's favourite part of mysteries is the denouement: the moment when all the cryptic clues and suspicious people suddenly make sense. There is no such satisfaction in this novel, where even the protagonist is left wondering what just happened.
How do you say "I did not enjoy this book" in Russian?
The premise sounded interesting enough. Jessica has been offered what sounds like an incredible opportunity - a trip to Washington DC with a number of publishing colleagues including her own publisher Vaughan. They'll be sightseeing, have the chance to network, and even meet the President of the United States. Then they'll fly to Russia with the goal of helping the Russians build their publishing industry.
However this trip is far from being the enjoyable experience Jessica was expecting. She is approached by a stranger with an unusual request and he is murdered the next day. In Russia, she and Vaughan are witnesses to a terrifying crime. She is warned that her conversations are being listened to and that her room has been bugged. And she doesn't know whom she can trust anymore.
Unfortunately, this reader's favourite part of mysteries is the denouement: the moment when all the cryptic clues and suspicious people suddenly make sense. There is no such satisfaction in this novel, where even the protagonist is left wondering what just happened.
How do you say "I did not enjoy this book" in Russian?
October 26, 2019
In her long and fascinating career
Angela Lansbury played a character, Mrs Pollifax,
an elderly widow who volunteers to work for to the CIA
who goes on (admittedly truncated and mangled from the book series
it was based on) thrilling adventures, met interesting people, and
enjoyed herself.
Jessica Fletcher is no Mrs Pollifax. She is annoyed and a bit snappish
about the whole thing, and I'm not sure I blame her.
The great reveal at the end, where she works out what happened is
non existent due to things being hush hush government stuff and there
is no real resolution.
And as Mrs Pollifax, she did a pretty good job (considering the limitations of
a plot line that ripped the favorite scenes from several of the books and put them
in a blender) as Jessica Fletcher, it didn't work.
Angela Lansbury played a character, Mrs Pollifax,
an elderly widow who volunteers to work for to the CIA
who goes on (admittedly truncated and mangled from the book series
it was based on) thrilling adventures, met interesting people, and
enjoyed herself.
Jessica Fletcher is no Mrs Pollifax. She is annoyed and a bit snappish
about the whole thing, and I'm not sure I blame her.
The great reveal at the end, where she works out what happened is
non existent due to things being hush hush government stuff and there
is no real resolution.
And as Mrs Pollifax, she did a pretty good job (considering the limitations of
a plot line that ripped the favorite scenes from several of the books and put them
in a blender) as Jessica Fletcher, it didn't work.
April 8, 2020
This was maybe not one of my favourites. I liked the Russian setting, I have never been there and I spent a lot of time googling all the different food and places.
As for the murder mystery, it was...weird?
I can't in all honesty say I liked it that much. It felt incomplete, there was no proper resolution of anything. While I quite liked the final action scene, it didn't feel coherent with the typical plot lines and tone of Murder, She Wrote.
Jessica herself does very little of her detection work, and is rather thrown in into a narrative she can't understand.
I much prefer more traditional storylines, and I hope the next instalment will be just that.
As for the murder mystery, it was...weird?
I can't in all honesty say I liked it that much. It felt incomplete, there was no proper resolution of anything. While I quite liked the final action scene, it didn't feel coherent with the typical plot lines and tone of Murder, She Wrote.
Jessica herself does very little of her detection work, and is rather thrown in into a narrative she can't understand.
I much prefer more traditional storylines, and I hope the next instalment will be just that.
August 21, 2016
VERY excruciating to read. The normally common–sense smart Jessica Fletcher kept making one "bonehead" decision after another and ended up making her own bed of dangerous liaisons. For example, the idea of her taking a late evening stroll in crime–infested Moscow with no tour guide, no map, and not even paying attention to where she was going? Who in their right mind really does that? In this particular storyline, she was portrayed as a real "dingbat." Maybe the title of this book should have been "Edith Bunker in Moscow."
December 8, 2020
Jessica Fletcher again finds herself in thick of danger. On what originated as an innocent trip to Russia to aide in their new democracy, Jessica stumbles into a plot of spies, lies, and espionage.
•
I was immediately sucked into this novel! I enjoyed the sprinkling of Russian culture throughout the book. It created a rich imagery of the scenes and settings. As always, Jessica's stubborn self is in the middle of everything. Many of the situations she finds herself in are absolutely crazy, but very entertaining.
•
I was immediately sucked into this novel! I enjoyed the sprinkling of Russian culture throughout the book. It created a rich imagery of the scenes and settings. As always, Jessica's stubborn self is in the middle of everything. Many of the situations she finds herself in are absolutely crazy, but very entertaining.
June 16, 2024
This was my fourteenth MSW novel and it was honestly just a load of fun. These books are all a sort of comfort food for me, and I don’t expect brilliant plotting or prose. What I got in this, though, was a surprisingly fun and twisty European adventure. Definitely a bit heavy-handed in the jingoism department, but I felt Jessica’s frustrations along the way while she dealt with all the spy stuff, double talk, evasive answers to important questions, etc, and I really enjoyed the ride! One of my more favorite of the MSW books so far.
February 7, 2018
Russia is certainly fascinating. But this book was certainly evasive. I almost couldn't follow the story. Maybe that's why I just decided to finish the book tonight. It was slow starting out, and then I didn't like how Jessica couldn't get any straight answers to anything she asked. But in the beginning, she was approached by someone who said she would be debriefed upon her return from Russia. A little on the weird side for this series.
March 5, 2013
I didn't really like this one... too much spy stuff and old USSR paranoia... it probably made alot more sense when it was published in 1998 but it's kind of dated now, which I suppose is a good thing!
January 24, 2018
Set just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this book has Jessica joining a delegation of writers and publishers going from Washington to Moscow. There are many twists and turns in this one, and it is interesting to see her reactions to government spy games on both sides.
July 1, 2021
Another not quite up to expectations
I usually rate these four or five stars. But this one was very hard to get into it was too complex spies, facts hidden, death threats, etc. just wasn’t like the normal murder she wrote were used to.
I usually rate these four or five stars. But this one was very hard to get into it was too complex spies, facts hidden, death threats, etc. just wasn’t like the normal murder she wrote were used to.
August 16, 2015
Quick, enjoyable read. Always satisfied with this series.
February 5, 2013
Great mystery.. right up to the very end... and still left you in suspense about a few things...
March 12, 2016
Another great little read from this series. Looking forward to reading more.
June 27, 2015
Love the Jessica books.
October 4, 2014
This was a bit too unbeleivable in places but the chase was good and I always enjoy these novels on some level.
January 8, 2015
Good.
July 16, 2015
One of my favorite murder she wrote books. Not sure if the info about Moscow is true but I found it very interesting. Looking forward to the next one.
June 3, 2018
I didn't really like it. I had to force myself to finish it.
October 24, 2019
This wasn’t a mystery it was more a thriller - I read these for the mysteries 🤨
December 4, 2022
Couldn’t really get into this book. I like spy novels but somethings just felt off or contrived and I wasn’t a fan.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews