A Fatal Feast

Murder, She Wrote #32

by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain

The newest novel in the USA Today bestselling series finds Jessica Fletcher cooking up a heartwarming holiday dinner-and a fresh serving of trouble...

Jessica Fletcher would like nothing more than to sit back and relax as Thanksgiving comes to Cabot Cove. But this year, she's already got more on her plate than she can handle.

Jessica is suffering from a rare case of writer's block, and the deadline for her new novel is fast approaching. Also, her friend, Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland, is coming from London to experience the American holiday. But most distressing of all, Jessica is hosting a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner for a guest list that is growing by the day.

Jessica carries on toward her culinary conquest, and she couldn't be more thankful about the results. Until she and George take a post-turkey stroll and stumble upon the body of a man with a carving knife stuck in his chest...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Thanksgiving, Cozy, Audiobook, Holiday

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2009

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 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

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Fletcher invites her good friend Scotland Yard inspector George Sutherland from London, to come to Cabot Cove to experience the Thanksgiving holiday with her. Of course, all doesn’t go as smoothly as she hoped once a murder is committed. This was another fun Murder, She Wrote mystery. I enjoyed the Thanksgiving festivities, delicious food, and the romantic sparks between Jessica and George. Although it did take some time for the murder to occur (about halfway into the book), it was still enjoyable to read about the lead-up to and preparations for Thanksgiving, the familiar faces of Cabot Cove, and a minor mystery involving some anonymous letters that Jessica was receiving in the mail.

[Cindy Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of the Murder, She Wrote novels, mostly because they're clean, intriguing, and written by Donald Bain. And in my opinion, he was one of the smoothest, most talented mystery writers ever. I wish I'd met the man to find out how his mind worked. His writing style especially appeals to me since he could craft a mystery that didn't depend on gratuitous drama or violence to manipulate the reader's emotions. Meaning, he didn't rely on shock value to keep his readers hooked, a true sign of a writer with great skill.

With that said, I found A Fatal Feast to be especially enjoyable, given that Jessica Fletcher had "focus" issues in trying to meet her next deadline. Something every writer has probably gone through at one time or another, and I'm guessing Bain was probably writing from personal experience on this one. Then there were the B & C plotlines which added to the fun, including Jessica's love interest hopping across the pond to join in on American Thanksgiving customs and the mysterious letters that had a nasty habit of showing up in the day's mail. With murder added to the menu, Jessica certainly had her plate full.

If you like a good cozy, I highly recommend this. It may not be life-altering, but it should certainly keep you entertained for a while.

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the show! and I wanted to try out the books but now I kind of regret it. This was slow, predictable, and boring. It's nothing like the show. I own another Murder, She Wrote book and I'll give that one a go eventually but if that one doesn't do it for me I'll just stick to the TV show on Netflix lol

[Mystery, She Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 🌟

Mood/ Seasonal Reading: Autumn (Thanksgiving 🍂)

This was such an odd ball. While it opened with a bang: Jessica receives mysterious letters, each one containing another letter of the alphabet everyday. I found it lulled a tad and the mystery itself (though front and centre) felt predictable.

I always love a Cabot Cove setting and this was no exception. The addition of Jessica’s beau George is always a welcome one and having read previous additions I was glad to see some characters I recognized. I enjoyed following Jessica as she put together the clues to the murder and the letters.

My biggest issue with this one is the mystery itself. Not in how it was solved or what it involved. But in how long it took to occur. I swear it felt like over half the book was a cozy novel about Jessica hosting a hectic Thanksgiving and trying to finish her book. The murder doesn’t occur in until almost halfway through (if not more). And if that wasn’t cause enough for pause it was a fairly obvious case. So much so in fact it felt more like Jessica and the reader had to piece together WHY the culprit did it vs who actually did it. Finally, the conclusion to both the murder and the letter mystery was maddening at best. It left me feeling so I unsatisfied.

While I still enjoyed this book I felt like this was lacking some solid grounds for the mystery itself and had some abrupt conclusions I wasn’t pleased with. I still adore this series as a whole but I think maybe I need to step back from them for a bit. I haven’t had a winner in this series in quite some time.

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the fact that the murder in the book took place within the thirteenth chapter!! Some very clever planning on the author's part for that. Overall a good entertaining read.

[Donnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one, I love the Murder, She Wrote series!

[Taylynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love me some JB.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, I enjoyed this installment of the Murder, She Wrote series. However, there were a few things about this one I didn't like.

First of all, I believe the little side mystery of the letters arriving in the mail had already been in a previous book. I didn't like this repeated plot. Also, I felt the solution of the mystery came out of nowhere. There were some clues scattered throughout the book, but for Jessica to put them all together in the time she did was a little unbelievable. Also, the ending was somewhat rushed and we didn't really get to hear Jessica's thought process about the solution.

I did enjoy the fact that the mystery was in Cabot Cove and we got to see some of our "regular cast" again. I always enjoy hearing what Seth, Mort, Maureen, and company are up to. I also thought bringing Inspector Sutherland over for Thanksgiving was nice as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would give it 3.5 stars if half stars were available.

[Alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jessica fletcher is trapped in a disintegrating evil version of Cabot Cove populated by strange cruel fools and is forced to serve them all Thanksgiving dinner. She’s playing a shadow game. She’s in the hell dimension. And you, as the reader, are trapped there with her, unable to write the book, unable to prevent murder, and stuck with all these boring stupid pointless annoying characters.

It’s a waking nightmare from start to finish, but it’s worse for the first 144 pages while you wait for something, anything, to happen to all of these miserable freaks.

I’ve been told other murder she wrote books are good, and I believe that, but this one is NOT!

[Lollyletsgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so the murder didn't take place at Jessica's table, THOUGH it was one of her guests that died- MWAHhahahahaha!

There was a secondary mystery that- well, to me anyway, became very annoying- and truth be told Jessica and I had the same reaction when it was figured out- *sigh *urgh *sigh -one of those. But overall fun, and I do tend to like the way the bring up (not in an accusatory fashion) the "you're around when a lot of murders happen, lady" talk that happens in this book. wink, wink

[Sierra Enochs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like if you put a lot of characters into a book, you need to put in some effort to develop their characters. Most of this book was Thanksgiving fluff from the towns people of Cabot Cove constantly asking the same 2 or 3 questions. I would have loved to see the murder occur much earlier and with more plot development in the solving of it.
I did give it a bonus star for the hilarity of Jessica Fletcher flying an airplane but unable to drive a car.

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the TV series, you know what you're getting with these books. I especially enjoy the ones set in her home town in Maine or with George Sutherland, her beau from Scotland Yard, so when he came to experience a good old-fashioned Thanksgiving in Cabot Cove I knew I'd like this one. The mystery was entertaining and I love the fact that Jessica, an older woman, has a love interest without sex or the need for them to get married. Though they don't rule out the possibility. :)

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thanksgiving themed cozy mystery set in Cabot Cove. Several mysteries including who people are, a missing knife and of course a murder. George is visiting from London so we get a bit of romance.

[Stanwood Campsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy George was here to visit Cabot cove. And was able to experience an american Thanksgiving.

[M.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great story. I really enjoyed reading it! I plan to read it again for future Thanksgivings. I want that to be one of my Thanksgiving traditions like eating turkey and pumpkin pie.

[Elisabeth Ensor · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I loved the show, the book didn’t quite meet my expectations. I could imagine Jessica Fletcher saying her lines, which was a nice touch, but overall, the story felt a bit cheesy. The clues weren’t introduced early enough for the reader to have a fair chance at solving the mystery. It was a fun paperback that I picked up after seeing a friend online reading it, but I don’t plan to continue with this series.

[olly oxenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

another quite entertaining, easy novel to read for the holidays!!

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fatal Feast is an excellent read. The holiday vibe is strong and the story matches well. I had a lot of sympathy for the victim.

I didn't mind George Sutherland showing up this time because he fit well in with the story and I loved him and Seth together. There is a great scene with Jessica in danger.

[Erin L · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many books in the Murder She Wrote series that I dreaded starting it, no matter how much I love the TV series. I'm currently trying to FINISH series I've started, not start new ones of 40+ books, but earlier this year I started it. So here we are with a Thanksgiving themed book.

Jessica invites her friend George from England over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner - in the middle of a bad bout of writer's block. Her Thanksgiving guest list keeps growing as she does the small-town good deed of inviting those who have no plans with families of their own to her dinner and soon the guest list is at 13 people.

After dinner, she and George go for a walk and discover a body. Soon, Jessica and George are helping Mort investigate the murder.

Throughout the book, Jessica is also receiving a series of notes in the mail, starting with a single letter, each not adds another letter to the message and Jessica is baffled by this mystery as well.

I feel like I give most books a 4 star review. Mostly because I understand they aren't perfect, but I do really enjoy them. And these books from Donald Bain writing as Jessica Fletcher are no exception. Definitely recommend for fans of the TV series.

[Jessica Sinn (Books and Trouble) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s another tranquil Thanksgiving weekend in Cabot Cove. Love is in the air as Jessica Fletcher prepares for the big feast with her international houseguest George Southerfield. Of course, he’s staying at Seth Hazlet’s house because Jessica is a lady and we don’t want her reputation to be sullied! Turns out, there’s a bit of a jealous rivalry going on, thus proving that this ol’ gal’s still got it. You go, Miss Thang! While taking a romantic post-turkey stroll, what do they find? Come on, take a stab at it. Yep, that’s right—a dead body! Even worse—the killer used Seth’s prized antique carving knife. Now that’s just plain rude. It’s up to Jessica and her boy toys to figure out who killed the socially awkward homeless man—and why he (or she?) wanted his goose to be cooked. Aren’t food puns such fun? Read the full review on my blog: https://booksandtrouble.com/2017/11/2...

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the TV show and then found the books. I love knowing the characters and growing with them through each book.
Jessica Fletcher is trying to prepare an all American Feast for her love from across the sea (Scotland Yard, George Sutherland). But what is a feast without a looming deadline for her next book, new neighbors that act suspicious, strange man hanging outside her house, and a new boyfriend for one of her new friends. Oh and a dead body. The regulars are in the book also like Sheriff Metzger, Dr. Seth Hazlitt, and the rest of the regulars of Cabot Cove. Enjoy her latest escapades.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanksgiving in quiet Cabot Cove, Maine takes a turn for the worse when the murder of a suspicious homeless man makes things interesting in this entry based upon the series. The book actually contains 2 mysteries in one as Jessica Fletcher receives mysterious letters in the mail that have her questioning her safety & even cause concern as her friend George arrives from England for a traditional American holiday. Bain as usual keeps us guessing right up until the very end with our cast of regular characters & new ones that are along for the ride. An easy enjoyable mystery for fans of this long time series.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never, never, never a dull moment with Jess. This Thanksgiving is to be the best since Jess's husband Frank passed away. George Sutherland (Jess's beau) is traveling to Cabot Cove to share a traditional Thanksgiving with Jess and friends. Being frazzled by community obligations and a case of what for it WRITERS BLOCK! 😱 Jess tries to give George her attention. Of course murder finds her when one of her Thanksgiving dinner guests dies. Jess and George set off to solve the case and spent some quality time together. With a suggestion from a well meaning friend Jess starts to wonder and worry if George will propose. Will she say yes?

[Sarah-Grace (Azrael865) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica finds herself in the midst of a busy Thanksgiving holiday season. She is hosting her friend from Scotland (who wishes to experience the USA holiday and he has a crush on Jessica besides).
Jessica notices an unknown stranger hanging around. He appears homeless and no one knows him. Is he following her? If so why? She feels pity for the stranger and invites him to join her for Thanksgiving dinner....he ends up murdered! With Jessica's long time friend Seth's knife in his body. As Jessica tries to unravel this holiday mystery, the stranger's story leads her in a direction she never expected.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another fun MSW mystery. Set at Thanksgiving in Jessica's hometown of Cabot Cove was a great backdrop. Added to the story is George Sutherland who is spending the holiday with Jess to experience a an American tradition. I love the stories that include George, I would go so far as to say he is probably my favorite character in the set. The mystery was another interesting one with several twists and turns. These cozy mysteries are quick light reads that feel much like a warm blanket at grandmas house. I find them very enjoyable!

[Brooke Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Murder, She Wrote mystery set at Thanksgiving. The mystery was solid and there were enough 'red herrings' that kept me guessing. The only thing I didn't like about the story was that the murder didn't happen until halfway through the book. By that point, I had started to like the victim, making it a bit more traumatic for me as a reader.

If you like the television show, then you will like the Murder, She Wrote books. The story, setting and characters feel authentic.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty special entry to the series, A Fatal Feast is more of a tale into Jessica and George’s friendship than anything else. The mystery was bland and very obvious, but the subplots involving thanksgiving and George Sutherland boosted its quality fivefold. I really enjoyed it and I will happily read it again.

9/10 😁

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect cozy mystery read for Thanksgiving day!

Jessica is behind on her latest book, but she can’t seem to focus what with all the committees she’s on this season, as well as her friend George Sutherland coming to see what an American Thanksgiving is like! It actually takes about halfway through the book before someone is murdered, so it’s quite a lead-up!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing that really bothered me about this book is that she has a romantic interest in it. She never really dated or talked about relationships in her show so it seemed out of place in the book.

The mystery in it was not the best one I felt like it was a bit of a stretch to make it work.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book series is just as wonderful as the tv series it is based on.