Domestic Malice starts with Jessica Fletcher doing what she does best: casually saying yes to civic duties that inevitably spiral into murder investigations. This time, she joins the board of Cabot Cove’s women’s shelter — a noble move, but let’s be real, this town has a higher murder rate than a horror movie sleepaway camp, so of course someone’s getting killed again.
Things take a dark turn when a woman stumbles into the shelter — bruised, terrified, and married to a man the town calls a “pillar of the community” (translation: probably a monster). Classic small-town denial, everyone clutching their pearls like domestic violence couldn’t possibly happen here. The woman, Myriam Wolcott, refuses to press charges, and then—surprise!—ends up dead.
Now we’re in full-on Cabot Cove chaos mode. Jessica starts poking around (as one does), and suddenly secrets are spilling faster than the wine at a book club meltdown. Myriam’s picture-perfect husband might not be so picture-perfect, the shelter’s under political fire, and the whole town is giving off major “this could’ve been solved in therapy” energy. There’s a big ol’ web of lies and power dynamics that feels way too real, and the mystery digs into some uncomfortable but important stuff — namely, how communities fail victims behind a façade of moral decency.
Here’s the twist: this one’s a little heavier than your average Murder, She Wrote fare. Less quirky clue-hunting, more commentary on how abuse hides in plain sight. I totally understand how not everyone is going to vibe with the shift in tone — it dips more into social issue territory, and the mystery takes a bit of a back seat. But honestly? Props to the book for not shying away from hard truths, even if it makes Cabot Cove feel even more cursed than usual.
It’s a slower burn, with fewer “aha!” moments and more “oh god, people are awful” realizations. But Jessica remains the ultimate cozy crime goddess, navigating it all with that deadly combo of curiosity and restraint. She's like your grandma if your grandma was constantly uncovering conspiracies and had a 100% success rate at solving murders.
3.5 stars — not the most traditional murder mystery entry in the series, but thoughtful, gutsy, and unafraid to let things get messy. Cabot Cove: where even good intentions come with a side of homicide.