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Murder, She Wrote #50
Un temps pour le meurtre
Young Jessica Fletcher’s life couldn’t be more ordinary. She teaches at the local high school while she and her loving husband, Frank, are raising their nephew Grady together. But when the beloved principal dies under mysterious circumstances, Jessica knows something is off and, for the very first time, investigates a death. Present-day Jessica returns to high school for a colleague’s retirement party and has fun seeing familiar faces. That is, until the colleague winds up dead―and his death has mysterious links to Jessica’s very first murder case. With nothing but her own instincts to guide her, Jessica embarks on a quest to find out what really happened all those years ago and who’s behind these murders. Because time is running out to catch this killer…
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2019
139 people are currently reading
2737 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Fletcher
115 books1,060 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 and published by the New American Library. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher." 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 and published by the New American Library. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher." 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 175 reviews
October 7, 2024
**3.5-stars rounded up**
When a young woman seeks Jessica out to question her about the first murder case Jessica ever solved, under the guise of working on a story for her high school newspaper, plenty of memories are drawn to the surface from that time 25-years ago.
Jessica was a young woman herself then, working at a high school in Abbott, Maine, living with her loving husband, Frank, and their nephew, Grady.
The Principal at her school was murdered and Jessica helped to nab the culprit, or did she?
Once that same inquiring young lady ends up dead, Jessica discovers she wasn't who she was purporting to be. She wasn't a high school student at all.
It turns out she may be related to that same Principal who was murdered all those years ago, but why was she choosing now to ask about the case? More importantly, are the two cases related somehow?
The plot thickens...
Racing to the conclusion, we follow both past and present timelines, as the cases converge into a wild finish.
It was such a joy to be back with one of my idols, Jessica Fletcher, for this, the 50th-installment to the beloved Murder, She Wrote mystery series.
As many fans of the series know, the long time author for this series, Donald Bain, sadly passed away in 2017.
The series has since been taken over by Jon Land, a veteran Thriller writer. This is the third book published since he has taken the reins and my first that I have read since the transition.
With this being said, I can definitely tell a difference in tone since the change and although it is different, I do not dislike it. I will continue to read the series as long as they are being published.
If you are looking for a fun, quick and cozy mystery series with no shortage of volumes to pick up, I highly recommend this one!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
It really was such a pleasure. Keep them coming!
When a young woman seeks Jessica out to question her about the first murder case Jessica ever solved, under the guise of working on a story for her high school newspaper, plenty of memories are drawn to the surface from that time 25-years ago.
Jessica was a young woman herself then, working at a high school in Abbott, Maine, living with her loving husband, Frank, and their nephew, Grady.
The Principal at her school was murdered and Jessica helped to nab the culprit, or did she?
Once that same inquiring young lady ends up dead, Jessica discovers she wasn't who she was purporting to be. She wasn't a high school student at all.
It turns out she may be related to that same Principal who was murdered all those years ago, but why was she choosing now to ask about the case? More importantly, are the two cases related somehow?
The plot thickens...
Racing to the conclusion, we follow both past and present timelines, as the cases converge into a wild finish.
It was such a joy to be back with one of my idols, Jessica Fletcher, for this, the 50th-installment to the beloved Murder, She Wrote mystery series.
As many fans of the series know, the long time author for this series, Donald Bain, sadly passed away in 2017.
The series has since been taken over by Jon Land, a veteran Thriller writer. This is the third book published since he has taken the reins and my first that I have read since the transition.
With this being said, I can definitely tell a difference in tone since the change and although it is different, I do not dislike it. I will continue to read the series as long as they are being published.
If you are looking for a fun, quick and cozy mystery series with no shortage of volumes to pick up, I highly recommend this one!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
It really was such a pleasure. Keep them coming!
October 19, 2019
I absolutely loved Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote. I watched the show every week when it was on television and still re-watch the series today. I love the characters, the setting and the cozy-ness of the series. No spurting blood.....no graphic sex or violence. Just an author sleuthing out killers with grace and skill.
A Time For Murder is the 50th Murder She Wrote novel.....so lots of people still enjoy Jessica Fletcher! I've read several of the MSW books, by Donald Bain...and after his death, Jon Land. While I wish that Angela Lansbury had come back to do a couple MSW movies, or even a new series, it's really too late now (and NOBODY ELSE could play Jessica Fletcher like her! If they put on a new series with someone else in the part, I completely refuse to watch it. Nope. Nope. Double nope. Triple dog Nope.), so I love the fact that I can get new Jessica Fletcher mysteries in these books with a smiling lovely Angela Lansbury on the cover!It makes this cozy mystery fan happy in her soul. A cup of coffee, my chihuahua curled up next to me, and Jessica Fletcher finding yet another murder to investigate! Perfect evening!
This time around, Jessica flashes back to her first ever murder investigation....the mysterious death of a high school principal.....as she returns to the high school to celebrate a friend's retirement decades later. When the friend ends up dead, there are links to that very first case.
I love the fact this story flashes back to Jessica's life when she was first married to her husband, Frank. It was nice having the two eras of her life come together....her married life....and her later life as an author and widow. The mystery moved at a nice pace, had all the characters I love....and Jessica still is a dead body magnet and skilled amateur sleuth. I do see the differences in Land's portrayal of the characters and Donald Bain's vision. The plots of Land's books are a bit more complex....and Jessica is just a bit different. A bit more snarky maybe? But.....anytime another author takes over a beloved character, there are going to be differences. I still enjoy the stories....and I'm willing to accept a bit edgier Jessica Fletcher. The more complex plots are actually nice. I think the extra snark and harder hitting Jessica is necessary now that she's solving cases with a bit more to them. So, I'm ok with the Land vision of the character. I can always visit the more grandmother-ly Jessica by watching the old show, or reading a Bain novel.
Love, love, love, love Jessica Fletcher! Full stars to this book just because I'm a huge fan of the series! I'm always up for a visit with Jessica!
**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from Berkley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
A Time For Murder is the 50th Murder She Wrote novel.....so lots of people still enjoy Jessica Fletcher! I've read several of the MSW books, by Donald Bain...and after his death, Jon Land. While I wish that Angela Lansbury had come back to do a couple MSW movies, or even a new series, it's really too late now (and NOBODY ELSE could play Jessica Fletcher like her! If they put on a new series with someone else in the part, I completely refuse to watch it. Nope. Nope. Double nope. Triple dog Nope.), so I love the fact that I can get new Jessica Fletcher mysteries in these books with a smiling lovely Angela Lansbury on the cover!It makes this cozy mystery fan happy in her soul. A cup of coffee, my chihuahua curled up next to me, and Jessica Fletcher finding yet another murder to investigate! Perfect evening!
This time around, Jessica flashes back to her first ever murder investigation....the mysterious death of a high school principal.....as she returns to the high school to celebrate a friend's retirement decades later. When the friend ends up dead, there are links to that very first case.
I love the fact this story flashes back to Jessica's life when she was first married to her husband, Frank. It was nice having the two eras of her life come together....her married life....and her later life as an author and widow. The mystery moved at a nice pace, had all the characters I love....and Jessica still is a dead body magnet and skilled amateur sleuth. I do see the differences in Land's portrayal of the characters and Donald Bain's vision. The plots of Land's books are a bit more complex....and Jessica is just a bit different. A bit more snarky maybe? But.....anytime another author takes over a beloved character, there are going to be differences. I still enjoy the stories....and I'm willing to accept a bit edgier Jessica Fletcher. The more complex plots are actually nice. I think the extra snark and harder hitting Jessica is necessary now that she's solving cases with a bit more to them. So, I'm ok with the Land vision of the character. I can always visit the more grandmother-ly Jessica by watching the old show, or reading a Bain novel.
Love, love, love, love Jessica Fletcher! Full stars to this book just because I'm a huge fan of the series! I'm always up for a visit with Jessica!
**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from Berkley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
November 21, 2019
Wow, #50 in the Murder She Wrote series and I have enjoyed reading the books and watching the TV reruns. How about you?
We are going back in time to Jessica Fletcher’s first murder investigation, her publisher.
It was the inspiration for Jessica Fletcher becoming a mystery writer, but, more than that, bodies are falling and they all lead back to the high school she used to teach at and the murder of her publisher.
Back and forth we go,
I was led down false paths, following one red herring after another. We have plenty of bodies and suspects making it difficult to find out the why and who and how they are all connected.
I love that I am at 91% and still guessing. Great job Jon!
Well…that was one wild ride to the end. It’s hard to imagine the books still going strong at #50, but Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land keep on giving.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Time For Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land.
See more at fundinmental
We are going back in time to Jessica Fletcher’s first murder investigation, her publisher.
It was the inspiration for Jessica Fletcher becoming a mystery writer, but, more than that, bodies are falling and they all lead back to the high school she used to teach at and the murder of her publisher.
Back and forth we go,
I was led down false paths, following one red herring after another. We have plenty of bodies and suspects making it difficult to find out the why and who and how they are all connected.
I love that I am at 91% and still guessing. Great job Jon!
Well…that was one wild ride to the end. It’s hard to imagine the books still going strong at #50, but Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land keep on giving.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Time For Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land.
See more at fundinmental
December 8, 2019
In the 50th book of the series, Jessica Fletcher is drawn back to the very first murder case she assisted with twenty-five years ago. Jessica and her husband, Frank, are raising their nephew, Grady, in Appleton, Maine. Jessica works as a full-time substitute teacher at the local high school while Frank gives flying lessons. The principal, Walter Reavis, asks Jessica to stop by after class one day to discuss giving her a permanent position. When Jessica overhears him having a heated phone call argument, she leaves instead of taking the appointment. The next day she arrives at the school to discover that the principal has been murdered.
Meanwhile in present day Cabot Cove, Jessica is drawn into another murder case when a woman posing as a high school student is killed after trying to probe Jessica for information on the Reavis case. The victim turns out to be the daughter of the deceased principal, Ginny Genaway, née Reavis. The bodies began to pile up as Jessica investigates with the help of Mort, Seth, Harry McGraw, and a little time reminiscing with Amos Tupper, the former sheriff of Cabot Cove.
While it’s understandable that Land and Penguin Random House would want to update the character to draw in new readers, it does not seem plausible that anyone would believe a 60-something year old woman would chase after a criminal who just murdered someone with no weapon or backup. It also doesn’t seem plausible that the same 60-something year old woman would later confront the gun-wielding offender In a lighthouse without police backup. When the offender is shoved by a woman she has taken hostage, Jessica goes tumbling down the stairs of the lighthouse and engages in a struggle with the offender. The climax of the book involves a freighter crashing through part of the lighthouse and then conveniently into the suspect. Jessica runs back into the collapsing lighthouse to save the hostage, which involves her grabbing the hostage and sliding down a rope with her until they swing onto the deck of the freighter to escape the collapsing lighthouse. It is all so outlandish that it stretches credulity to the point that it shatters and the reader is left scratching their head in horrified wonderment.
Land’s fourth attempt at the Murder, She Wrote series shows that he doesn’t comprehend what makes the character of Jessica Fletcher so enduring. Jessica Fletcher of the tv series and the previous books solved crimes by being observant, caring, and often outsmarting the criminals with her intelligence and wit. The Jessica Fletcher of Land’s creation is often verbally harsh, socially withdrawn, and exhibits poor decision making skills as she throws herself into dangerous situations without thinking of the potential consequences.
Overall, it feels like Land is superimposing one of the characters from his thrillers onto an established and beloved character. Long time fans of the series are left wondering: What happened to Jessica Fletcher?
Meanwhile in present day Cabot Cove, Jessica is drawn into another murder case when a woman posing as a high school student is killed after trying to probe Jessica for information on the Reavis case. The victim turns out to be the daughter of the deceased principal, Ginny Genaway, née Reavis. The bodies began to pile up as Jessica investigates with the help of Mort, Seth, Harry McGraw, and a little time reminiscing with Amos Tupper, the former sheriff of Cabot Cove.
While it’s understandable that Land and Penguin Random House would want to update the character to draw in new readers, it does not seem plausible that anyone would believe a 60-something year old woman would chase after a criminal who just murdered someone with no weapon or backup. It also doesn’t seem plausible that the same 60-something year old woman would later confront the gun-wielding offender In a lighthouse without police backup. When the offender is shoved by a woman she has taken hostage, Jessica goes tumbling down the stairs of the lighthouse and engages in a struggle with the offender. The climax of the book involves a freighter crashing through part of the lighthouse and then conveniently into the suspect. Jessica runs back into the collapsing lighthouse to save the hostage, which involves her grabbing the hostage and sliding down a rope with her until they swing onto the deck of the freighter to escape the collapsing lighthouse. It is all so outlandish that it stretches credulity to the point that it shatters and the reader is left scratching their head in horrified wonderment.
Land’s fourth attempt at the Murder, She Wrote series shows that he doesn’t comprehend what makes the character of Jessica Fletcher so enduring. Jessica Fletcher of the tv series and the previous books solved crimes by being observant, caring, and often outsmarting the criminals with her intelligence and wit. The Jessica Fletcher of Land’s creation is often verbally harsh, socially withdrawn, and exhibits poor decision making skills as she throws herself into dangerous situations without thinking of the potential consequences.
Overall, it feels like Land is superimposing one of the characters from his thrillers onto an established and beloved character. Long time fans of the series are left wondering: What happened to Jessica Fletcher?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2020
I can't give a book zero stars. I would've done that for this book.
Once again, Jon Land makes Jessica Fletcher, Seth Hazlitt and Mort Metzger rude, mean, bitter, bickering people. That is just not true to the original spirit and tone of the series.
The mystery in this book is better than many of Land's earlier efforts in this series - until the end. Suddenly Jessica Fletcher is no longer an elderly author/amateur sleuth but Jason Bourne. Ridiculous!
I have felt that Jon Land is a poor fit to author this series, and I continue to believe that.
Once again, Jon Land makes Jessica Fletcher, Seth Hazlitt and Mort Metzger rude, mean, bitter, bickering people. That is just not true to the original spirit and tone of the series.
The mystery in this book is better than many of Land's earlier efforts in this series - until the end. Suddenly Jessica Fletcher is no longer an elderly author/amateur sleuth but Jason Bourne. Ridiculous!
I have felt that Jon Land is a poor fit to author this series, and I continue to believe that.
November 26, 2019
When Jessica Fletcher sits down to be interviewed by a student from Cabot Cove High School, she is surprised to find the student bringing up Jessica’s first time solving a murder. No, it wasn’t at the launch party of her first book, but it was twenty-five years ago when she, her husband Frank, and their nephew Grady were living in Appleton, Maine. The principal where Jessica was a substitute English teacher was murdered, and Jessica helped solve the case. Jessica usually doesn’t talk about it, and she deflects again, but when she goes to apologize to the student later, she discovers that the woman who interviewed her wasn’t a student at the high school at all. Who interviewed her? What is her interest in the case?
Going into this book, I was concerned that this book was going to contradict things established in the pilot episode of the TV show, but it does a good job of explaining things so that this doesn’t happen. We do spend part of the book in the past, and all the transitions are easy to follow. I found both mysteries, past and present, to be very compelling, and I couldn’t put the book down until I reached the climax. Unfortunately, the climax is a bit over the top, which has happened in the books I’ve read in the series. Likewise, I did find that Jessica, Mort, and Seth spent more time sniping at each other than I remembered from most episodes of the show. On the other hand, Jessica has stopped swearing, which was a welcome return to normalcy for the character. This book is the fiftieth novel based on the show, and as a result manages to work in a few Easter Eggs that fans will enjoy. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this entry.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Going into this book, I was concerned that this book was going to contradict things established in the pilot episode of the TV show, but it does a good job of explaining things so that this doesn’t happen. We do spend part of the book in the past, and all the transitions are easy to follow. I found both mysteries, past and present, to be very compelling, and I couldn’t put the book down until I reached the climax. Unfortunately, the climax is a bit over the top, which has happened in the books I’ve read in the series. Likewise, I did find that Jessica, Mort, and Seth spent more time sniping at each other than I remembered from most episodes of the show. On the other hand, Jessica has stopped swearing, which was a welcome return to normalcy for the character. This book is the fiftieth novel based on the show, and as a result manages to work in a few Easter Eggs that fans will enjoy. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this entry.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
February 10, 2020
What was a fun story was ruined for me by the constant (and I mean every time the main characters talked to each other) sarcasm. A little sass and banter between friends is fun, but this was just annoying in my opinion. Really hoping the next one is toned down! You would think none of them even liked each other!
December 16, 2019
An interview with a high school journalist reminds Jessica Fletcher of her first case--before she was a famous novelist, and when her beloved husband was still alive. It's a case that came so close to home that she has never discussed it. Then she finds that the high school girl who interviewed her was an imposter who is soon found murdered. Was she wrong all those years ago? But the culprit confessed! Soon she learns of another possible murder, of the dead woman's sister, that took place more than a decade ago. Is someone trying to kill off the whole family? As she explains the old case to friends Mort and Seth, the current case outlines in her present day, until the murderer strikes again. This is a superior entry into the series, marred only by the slowness both Jessica and the others display in figuring out the ripped headline that reveals the true culprit.
December 17, 2019
Well loyal readers, the time has finally come! The 50th Jessica Fletcher Murder, She Wrote novel has arrived!! Author Jon Land, who took over the creation of this series a few years back, has slid so easily into the driver's seat and allowed fans to not miss a single Cabot Cove slice of pie at the local diner --- or an occasional murder or two.
In addition to this being the 50th title in the popular Jessica Fletcher murder mystery series, an achievement that is not lost on author Jon Land, who has put more than a few very unpredictable twists into this novel. A TIME FOR MURDER kicks off with one of my favorite literary quotes of all-time --- from the late, great P.D. James: 'What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.' That pretty much says it all and sets the tone for Jessica Fletcher's latest murder mystery.
There was one particular passage in this novel that, for me, cut directly to the heart of this engaging story: 'If Ginny's suspicions had proved correct, that would mean my first murder investigation had sent the wrong person to jail, that I'd convinced myself, Amos Tupper, and an entire town that an innocent person was the guilty party. And that meant I now had another reason to get to the bottom of what Ginny had been after...'. I will leave that hanging there for the moment as the rest of my review will fill in the blanks around this statement that haunts Jessica Fletcher.
A TIME FOR MURDER jumps back and forth in time, twenty-five years to be exact, more than any other MURDER, SHE WROTE novel in recent memory. It starts out with Jessica being interviewed for an article that will be featured in the local High School newspaper. Kristi Powell of the Cabot Cove High School Eagle shows off interviewing techniques that rival those of professional media-types, and she seems to keep wanting to steer the interview towards a murder investigation that took place in another town twenty-five years earlier. Jessica states that she never comments on that case, initially for legal reasons as her testimony was involved in the end results, but also for personal reasons as she has no desire to put that town through an event they have long sought to forget. The town was Appleton, not far from her home in Cabot Cove, and the murder of the High School Principal there occurred while she was a substitute English teacher.
Even though she rebuffs the High School reporter, her questions open up a floodgate of memories and emotions for Jessica --- hence, the shifts in time between then and now throughout the novel. It takes her back to a time when her husband Frank was still alive and they were raising their nephew, Grady, under their roof. More precisely, her flashbacks bring her back to that fateful afternoon where Principal Walter Reavis was killed by a blow to the back of his head. The murder weapon was an object in his office and Jessica was one of the last people to see him alive. This helps the police with narrowing down the time-frame for the murder and thus providing them with a small handful of individuals who were captured on camera as being in and around the school at that time. In the end, a young man by the name of Tyler Benjamin --- star of the football team with a track record full of behavioral issues.
This trip down memory lane so bothered Jessica Fletcher that she contacted the current High School Principal to request a meeting again with Kristi Powell. When she is brought into a class that Kristi was attending, Jessica was shocked to find that the young woman she was introduced to was not the same Kristi Powell that she had just met with. Now, Jessica was firmly invested in finding out who the mystery interviewer was in addition to her beginning to question her own thoughts that helped a murder investigation eventually convict someone she knew in her heart was innocent.
Jessica does not have to wait long as her friend, Sheriff Mort Metzger, informs her that a young woman was found shot to death in a parked vehicle. The person she had met who called herself Kristi Powell was actually in her early thirties and fingerprint records brought back her name as actually being Ginny Genaway. Further digging provided an even more interesting revelation --- Ginny's pre-marriage surname was Reavis and she was the daughter of murdered High School Principal Walter Reavis. Now, Jessica's head was really spinning as she realizes that the daughter of Walter Reavis trying to prod her for details of a twenty-five-year-old crime could only further support her feelings that the real murderer had never been convicted.
In addition to her usual partnerships with Sheriff Metzger and local physician Seth Hazlitt, Jessica also reaches out to the Detective she had met during the Reavis murder case --- Amos Tupper. In particular, the passages with Jessica and Tupper are most enlightening as each of them are forced to go way back in time to a case that never really sat right with either of them. The present-day murder of Ginny Genaway further supports the fact that Jessica and Tupper need to dig further and act quickly as the real murder from long ago was clearly still out there and had no issue resorting to more murder that will silence anyone seeking revenge or retribution.
A TIME FOR MURDER is another stellar entry in this long-standing series and more than worthy of carrying the mantle of 50th release. Readers will thoroughly enjoy the time jumps as they help to ramp up the suspense level to almost unbearable levels with the end result being a breath-taking finale that most will not see coming. I was happy to lose myself within this novel and love the ease in which the recurring characters speak with one another. I particularly enjoyed when Dr. Hazlitt mentioned that Cabot Cove had once been a near crime-free town where residents rarely locked their front doors at night. He meant no harm with this comment, but it clearly impacted Jessica. I guess if you're looking for a cozy New England weekend you might pick a safer locale where the local author-in-residence does not attract murder like a magnet and cross Cabot Cove off your future vacation list!
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
In addition to this being the 50th title in the popular Jessica Fletcher murder mystery series, an achievement that is not lost on author Jon Land, who has put more than a few very unpredictable twists into this novel. A TIME FOR MURDER kicks off with one of my favorite literary quotes of all-time --- from the late, great P.D. James: 'What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.' That pretty much says it all and sets the tone for Jessica Fletcher's latest murder mystery.
There was one particular passage in this novel that, for me, cut directly to the heart of this engaging story: 'If Ginny's suspicions had proved correct, that would mean my first murder investigation had sent the wrong person to jail, that I'd convinced myself, Amos Tupper, and an entire town that an innocent person was the guilty party. And that meant I now had another reason to get to the bottom of what Ginny had been after...'. I will leave that hanging there for the moment as the rest of my review will fill in the blanks around this statement that haunts Jessica Fletcher.
A TIME FOR MURDER jumps back and forth in time, twenty-five years to be exact, more than any other MURDER, SHE WROTE novel in recent memory. It starts out with Jessica being interviewed for an article that will be featured in the local High School newspaper. Kristi Powell of the Cabot Cove High School Eagle shows off interviewing techniques that rival those of professional media-types, and she seems to keep wanting to steer the interview towards a murder investigation that took place in another town twenty-five years earlier. Jessica states that she never comments on that case, initially for legal reasons as her testimony was involved in the end results, but also for personal reasons as she has no desire to put that town through an event they have long sought to forget. The town was Appleton, not far from her home in Cabot Cove, and the murder of the High School Principal there occurred while she was a substitute English teacher.
Even though she rebuffs the High School reporter, her questions open up a floodgate of memories and emotions for Jessica --- hence, the shifts in time between then and now throughout the novel. It takes her back to a time when her husband Frank was still alive and they were raising their nephew, Grady, under their roof. More precisely, her flashbacks bring her back to that fateful afternoon where Principal Walter Reavis was killed by a blow to the back of his head. The murder weapon was an object in his office and Jessica was one of the last people to see him alive. This helps the police with narrowing down the time-frame for the murder and thus providing them with a small handful of individuals who were captured on camera as being in and around the school at that time. In the end, a young man by the name of Tyler Benjamin --- star of the football team with a track record full of behavioral issues.
This trip down memory lane so bothered Jessica Fletcher that she contacted the current High School Principal to request a meeting again with Kristi Powell. When she is brought into a class that Kristi was attending, Jessica was shocked to find that the young woman she was introduced to was not the same Kristi Powell that she had just met with. Now, Jessica was firmly invested in finding out who the mystery interviewer was in addition to her beginning to question her own thoughts that helped a murder investigation eventually convict someone she knew in her heart was innocent.
Jessica does not have to wait long as her friend, Sheriff Mort Metzger, informs her that a young woman was found shot to death in a parked vehicle. The person she had met who called herself Kristi Powell was actually in her early thirties and fingerprint records brought back her name as actually being Ginny Genaway. Further digging provided an even more interesting revelation --- Ginny's pre-marriage surname was Reavis and she was the daughter of murdered High School Principal Walter Reavis. Now, Jessica's head was really spinning as she realizes that the daughter of Walter Reavis trying to prod her for details of a twenty-five-year-old crime could only further support her feelings that the real murderer had never been convicted.
In addition to her usual partnerships with Sheriff Metzger and local physician Seth Hazlitt, Jessica also reaches out to the Detective she had met during the Reavis murder case --- Amos Tupper. In particular, the passages with Jessica and Tupper are most enlightening as each of them are forced to go way back in time to a case that never really sat right with either of them. The present-day murder of Ginny Genaway further supports the fact that Jessica and Tupper need to dig further and act quickly as the real murder from long ago was clearly still out there and had no issue resorting to more murder that will silence anyone seeking revenge or retribution.
A TIME FOR MURDER is another stellar entry in this long-standing series and more than worthy of carrying the mantle of 50th release. Readers will thoroughly enjoy the time jumps as they help to ramp up the suspense level to almost unbearable levels with the end result being a breath-taking finale that most will not see coming. I was happy to lose myself within this novel and love the ease in which the recurring characters speak with one another. I particularly enjoyed when Dr. Hazlitt mentioned that Cabot Cove had once been a near crime-free town where residents rarely locked their front doors at night. He meant no harm with this comment, but it clearly impacted Jessica. I guess if you're looking for a cozy New England weekend you might pick a safer locale where the local author-in-residence does not attract murder like a magnet and cross Cabot Cove off your future vacation list!
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
October 1, 2024
I'm very much a mood reader. When this book first popped up on store shelves I happily bought it - in hardback - though I hardly ever do that. Then I brought it home and started reading, adn it just didn't work for me. I wanted to dive into Jessica's past, not skip back and forth between two timelines. I wanted to be immersed in her life as a married teacher raising a nephew and solving her first-ever murder case. And that's not how this book went. So I stopped reading and gradually the book migrated to the far back reaches of my book case. Now, years later, I've pulled it out to give it a try, and I really enjoyed it.
Yes, this book bounces between two timelines, but as the story unfolds we get Jessica, Seth, Mort and Amos, as well as little glimpses of Frank and Grady. The mystery was truly puzzling with a number of logical suspects and it unfolded in an entertaining way. Occasionally Jessica missed something I thought she should have figured out sooner, the ending got a bit dramatic for my taste, and the writing was only competent, so I can't give it five stars. But I did thoroughly enjoy this trip down memory lane in Cabot Cove.
Yes, this book bounces between two timelines, but as the story unfolds we get Jessica, Seth, Mort and Amos, as well as little glimpses of Frank and Grady. The mystery was truly puzzling with a number of logical suspects and it unfolded in an entertaining way. Occasionally Jessica missed something I thought she should have figured out sooner, the ending got a bit dramatic for my taste, and the writing was only competent, so I can't give it five stars. But I did thoroughly enjoy this trip down memory lane in Cabot Cove.
August 30, 2019
I've read several of the MSW books before, all of the previous ones have been penned by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain. This was my first Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land. I have to say, I'm probably biased, but based on this one, I am more of a fan of the Donald Bain ones.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this one, I did, for the most part! There were several positive aspects to this installment. The first thing that I really enjoyed was that this was a dual-murder mystery and we get to flashback to twenty-five years prior to seeing how Jessica and Amos teamed up and solved their first murder. It was entertaining to attempt to solve two murders at once and to see how each one fed the other. It was enjoyable to see Jessica as a teacher. It was heartwarming to get moments of Jessica with Frank and Grady and to see how she came to move to Cabot Cove and to live in her amazing home at 698 Candlewood Lane.
As a megafan of both the television show and the book series, it was also neat to see the characters refer back to prior murders that took place for those of us who have been watching and reading for a while now.
The book overall was well-written despite the fact that there were a few glaring grammatical and spelling errors, but honestly, I tend to find at least one of those in every cozy mystery that I read. And really, who am I to talk, just read any of my reviews to see me call the kettle black. The characters felt true to the show as well as the previous books that I have read. Jessica spoke and acted like Jessica and there were the same "Maine-isms" tossed in ayuh that I'll just never get. I was able to solve one of the murders, but couldn't get a hand on the other one, which made the book compulsively readable right up to the end.
Now, speaking of the end, let's get on to the things I didn't so much like about this book. Not giving away any spoilers, I just have to say that a certain aspect of the ending felt entirely unbelievable and totally forced. It felt like something that was more akin to an action movie starring The Rock than a cozy mystery. It was excessive, far-fetched, and a little too inconceivable, even for an installment of Murder, She Wrote, which admittedly did have some "wait, whaaaat?!" moments over the years (remember the episode where the dog was the murderer!)
Now, I know I said earlier that Land seemed to have a good handle on how Jessica spoke and acted, but there was one moment that made me pause, stop, re-read, and grow furious. About 75% of the way through the book:
"She was taller than I, and I'd forgotten how strong she was, given she'd once pushed my car from a snow drift while I stayed behind the wheel working the gas pedal."
As if that wasn't enough blasphemy for any MSW fan, literally the very next page has Jessica and Wilma talking about how Jessica bikes all over Cabot Cove and...NEVER DRIVES! This is like that Monk book where he drinks milk all over again!!!
Overall, all things considered, I did enjoy this book and I will be reading more of the Jon Land MSWs that come out. This book is scheduled to be released on November 26, 2019.
Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a preview copy. In exchange, I have given an honest review.
February 14, 2020
This book started off ok: the author made attempts to be true to the characters that are so well-established, it was interesting to see Jessica’s past explored in a new way, and references were made to episodes of the tv series. I also loved the idea of the story within the story, the way the reader solved two mysteries at once.
While this book was leaps and bounds better than the last two, it still wasn’t good. It barely gets 2 stars from me.
Will I read another one? I will consider it, since the author did make significant improvements this time around. I just hope he remembers these are supposed to be “cozy” mysteries.
While this book was leaps and bounds better than the last two, it still wasn’t good. It barely gets 2 stars from me.
Will I read another one? I will consider it, since the author did make significant improvements this time around. I just hope he remembers these are supposed to be “cozy” mysteries.
January 14, 2020
https://openbooksociety.com/article/a...
A Time for Murder
Murder She Wrote #50
By Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land
ISBN 9781984804303
www.jonlandbooks.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
In the fiftieth entry in this USA Today bestselling series, two timelines converge as Jessica Fletcher returns to high school to investigate the murder of an old colleague, while we meet Jessica as a young teacher solving her very first murder–that of the high school principal.
Young Jessica Fletcher’s life couldn’t be more ordinary. She teaches at the local high school while she and her loving husband, Frank, are raising their nephew Grady together. But when the beloved principal dies under mysterious circumstances, Jessica knows something is off and, for the very first time, investigates a death.
Present-day Jessica returns to high school for a colleague’s retirement party and has fun seeing familiar faces. That is, until the colleague winds up dead–and her death has mysterious links to Jessica’s very first murder case.
With nothing but her own instincts to guide her, Jessica embarks on a quest to find out what really happened all those years ago and who’s behind these murders. Because time is running out to catch this killer….
Review:
Rarely does a mystery series reach the milestone of fifty books! And this milestone is an outstanding, stunning, fast-paced, and compelling read. One does not have to read the mysteries in order, each can be read as a standalone Jessica Fletcher, bestselling mystery author, lets us see part of her life that was previously kept private. Characters are developed well throughout, and we enjoy seeing her friend, long-term PI, Harry McGraw, and retired Cabot Cove sheriff, Amos Tupper. Jessica opens up about the real first murder she solved in Appleton, Maine, in conjunction with Amos, who was an Appleton detective in his first murder case.
Jessica was contacted by a teen from the Cabot Cove high school newspaper, wanting to do an article on her. At one time, Jessica had taught there until her writing career took off. When Kristi, the reporter, asked pointed questions about her time teaching in Appleton, Jessica didn’t want to talk about it for various reasons. It seems Kristi found out that the first mystery Jessica solved was there rather where most folks assumed, in London, where the first Murder She Wrote book was centered.
Jessica later had a change of heart and wanted to give Kristi more information. What better way to share the truth than to give an award-winning high school reporter who acted and dressed as a polished professional a big scoop? When she went to the high school, however, the principal took her to meet Kristi. The real Kristi, who had never even heard of Jessica. Who had she been interviewed by? Jessica talked with current sheriff, Mort Metzger and began to research who the girl might have been. Jessica worked on a special software program until very late and called Mort when she had a likeness of the girl she had met. Mort got the text that a young woman was found dead in her car, her description matching the woman Jessica met. When the fingerprints came back, they learned it was Ginny Genaway, daughter of the principal of Appleton High School and ex-wife of a mob boss from Boston and now serving life in prison.
Jessica and her late husband Frank had once lived in Appleton. He gave flying lessons and Jessica was a substitute teacher at the high school. The principal, Walter Reavis, saw something in Jessica that he valued as an educator, and set up a time for them to meet one afternoon in hopes that he could give her a full-time teaching position in the English department. When going to his office to meet, she heard his voice outside his door, on a heated phone call in which he finally said, “Over my dead body”. She left without meeting him that afternoon, planning to see him first thing the next morning rather than risk embarrassing him about the phone call. Except that for Reavis, tomorrow never came.
When Frank brought her to work the next day, she learned that Walter Reavis was dead, possibly murdered. She brought the phone call she overheard to the attention of a police officer, who introduced her to the only detective in town, Amos Tupper, for whom working a murder case was a first. Jessica’s skills of observation and putting information together began the start of a beautiful working relationship that lasted until Amos retired. What a crazy tragedy, with Reavis’ younger daughter being murdered 25 years after his untimely death!
Jessica, Mort, and their long-time friend Dr. Seth Hazlitt do what they do best with the help of Harry, her long-suffering friend and PI who never sends her a bill. She talks with Amos by phone, as he is now in Kentucky, and discuss their first murder and how it could relate to the present. We meet one of the teachers Jessica worked with in Appleton, Wilma, whose retirement party she was invited to the following Saturday.
Jessica is still awaiting completion of the rebuilding of the home she and Frank had purchased in Cabot Cove all those years ago, damaged by fire by the bad guys from another case. This mystery takes her back to Appleton, as well as to the lighthouse Reavis’ ex-wife now worked at, and the state prison where Ginny’s ex-husband Vic is incarcerated. She even has protection from the mob, as he wants justice for Ginny.
Plot twists and turns keep this impressive story moving! I appreciate Jessica’s gift of observing and putting together clues, how well organized her thinking process is, and the details that most people would miss (or not include in the novel). I enjoyed learning a little about Jessica’s life with Frank and Grady, and the easy banter she has with Harry, Mort, Seth, and Amos. I did guess a little bit of the solution, the full scope of it was still a surprise! While I question the athleticism displayed by Jessica, whose age I am guessing at, I won’t discount the phenomenon of the adrenaline rush pushing her through some of the final scenes. Under the new authorship of Jon Land, this is not your mama’s Jessica Fletcher! She is a 21st-century woman, even if she doesn’t have a driver’s license, and will be a favorite for years to come. I highly recommend it!
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
A Time for Murder
Murder She Wrote #50
By Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land
ISBN 9781984804303
www.jonlandbooks.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
In the fiftieth entry in this USA Today bestselling series, two timelines converge as Jessica Fletcher returns to high school to investigate the murder of an old colleague, while we meet Jessica as a young teacher solving her very first murder–that of the high school principal.
Young Jessica Fletcher’s life couldn’t be more ordinary. She teaches at the local high school while she and her loving husband, Frank, are raising their nephew Grady together. But when the beloved principal dies under mysterious circumstances, Jessica knows something is off and, for the very first time, investigates a death.
Present-day Jessica returns to high school for a colleague’s retirement party and has fun seeing familiar faces. That is, until the colleague winds up dead–and her death has mysterious links to Jessica’s very first murder case.
With nothing but her own instincts to guide her, Jessica embarks on a quest to find out what really happened all those years ago and who’s behind these murders. Because time is running out to catch this killer….
Review:
Rarely does a mystery series reach the milestone of fifty books! And this milestone is an outstanding, stunning, fast-paced, and compelling read. One does not have to read the mysteries in order, each can be read as a standalone Jessica Fletcher, bestselling mystery author, lets us see part of her life that was previously kept private. Characters are developed well throughout, and we enjoy seeing her friend, long-term PI, Harry McGraw, and retired Cabot Cove sheriff, Amos Tupper. Jessica opens up about the real first murder she solved in Appleton, Maine, in conjunction with Amos, who was an Appleton detective in his first murder case.
Jessica was contacted by a teen from the Cabot Cove high school newspaper, wanting to do an article on her. At one time, Jessica had taught there until her writing career took off. When Kristi, the reporter, asked pointed questions about her time teaching in Appleton, Jessica didn’t want to talk about it for various reasons. It seems Kristi found out that the first mystery Jessica solved was there rather where most folks assumed, in London, where the first Murder She Wrote book was centered.
Jessica later had a change of heart and wanted to give Kristi more information. What better way to share the truth than to give an award-winning high school reporter who acted and dressed as a polished professional a big scoop? When she went to the high school, however, the principal took her to meet Kristi. The real Kristi, who had never even heard of Jessica. Who had she been interviewed by? Jessica talked with current sheriff, Mort Metzger and began to research who the girl might have been. Jessica worked on a special software program until very late and called Mort when she had a likeness of the girl she had met. Mort got the text that a young woman was found dead in her car, her description matching the woman Jessica met. When the fingerprints came back, they learned it was Ginny Genaway, daughter of the principal of Appleton High School and ex-wife of a mob boss from Boston and now serving life in prison.
Jessica and her late husband Frank had once lived in Appleton. He gave flying lessons and Jessica was a substitute teacher at the high school. The principal, Walter Reavis, saw something in Jessica that he valued as an educator, and set up a time for them to meet one afternoon in hopes that he could give her a full-time teaching position in the English department. When going to his office to meet, she heard his voice outside his door, on a heated phone call in which he finally said, “Over my dead body”. She left without meeting him that afternoon, planning to see him first thing the next morning rather than risk embarrassing him about the phone call. Except that for Reavis, tomorrow never came.
When Frank brought her to work the next day, she learned that Walter Reavis was dead, possibly murdered. She brought the phone call she overheard to the attention of a police officer, who introduced her to the only detective in town, Amos Tupper, for whom working a murder case was a first. Jessica’s skills of observation and putting information together began the start of a beautiful working relationship that lasted until Amos retired. What a crazy tragedy, with Reavis’ younger daughter being murdered 25 years after his untimely death!
Jessica, Mort, and their long-time friend Dr. Seth Hazlitt do what they do best with the help of Harry, her long-suffering friend and PI who never sends her a bill. She talks with Amos by phone, as he is now in Kentucky, and discuss their first murder and how it could relate to the present. We meet one of the teachers Jessica worked with in Appleton, Wilma, whose retirement party she was invited to the following Saturday.
Jessica is still awaiting completion of the rebuilding of the home she and Frank had purchased in Cabot Cove all those years ago, damaged by fire by the bad guys from another case. This mystery takes her back to Appleton, as well as to the lighthouse Reavis’ ex-wife now worked at, and the state prison where Ginny’s ex-husband Vic is incarcerated. She even has protection from the mob, as he wants justice for Ginny.
Plot twists and turns keep this impressive story moving! I appreciate Jessica’s gift of observing and putting together clues, how well organized her thinking process is, and the details that most people would miss (or not include in the novel). I enjoyed learning a little about Jessica’s life with Frank and Grady, and the easy banter she has with Harry, Mort, Seth, and Amos. I did guess a little bit of the solution, the full scope of it was still a surprise! While I question the athleticism displayed by Jessica, whose age I am guessing at, I won’t discount the phenomenon of the adrenaline rush pushing her through some of the final scenes. Under the new authorship of Jon Land, this is not your mama’s Jessica Fletcher! She is a 21st-century woman, even if she doesn’t have a driver’s license, and will be a favorite for years to come. I highly recommend it!
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
December 13, 2019
"A Time for Murder" is a cozy mystery. This is the 50th book in the series. You don't have to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this one doesn't spoil the whodunit of previous novels.
The book had two mysteries: Jessica's first murder investigation which occurred 25 years ago and one that was happening currently. The old murder was told a bit at a time, explaining the clues as Jessica spotted them. Whodunit was a strong suspect, but I couldn't be sure until the final clues that Jessica revealed as the murder was arrested.
The current murder case was connected to that old case because the murdered man's daughter was investigating that murder when she was killed. The characters bantered with each other as they traveled around asking questions and tracking down clues. The current case was solved more by a sudden insight than with clues and evidence, though I did guess whodunit as a possibility.
I enjoyed the book until the unbelievable, adventure-movie-style ending. Jessica is apparently a superwoman in disguise, and we didn't know it. The ending was also left so that we don't know if whodunit is actually arrested, which I didn't find satisfying. There was no sex. There was one use of mild bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
The book had two mysteries: Jessica's first murder investigation which occurred 25 years ago and one that was happening currently. The old murder was told a bit at a time, explaining the clues as Jessica spotted them. Whodunit was a strong suspect, but I couldn't be sure until the final clues that Jessica revealed as the murder was arrested.
The current murder case was connected to that old case because the murdered man's daughter was investigating that murder when she was killed. The characters bantered with each other as they traveled around asking questions and tracking down clues. The current case was solved more by a sudden insight than with clues and evidence, though I did guess whodunit as a possibility.
I enjoyed the book until the unbelievable, adventure-movie-style ending. Jessica is apparently a superwoman in disguise, and we didn't know it. The ending was also left so that we don't know if whodunit is actually arrested, which I didn't find satisfying. There was no sex. There was one use of mild bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
December 4, 2019
Split book - past and present. I'm not a big fan of that style but the book was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Donald Bain had a "cozier" writing style than Jon Land's and, while I have read and enjoyed the newer titles written by Jon Land, I am more partial to Donald Bain's writing style.
It's always fun to see what Jessica is up to, but when I get to catch up with the Cabot Cove regulars at the same time, that makes the reading even more enjoyable.
This is the 50th book in the series. Hopefully, we'll be reading many more in the years to come.
Donald Bain had a "cozier" writing style than Jon Land's and, while I have read and enjoyed the newer titles written by Jon Land, I am more partial to Donald Bain's writing style.
It's always fun to see what Jessica is up to, but when I get to catch up with the Cabot Cove regulars at the same time, that makes the reading even more enjoyable.
This is the 50th book in the series. Hopefully, we'll be reading many more in the years to come.
October 29, 2021
This was an instant favorite for me from the series. The 50th installment had just the right combination of mystery, familiar faces and all the things that make me adore Jessica Fletcher and the Murder, She Wrote series. The current day mystery paralleling Jessica's case from 25 years prior was a fun read and kept me guessing. I liked seeing an old friend and mentions of some of the classic episodes from the show. I was a little scared at how the series would go with the new author but this particular story was excellent. Looking forward to more adventures with Jessica.
January 8, 2020
This just didn’t feel like a MSW book. In the Donald Bain versions I could envision Angela Lansbury talking. In this one Jessica came across as someone else. Some of the things that ruined it for me :
Since when was she ever bothered by being called Mrs F ?
Frank taught her to fly ?
The ridiculous action scene
Yes we all know mort was in the nypd, no need to keep mentioning it
Her odd jabs about mort to Amos
The implication of still using a typewriter ??
The timeline of 25 years ago didn’t seem to fit.
I honestly had to skim over some of it.
Since when was she ever bothered by being called Mrs F ?
Frank taught her to fly ?
The ridiculous action scene
Yes we all know mort was in the nypd, no need to keep mentioning it
Her odd jabs about mort to Amos
The implication of still using a typewriter ??
The timeline of 25 years ago didn’t seem to fit.
I honestly had to skim over some of it.
January 27, 2021
Possibility the worse book in the series.
A let down for the 50th story.
From what I could make out Grady seems to be a child in the mid 1990s!
History and continuity from the TV show wrecked.
Strange and bizarre ending.
Best of all no George Sutherland I'm hoping the new author finally makes him a murder victim
A let down for the 50th story.
From what I could make out Grady seems to be a child in the mid 1990s!
History and continuity from the TV show wrecked.
Strange and bizarre ending.
Best of all no George Sutherland I'm hoping the new author finally makes him a murder victim
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2019
I love this fabulous 50th in series! It is a wonderful start to the next 25 years of Jessica’s adventures! In this stunning, intense mystery, Jessica takes us back to a place and time she rarely mentions – Appleton, Maine, when she and her late husband Frank were very happily married and raising their nephew, Grady. Characters are likable and well-developed. The mystery is challenging, culminating in an intense battle. The plot is finely detailed and executed.
Jessica meets with a student reporter from Cabot Cove High’s newspaper. The teen is dressed to portray an older, serious journalist. While Jessica is impressed with her demeanor and the information she has gathered about her, she doesn’t want to open that chapter of her life again. At least not to the public. Even the high school. She gently shut the door on those questions.
Jessica has been staying at Hill House while her home is being refinished. It was set on fire by killers a few months ago, and she misses that beautiful Cabot Cove home she shared all too briefly with Frank. Her mail at Hill House includes an invitation to the retirement party of Wilma, a fellow teacher from Appleton High School 25 years earlier, to be held this Saturday in Cabot Cove. It has been at least ten years since Jessica last saw Wilma, at a bookstore where a signing was held for one of her books. It might be fun to see everyone again.
After thinking it through, Jessica decided to give the young reporter something that will help the future of her career. It’s time to open the curtains on that happy time of her life, even if it does take her back to the first murder she investigated, long before that party in London celebrating her first book publication. When she went to the high school to find her, the young woman she was introduced to as the reporter is not the person who interviewed her. As she wonders who, and why, someone wants to learn about her past, Jessica discusses it with close friends, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt, who also happen to be her partners in crime-solving. That night, Mort learns that a woman matching that description is found murdered at a scenic overlook.
The young woman is Ginny Genaway, the younger daughter of Walter Reavis, the principal from Appleton High School and ex-wife of a mafia boss. Walter is also the subject of Jessica’s first murder investigation. How ironic that 25 years later, his younger daughter has met a similar fate.
I so enjoyed meeting the younger Jessica, who is as brilliant as she is today with her incredible talent to notice details that many would miss and connect dots before others even see them! I also enjoyed meeting Frank and a much younger Grady. A really fun surprise is that now-retired Cabot Cove sheriff, Amos Tupper, was a new detective in Appleton. Not only is it their first time working together, it is also Amos’ first murder investigation.
Jessica does has an amazing memory for the details of Reavis’ death and seeing what pieces might lead her to find his daughter Ginny’s murder. There are plot twists that left my head spinning, and while I had a feeling about much of the solution, I didn’t completely solve it. There were surprises throughout, with a powerful, incredible ending! I highly recommend this to everyone who is a fan of Jessica Fletcher, page-turning cozy mysteries set in Maine/ New England, with breathtaking moments and satisfying resolutions.
From a thankful heart: I received an early copy of this novel; a review was not required.
Jessica meets with a student reporter from Cabot Cove High’s newspaper. The teen is dressed to portray an older, serious journalist. While Jessica is impressed with her demeanor and the information she has gathered about her, she doesn’t want to open that chapter of her life again. At least not to the public. Even the high school. She gently shut the door on those questions.
Jessica has been staying at Hill House while her home is being refinished. It was set on fire by killers a few months ago, and she misses that beautiful Cabot Cove home she shared all too briefly with Frank. Her mail at Hill House includes an invitation to the retirement party of Wilma, a fellow teacher from Appleton High School 25 years earlier, to be held this Saturday in Cabot Cove. It has been at least ten years since Jessica last saw Wilma, at a bookstore where a signing was held for one of her books. It might be fun to see everyone again.
After thinking it through, Jessica decided to give the young reporter something that will help the future of her career. It’s time to open the curtains on that happy time of her life, even if it does take her back to the first murder she investigated, long before that party in London celebrating her first book publication. When she went to the high school to find her, the young woman she was introduced to as the reporter is not the person who interviewed her. As she wonders who, and why, someone wants to learn about her past, Jessica discusses it with close friends, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt, who also happen to be her partners in crime-solving. That night, Mort learns that a woman matching that description is found murdered at a scenic overlook.
The young woman is Ginny Genaway, the younger daughter of Walter Reavis, the principal from Appleton High School and ex-wife of a mafia boss. Walter is also the subject of Jessica’s first murder investigation. How ironic that 25 years later, his younger daughter has met a similar fate.
I so enjoyed meeting the younger Jessica, who is as brilliant as she is today with her incredible talent to notice details that many would miss and connect dots before others even see them! I also enjoyed meeting Frank and a much younger Grady. A really fun surprise is that now-retired Cabot Cove sheriff, Amos Tupper, was a new detective in Appleton. Not only is it their first time working together, it is also Amos’ first murder investigation.
Jessica does has an amazing memory for the details of Reavis’ death and seeing what pieces might lead her to find his daughter Ginny’s murder. There are plot twists that left my head spinning, and while I had a feeling about much of the solution, I didn’t completely solve it. There were surprises throughout, with a powerful, incredible ending! I highly recommend this to everyone who is a fan of Jessica Fletcher, page-turning cozy mysteries set in Maine/ New England, with breathtaking moments and satisfying resolutions.
From a thankful heart: I received an early copy of this novel; a review was not required.
May 10, 2020
Cassandra Gold - per RFS
.
Benvenute care Fenici alla tavola calda di Mara, di Cabot Cove. Quest’oggi la famosa Jessica Fletcher, seduta a un tavolino con Kristi, una studentessa del giornale studentesco della Cabot Cove High, sta per rilasciare un’intervista che la riporterà indietro di vent’anni. Un tempo in cui ancora non era la famosa scrittrice di gialli che tutti noi conosciamo, ma solo una supplente di Liceo. Un’epoca in cui viveva a Appletown, in cui suo marito Frank era ancora vivo e il piccolo Grady viveva con loro. A quei tempi ancora non poteva sapere in quale luogo gli eventi l’avrebbero condotta, un periodo in cui il preside del liceo di Appletown, Reavis, suo buon amico, perse la vita in un misterioso omicidio. Sarà proprio per scoprire quel mistero, che Jessica diverrà la donna e il detective che tutti noi conosciamo. Il passato ritorna e con esso, un nuovo mistero da risolvere.
Sono sempre stata molto appassionata dei casi risolti dalla famosa “Signora in giallo”, di misteri non soltanto pieni di suspense e creatività, ma anche di storie colme di sentimento segnate dalla consacrazione dei buoni valori. Jessica, una donna brillante, energica e non solo, è un membro stimato della società che, con acume e temerarietà, collabora con le forze dell’ordine insieme al suo amico Seth, stimato medico della zona. Sempre pronta a dare il proprio contributo alla città di Cabot Cove, non teme il suo stato di donna sola e affronta con coraggio le situazioni che la vita le pone di fronte. Durante la risoluzione dei casi possiamo seguire il filo conduttore del suo processo deduttivo, attraverso i passaggi che lei compie. La sua cultura e la sua preparazione accademica sono per lei fondamentali; il suo spirito d’osservazione la conduce là, dove spesso i suoi colleghi delle forze dell’ordine, hanno difficoltà ad andare. Modesta e discreta, non si arrogherà mai il diritto di reclamare un’indagine come suo prodotto esecutivo, ma cederà volentieri il passo ai suoi amici detective e poliziotti, ben felice di apparire solo come spalla. Lei invece è la mente creativa volta alla risoluzione del caso, sebbene sia soddisfatta semplicemente di apportare un significativo contributo alla società.
Un libro adatto per lettori dai quattordici anni in su, se non altro per le implicazioni legate al tipo di delitto, nel quale l’aspetto psicologico è in questo caso prevalente e fondamentale.
A presto care Fenici, vi auguro una buona lettura con la nostra Jessica. Un caro saluto dalla bella e accogliente Cabot Cove. Restate a casa e gustatevi questo mirabile caso risolto dalla nostra abilissima detective.
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Benvenute care Fenici alla tavola calda di Mara, di Cabot Cove. Quest’oggi la famosa Jessica Fletcher, seduta a un tavolino con Kristi, una studentessa del giornale studentesco della Cabot Cove High, sta per rilasciare un’intervista che la riporterà indietro di vent’anni. Un tempo in cui ancora non era la famosa scrittrice di gialli che tutti noi conosciamo, ma solo una supplente di Liceo. Un’epoca in cui viveva a Appletown, in cui suo marito Frank era ancora vivo e il piccolo Grady viveva con loro. A quei tempi ancora non poteva sapere in quale luogo gli eventi l’avrebbero condotta, un periodo in cui il preside del liceo di Appletown, Reavis, suo buon amico, perse la vita in un misterioso omicidio. Sarà proprio per scoprire quel mistero, che Jessica diverrà la donna e il detective che tutti noi conosciamo. Il passato ritorna e con esso, un nuovo mistero da risolvere.
Sono sempre stata molto appassionata dei casi risolti dalla famosa “Signora in giallo”, di misteri non soltanto pieni di suspense e creatività, ma anche di storie colme di sentimento segnate dalla consacrazione dei buoni valori. Jessica, una donna brillante, energica e non solo, è un membro stimato della società che, con acume e temerarietà, collabora con le forze dell’ordine insieme al suo amico Seth, stimato medico della zona. Sempre pronta a dare il proprio contributo alla città di Cabot Cove, non teme il suo stato di donna sola e affronta con coraggio le situazioni che la vita le pone di fronte. Durante la risoluzione dei casi possiamo seguire il filo conduttore del suo processo deduttivo, attraverso i passaggi che lei compie. La sua cultura e la sua preparazione accademica sono per lei fondamentali; il suo spirito d’osservazione la conduce là, dove spesso i suoi colleghi delle forze dell’ordine, hanno difficoltà ad andare. Modesta e discreta, non si arrogherà mai il diritto di reclamare un’indagine come suo prodotto esecutivo, ma cederà volentieri il passo ai suoi amici detective e poliziotti, ben felice di apparire solo come spalla. Lei invece è la mente creativa volta alla risoluzione del caso, sebbene sia soddisfatta semplicemente di apportare un significativo contributo alla società.
Un libro adatto per lettori dai quattordici anni in su, se non altro per le implicazioni legate al tipo di delitto, nel quale l’aspetto psicologico è in questo caso prevalente e fondamentale.
A presto care Fenici, vi auguro una buona lettura con la nostra Jessica. Un caro saluto dalla bella e accogliente Cabot Cove. Restate a casa e gustatevi questo mirabile caso risolto dalla nostra abilissima detective.
February 6, 2020
I have read just two or three of the Murder She Wrote books, but I used to love the TV show and still catch it when I can find it on one of the retro stations. This book, the fiftieth in the series, was interesting for its circular nature. We learn about two mysteries at once: the present odd events and murders, all of which seem to lead back twenty five years to Mrs. Fletcher's first experience with real life murder and sleuthing, and back again to the present. Characters from the past show up in spirit and in reality from that long ago time when Jessica Fletcher was a high school substitute English teacher. I enjoyed learning about her past, her rather short but very loving marriage to husband Frank, her ward and nephew, and her move to Cabot Cove, Maine. I liked Jessica's reflective nature, sometimes sad, and not always jolly as you sometimes see in this type of mystery. I appreciated the attitude of the various law enforcement personnel who would solicit her help instead of considering her a pest, as some other older female smart sleuths are regarded in other novels. There are plenty of twists and turns in this book to have kept me turning the pages! I don't mind having to suspend belief and disregard certain unrealistic circumstances that figure in a story as long as there aren't too many of them. If the story is good, the plot thoughtful enough to keep me interested but not confused, and the cast of characters satisfying, I am happy.
November 30, 2019
The 50th Murder She Wrote whodunit, “A Time for Murder,” is a unique blend of nostalgia and mystery.
Land turns the clock back for America’s favorite fictional sleuth and busybody, Jessica Fletcher, as she solves her very first mystery before moving to the infamous town of Cabot Cove, ME. The satisfying narrative introduces readers to Jessica’s early life in Appleton, ME before she moved to Cabot Cove with her husband Frank Fletcher. Jessica, then a young high school English teacher, stumbles across the dead body of the beloved principal and is embroiled in a real life investigation.
When she is invited to a present-day high school colleague’s retirement party, and said colleague turns up dead, Jessica learns that the murder is connected to the twenty-year-old case in Appleton.
Land handles the solid plot of both murders nicely, shifting time frames between Jessica’s lives in both Maine towns.
When memorable faces from the TV and book series start to show up in the novel, Murder She Wrote fans will find a lot to enjoy in Land’s newest tour de force. It is a gratifying read from start to finish.
Land turns the clock back for America’s favorite fictional sleuth and busybody, Jessica Fletcher, as she solves her very first mystery before moving to the infamous town of Cabot Cove, ME. The satisfying narrative introduces readers to Jessica’s early life in Appleton, ME before she moved to Cabot Cove with her husband Frank Fletcher. Jessica, then a young high school English teacher, stumbles across the dead body of the beloved principal and is embroiled in a real life investigation.
When she is invited to a present-day high school colleague’s retirement party, and said colleague turns up dead, Jessica learns that the murder is connected to the twenty-year-old case in Appleton.
Land handles the solid plot of both murders nicely, shifting time frames between Jessica’s lives in both Maine towns.
When memorable faces from the TV and book series start to show up in the novel, Murder She Wrote fans will find a lot to enjoy in Land’s newest tour de force. It is a gratifying read from start to finish.
February 24, 2020
“A Time for Murder” is, believe it or not, the 50th installment in the beloved Murder, She Wrote book series. Bestselling author Jon Land has been the creator of the last three installments and has brought to the series some truly memorable thriller elements. With “A Time for Murder,” Land explores the start of Jessica’s very first murder as well as her personal life with husband, Frank and nephew, Grady.
In a word, this book is a “Masterpiece.” Land captured the essence of a Murder, She Wrote T.V. episode, and placed it into a book format that fans want, offering much more in regards to Jessica’s own life.
We are taken back to Appleton, Maine, where Jessica was working as a substitute teacher. It was then that the principal of the school was murdered. Jessica and Detective Amos Tupper (yes, that Amos Tupper) come together for the first time to solve the crime.
Jump 25 years into the future and another murder occurs that links back to the Appleton murder. Land puts together an incredibly tangled mystery that has many layers. We call Land a thriller writer but with, “A Time for Murder,” he has put his name on the short list of the top mystery whodunit authors of today.
Run, don’t walk, in order to scoop this one up. The only mystery should be when the next installment is coming out and how long we’ll have to wait for it!
In a word, this book is a “Masterpiece.” Land captured the essence of a Murder, She Wrote T.V. episode, and placed it into a book format that fans want, offering much more in regards to Jessica’s own life.
We are taken back to Appleton, Maine, where Jessica was working as a substitute teacher. It was then that the principal of the school was murdered. Jessica and Detective Amos Tupper (yes, that Amos Tupper) come together for the first time to solve the crime.
Jump 25 years into the future and another murder occurs that links back to the Appleton murder. Land puts together an incredibly tangled mystery that has many layers. We call Land a thriller writer but with, “A Time for Murder,” he has put his name on the short list of the top mystery whodunit authors of today.
Run, don’t walk, in order to scoop this one up. The only mystery should be when the next installment is coming out and how long we’ll have to wait for it!
January 12, 2020
I just finished A Time for Murder, the 50th book in the Murder, She Wrote series. I've watched the 12 seasons of Murder, She Wrote on television twice. I thought the portrayal of the main characters were a disappointment. The following is the first example I came upon early in the book when Jessica is thinking about the time she and Frank first met and her characterization of each other. "Two single adults who might have appeared lonely to others..." Jessica Fletcher was anything but lonely. She was an extremely outgoing, enthusiastic woman with lots of friends. Other characters were off also.
I also thought the book was a bit amateurish. I even read the following to my husband when the murder victim screamed into the phone, "Over my dead body." Well, that was a dead giveaway as to who would be murdered.
Why three stars? It takes a lot of time and work to write a book. However, sometimes a book published by one of the big publishers in NYC gets a quality pass, because of keeping the series running or the name of the author on the dusk jacket.
I also thought the book was a bit amateurish. I even read the following to my husband when the murder victim screamed into the phone, "Over my dead body." Well, that was a dead giveaway as to who would be murdered.
Why three stars? It takes a lot of time and work to write a book. However, sometimes a book published by one of the big publishers in NYC gets a quality pass, because of keeping the series running or the name of the author on the dusk jacket.
July 16, 2022
Young Jessica Fletcher teaches at the local high school while she and her husband, Frank, are raising their nephew Grady together. But when the principal is found murdered, Jessica knows something is off and, for the very first time, investigates a death. Present-day Jessica returns to high school for a colleague's retirement party and has fun seeing familiar faces. That is, until the colleague winds up dead, and his death has mysterious links to Jessica's very first murder case. With nothing but her own instincts to guide her, Jessica embarks on a quest to find out what really happened all those years ago and who's behind these murders.
This was a very enjoyable Murder, She Wrote mystery. It was fun to see a little of Jessica’s history before she became a mystery writer. One of the characters I personally wanted to see one day was Frank, Jessica’s husband. There was only a picture of him on the mantel in the TV series. It was sweet to see how devoted he was with Jessica. This story actually contained two different plotlines, yet I never felt confused and understood the whole scenario. I recommend this story to anyone who’s a lover of the TV series.
This was a very enjoyable Murder, She Wrote mystery. It was fun to see a little of Jessica’s history before she became a mystery writer. One of the characters I personally wanted to see one day was Frank, Jessica’s husband. There was only a picture of him on the mantel in the TV series. It was sweet to see how devoted he was with Jessica. This story actually contained two different plotlines, yet I never felt confused and understood the whole scenario. I recommend this story to anyone who’s a lover of the TV series.
December 16, 2019
Another great read Murder She wrote book. This is about the time she taught English in a local high school many years ago when she was married. When the principal of the school is murdered Jessica investigates the crime. Years later she is at the same school for a colleagues retirement party. A murder happens to the retiree, that links the colleague to the first murder case that happened all those years ago. Jessica is on the path to remembering what happened before and is quick to discover the new crime and solve the murder.
March 20, 2023
An interesting read kept me guessing to the end. I can picture the main characters because I enjoy the series. Therefore I had their voices in my head while reading.
January 2, 2025
Cool way of doing this one, liked learning about Jessica's past.
July 3, 2022
Very good. Exciting and did not see it coming who the murderer was
December 19, 2019
While a great read, if you've read the rest of the series, there are certain stories that don't match. Having a new author involved is probably the cause, but I was disappointed with the inconsistencies, as I am a huge fan of this series.
As a stand alone book, this would be amazing.
As a stand alone book, this would be amazing.
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