Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas

by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran

Genres: Christmas, Mystery

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Librarian’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

Reviews

[Dean Newby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Murder, She Wrote, But Shouldn't Have.

[Andrea Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although my expectations for a fan-fiction style book were low, they should have been lower. The author, Terri Farley Moran did not do justice to the beloved citizens of Cabot Cove. Right off the bat, Jessica Fletcher was described as thinking “grumpily” on the first page (when has Ms. Fletcher EVER been grumpy??). Maureen Metzger - apparently Mort’s SECOND wife, after he divorced Adele - was a main character, which felt odd compared to the tongue-in-cheek way Adele was always mentioned in the show, but never actually appeared.

In addition to the characters being off-base, the writing was similarly poor. The second page offers a run-on sentence so long that I could barely track it, and which nearly made me give up on the book then and there. The actual mystery doesn’t kick in until over halfway through the book, and is wrapped up quite quickly, as though the whole thing were an afterthought.

I wish I could have loved this book, and found a fun new way to enjoy my favorite comfort characters, unfortunately, this was not it.

[Paul Rapoza · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cozy mystery that nicely captures the feel and characters of Cabot Cove. However, it focuses too much on the town and its Christmas plans at the expense of the murder mystery. The killer reveal is lackluster and seems almost an afterthought. In addition, the dialogue between the characters comes off as very unnatural and expository.

I would recommend if you’re looking for a novel that captures the spirit of Cabot Cove at Christmastime, but wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for a strong mystery.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even for what it is this one was especially heavy on the exposition and ancillary activities.

[Marcie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always enjoy a cozy mystery, and in the early morning hours, when I cannot sleep, J.B. Fletcher is often on the Hallmark Mystery channel. Also enjoy reading mysteries, and at Christmastime, it's fun to find a seasonal read.