Madison Avenue Shoot

Murder, She Wrote #31

by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain

It's lights...
Camera...
Murder!

The USA Today bestselling series-more than 4.5 million copies in print

When Jessica Fletcher's nephew, Grady, asks her to visit him in New York City, she's happy to reunite. The production firm Grady works for is creating commercials featuring big-name celebrities, and he has proposed that Jessica star in one. She reluctantly agrees.

But when one of the most creative-and despised-bigwigs is found murdered on the set, there's a long list of suspects. And Jessica soon finds herself not just a witness in a murder case-but the only one who can uncover the killer...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy, Adult Fiction, Contemporary

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 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. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher." The series has been continued by authors Renée Paley-Bain, Jon Land, Terrie Farley Moran, and Barbara Early.

When the first novel in the series, Gin and Daggers, was published in 1989 it included several inaccuracies to the TV series including Jessica driving a car which she could not do as she never learned to drive. Due to fans pointing out the errors, the novel was republished in 2000 with most of the inaccuracies corrected.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Alysia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's murder, she wrote.
What more do you want?

Offfff course it's good. 😊

[Amanda McGill · Rating 1 out of 5]

The weakest book in the series. I was hoping to get a good mystery in the background of New York City, but sadly it was not the case.

The first half of the novel had no mystery whatsoever. It is a family reunion between Jessica, Grady, Donna and Frank and then having Grady trying to convince Jessica to do a commercial.

Once the murder happens the novel does pick up a bit, but I found it fairly obvious who the murderer was.

[Melva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like curling up with my old tv and literary friend Jessica Fletcher. I loved the tv show and to have the character live on in these books is a treasure. Plenty of the typical Jessica Fletcher intrigue. Murder, mayhem and her amateur sleuthing.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being inside Jessica Fletcher’s mind is a never ending lesson in class. She is direct but never rude and always has the best thing to say no matter the situation.

I listened to the audio book version, it took about two hours for the mystery to appear. There’s a dilemma along with a murder that was exciting and had me hooked but when the dilemma is solved and it’s just the murder mystery, I wasn’t that interested.

I liked the idea of using a commercial set for a locked room mystery.

I haven’t really seen the TV show, but the narrator is very skilled—all her characters worked well—but I think she’s doing an impression of Angela Lansbury. At first I was like oh come on, but afterwards I was like “it sounds just like Angela Lansbury!” If I was a fan of the show, this might be distracting. But I’d say the reading was a bit better than the actual story which was fun, but not as good as the other one I read.

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Este es el tercer libro que leo de la serie Murder, She Wrote. Es cierto que es más lento que los demás, por lo menos de los que he leído, y que el asesinato tarda bastante en suceder, pero nada más que por nostalgia y por esos personajes maravillosos, no me arrepiento ni un ápice de haberlo leído y, además, lo he disfrutado tanto que ha sido una lectura de cuatro estrellas.

Esta vez, Jessica nos lleva de la mano a la grabación de un anuncio por la promoción, ya se sabe, que su agente le consigue a ella y otra escritora, además de otros personajes famosetes que van a conocer en la grabación. Es interesante la imagen que nos presentan del mundo de la publicidad, pero, sobre todo, del mundillo editorial y la llamada "Literatura seria". Algunos zascarrillos de la "escritora seria" me parecían muy realistas, anda que no he oído cosas similares y se seguirán oyendo. Por cierto, me encanta Cookie, es todo un personaje. Me he reído a carcajada limpia, sobre todo, con ellas dos.

Escuché el audiolibro y la narradora es perfecta para el papel de Jessica Fletcher.
Me estoy pensando comprar las ediciones en físico, esa es la prueba de lo mucho que me están gustando estos libros.
Seguiré con la serie.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3 stars only reflects the fact that it's not the best when compared to other literature I've read; however, my enjoyment of the book rates it 4 stars. 😉

Honestly, I was impressed with Donald Bain's ability to capture the feel of the show. Everything is written from Jessica Fletcher's perspective, and Bain did well recreating the personality that Angela Lansbury brought to the character.

I'll be searching my library for another mystery in the series for sure!

[Erin L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Grady, how do you get into these situations. The guy has the worst habit of picking shady companies to work for.

This book is fairly standard Jessica Fletcher fare, but as a huge fan, I absolutely love reading (listening) to them.

[Blanche Devereaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book!!!! The ending I didn't expect. The best part about this book was getting so much interaction with Frank! Jessica's great nephew! He's a cute fella and I love how he's written! Another great book with Audible!

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this one waaay more than I remember enjoying it last time. To be fair, it has been years! 🤷🏽‍♀️😃 But it was fun! Even teared up at one point. The plot had a grip on my heartstrings. 😍 I definitely got the bad guy wrong in this one. 😂😂 Oh well. Better luck next time! 😁

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously as a mystery fan who doesn’t love a Murder Se Wrote story I loved this one a lot.

[Veronica Petrof · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far my least favorite. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been and I felt like the lead up to the reveal yielded no clues for the reader

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'indagine è relegata ai margini del titolo quando sappiamo bene di cosa trattano i libri di Jessica. La cosa mi ha un po' spiazzata, ma alla fine mi è piaciuto tutto.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite book of the series I’ve read so far. The only part I really enjoyed was Jessica spending time with her grandnephew, Frank, and learning about his friendship with Michele. From what I’ve gathered, it’s common for the mystery to take second place to whatever Jessica has going on at the moment and usually it doesn’t bother me, but this story dragged significantly. I didn’t care for any of the characters that Jessica found herself surrounded with this time. It took me several days to finish because I wasn’t that interested in the mystery aspect, which turned out to be certainly underwhelming.

[Mary Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHY I LOVE JESSICA FLETCHER–A conversation with DONALD BAIN

If I gave you five clues, could you name this best-selling mystery author?

Clue # 1. He’s written over 100 books. Yes, 100.

Clue #2. He wrote COFFEE, TEA OR ME, an international best-seller that sold over five million copies and was translated into a dozen languages. Incidentally, it’s been re-issued as a trade paperback so you can still pick up a copy.

Clue # 3. His latest book is MADISON AVENUE SHOOT and features a beloved heroine/amateur sleuth who solves a murder in New York City with her nephew, Grady.

Clue #4. He’s written over 30 books featuring this same heroine. In fact, they’re so intimately acquainted, she’s listed as his co-author..and she appears on every book cover. Okay, the next clue should be the clincher.

Clue #5. His famous heroine lives in Cabot Cove.

Got it? We’re talking about Donald Bain, an extraordinary writer whose work includes mysteries, comedies, westerns, biographies, and even Mafia novels. For the past twenty years, he’s been known primarily for the Murder She Wrote series published by Penguin Obsidian.

With his wife, Renee, Mr. Bain creates new adventures for the intrepid Jessica Fletcher as she solves a murder mystery in every book. Intricately plotted with a cast of familiar and engaging characters, (remember Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sheriff Mort Metzger?) the settings are beautifully done and span the globe. Mr. Bain told me at Bouchercon last Fall that the most popular book in the series is MURDER ON THE QE2.

It seems that Donald and Renee Bain will never run out of ideas--the later books in the series are as fresh and appealing as the earlier ones. He’s found his niche. As he says,” Most recently, my niche has been writing the tie-in novels based upon one of America’s most beloved TV shows, ‘Murder She Wrote.’ I get credit on these books along with Jessica Fletcher, who exists only as a TV character played by Angela Lansbury.”

In 2006, he was designated Grand Master by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW) He and Renee are popular workshop presenters and spoke at Malice Domestic (a fun fan convention devoted to traditional mysteries) last week in Arlington, Virginia. If you can catch up with the Bains at a signing or a conference, you’re in for a treat.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it thoroughly. Read it in one day! Always loved the tv show. This is almost as good as watching it on tv. Does that sound right?

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 / 5

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Fletcher arrives in Manhattan to visit her nephew Grady, expecting some quality family time, maybe a Broadway matinee, and definitely no murder. But in Madison Avenue Shoot, her relaxing New York getaway turns into a full-blown advertising industry nightmare featuring diva meltdowns, disappearing children, and a dead body on a commercial set — because of course it does.

Grady, now fully entrenched in the fast-paced world of advertising, ropes Jessica into doing a cameo in a new commercial campaign for a flashy international credit card. It's meant to be a sweet little job, starring Jessica and a lineup of other high-profile faces doing wholesome endorsements. The setup mirrors real-life campaigns like American Express's "Do You Know Me?" series from the 1980s, which featured notable figures such as horror author Stephen King. In those ads, King played up his association with the horror genre, complete with Gothic imagery, to promote the credit card.

However, the moment Jessica steps on set, it’s clear the production is spiraling. The creative director, Betsy Archibald, is a nightmare in heels — tantrums, insults, full creative tyranny. Everyone’s walking on eggshells, and someone clearly wants to throw a script and maybe a stapler at her head.

Then things get real.

Grady’s nine-year-old son Frank goes missing during the shoot. One minute he’s proudly watching his great-aunt work the camera, and the next he’s vanished into thin air. The crew panics. Grady and his wife Donna are frantic. And before the NYPD can fully mobilize, Jessica stumbles upon Betsy Archibald’s body — very much dead, very recently murdered, and killed with a nail gun in a scene so brutal it’s a hard tonal shift from credit card endorsements and catered lunch.

Now Jessica’s not just helping find a child — she’s investigating a murder on a set full of suspects. Was Frank kidnapped because he saw something? Was Betsy targeted for her unrelenting awfulness? Or is there something deeper going on behind the glamorous curtain of Madison Avenue? Jessica doesn’t have time to wait for the police to catch up. She’s digging through ad budgets, petty rivalries, and corporate secrets while trying to keep her family from falling apart.

The character work here is actually a standout. Grady gets more depth than usual — he’s no longer the hapless twenty-something from earlier books but a stressed, successful, and scared father whose professional life is colliding with a personal nightmare. Frank’s disappearance adds genuine stakes, and the emotional weight hits harder than expected. Meanwhile, Jessica is at her sharpest — calm under pressure, endlessly observant, and not afraid to question every actor, assistant, and executive in the room until someone slips up.

The advertising industry setting is glossy and brutal, filled with egos, deadlines, and people who’ve built entire careers on image control. And watching Jessica cut through that with surgical precision while half the suspects are still arguing about brand tone is honestly satisfying.

Madison Avenue Shoot is a solid 3.5-star entry. It’s darker and tenser than some of the fluffier installments, thanks to the kidnapping subplot, but the mystery is clean, the pacing ramps up beautifully after the initial setup, and the payoff delivers. Come for the campaign. Stay for the corpse.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD in my car.

"Jessica Fletcher" is credited as an author, along with Donald Bain. This must be for people too clueless to realize that "Murder She Wrote" is based on the series or who cannot recognize Angela Lansbury's picture on the cover. I find crediting fictional authors ludicrous.

I never watched the "Murder, She Wrote" show. This is the first book in this series I have read.

At first, I was annoyed by the narrator's accent, which I assumed was meant to be from Maine. But I did get used to it. I wonder if they had to choose a narrator who would sound as close to Angela Lansbury as possible.

It actually took a while to get to the murder, which you knew had to occur. But the delay gave us a chance to meet Jessica's family (nephew, wife and grand-nephew) and the writers who had been engaged to make TV ads for a fake credit card. I had never heard of concierge service, which this card provided, so that was news to me.

After the murder occurred, I was frustrated by the actions of the police officers who seemed overly officious to everyone on the shoot. Fortunately this section of the book was brief. But you can't blame the police for wondering who Jessica Fletcher and why she should be regarded as an ally in the investigation instead of a nuisance.

One observation about Jessica is that she has an extensive network of friends to consult and to contact the police for references. She also apparently lived for a period of time in New York City. Since I don't know the chronology of the show, I didn't know if this was part of the back story there.

I have often joked that if all these murders occurred in Cabot Cove, then sooner or later Jessica would be a suspect. So setting her in a different location at least adds believability to the premise.

I liked the closed-room sequence at the end. This is one of my favorite techniques in a mystery. For once, I guessed who the murderer was despite red herrings to the contrary.

I would call this an urban cozy.

[The Mystery Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Madison Avenue Shoot," the 31st book in the "Murder, She Wrote" series, holds a special place for me because it was the very first one I read, given to me by my husband as a gift for earning my doctorate, signed by Angela Lansbury herself. Diving into this installment was a real treat, and it certainly lived up to the cozy mystery show I grew up loving.

This time, Jessica Fletcher heads to the bustling world of New York City to visit her nephew, Grady. He works for a production company creating commercials with big-name celebrities, and, much to Jessica's reluctance, he manages to talk her into starring in one. The setting itself is a refreshing change from Cabot Cove, offering a glimpse into the glamorous, fast-paced world of advertising and celebrity.

Of course, the glamour doesn't last long before murder makes its appearance. When one of the most creative—and widely disliked—executives is found dead on set, the list of suspects is long and varied. Jessica, naturally, finds herself in a prime position to observe everyone involved. She's not just a witness; she quickly becomes the keen observer uniquely capable of piecing together the clues. It's classic Jessica Fletcher, quietly connecting seemingly disparate details and seeing what others miss.

While the core mystery is engaging and provides plenty of red herrings among the ambitious cast of characters, the sheer number of potential motives and the shift in setting felt like a lot to keep track of, especially as my introduction to the series. However, the delightful presence of Jessica and her unwavering pursuit of the truth make it a very satisfying read. It’s a solid entry that showcases all the beloved elements of the series, wrapped up in a new, exciting backdrop.

★★★★☆

#MadisonAvenueShoot #JessicaFletcher #DonaldBain #MurderSheWrote #CozyMystery #BookReview #Bookstagram #NewYorkMystery #AdvertisingWorld #AmateurSleuth #SignedCopy #SpecialBook #Whodunnit #MysterySeries

[Terese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so this is a 7 hour audiobook… at hour 3 there was still no murder and no mystery.
Which, for this one, actually makes sense because there is a whole new cast of characters that the reader needs to be introduced to and which works as the set up for the murder mystery. So yes, makes sense. However, it was really boring.

The plot for three hours centered around the minutiae of Jessica finding out that her nephew was involved in a tv-commercial, that he had kind of promised she might be in it, the hesitance of her actually agreeing to be in it, and finally the troublesome shoot where – for drama I suppose – it was decided that Grady’s 9-year-old son Frank was to attend.

I mention this because Frank goes from a mildly annoying character to an undisciplined and bratty kid who runs wild over set and I think maybe we’re supposed to think it’s cute? Like don’t get me wrong, Betsy was wrong to call him names, but in truth, a set with a tight schedule really isn’t a place for a kid to run around. Grady’s indulgent parenting skills drove me up a wall, and while Jessica’s partiality towards the kid make sense, it was annoying that we were expecting to seemingly agree with this. Not to mention when they let Frank run off alone, and then it's "emotional" drama when they can't find him... like, keep track of your freaking kid man! Especially when he's already gotten into trouble.

Overall, by the time the murder actually happened, I had kind of already checked out of the story. This, to me, would’ve worked better as a tv-episode, rather than as a book. I’ll still keep enjoying the series, but this one was a drag to get through.

It did make me feel like I need to get my hand on the series again however, and watch some episodes. Murder she wrote has such a unique feeling to it, and I felt like this book did really capture the mood of the show, impressively so.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Madison Ave Shoot” is another good effort by Donald Bain, who writes with Jessica. I really enjoyed television’s “Murder, She Wrote” series with Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher. Thus, I am always picturing Angela Lansbury as Jessica as well as all the different characters from the TV show in my mind as I read. I do enjoy these books as a break from ‘deeper’ readings. Some of the characters here were so annoying, that I realized there is good characterization of a varied cast of characters; additionally, there is a nicely crafted plot that gives almost everybody a motive for murder.

Great Literature? No. However, “Madison Ave Shoot” was fairly standard Jessica Fletcher fare, but it was enjoyable. The book’s tone and characterization hold true to the TV series. It was a good cozy read. With a visit to New York, Jessica winds up once again helping her nephew Grady who signs up Jessica for a TV commercial. Now we enter the glamourous and unknown world of advertising, and murder follows. I really enjoyed Jessica's interaction with Grady’s son Frank. I will definitely read more of this series as an enjoyable break from my normal reading selections.

[Mark Muirhead · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Easily the worst MSW book I've read. Bain seems to have been paid by the word because there is so much filler. In fact, it's all filler and no plot. And it's all so thoroughly implausible.

Jessica is at the filming of a commercial for a dubious-sounding credit card with her nephew Grady and his 9-year-old son Frank. Frank seems to cause a big, expensive accident, so Jess and Grady decide to take him home. When it turns out he didn't cause the accident, they decide he can stay after all. Despite this calamity, they let him wander off alone and aren't concerned in the slightest. When the murder is discovered and it's also discovered that Frank is missing, the policeman won't put out an amber alert because... reasons. Again, utterly implausible. Another implausibility is that children's walkie-talkies will work over a range of at least 15 miles -- especially when you consider that they only work in one room of the apartment because of the poor signal.

I found this book irritating. In fact, it made me angry. There was a scene when Jess was trying to explain something to a belligerent policeman and I wanted to throw the book out the window.

[Meltha · Rating 2 out of 5]

My mother reads this series a lot, so to keep her company, I listened to this a few chapters a day. Even her opinion of it wasn't overly positive. I figured out who the murderer was literally on the same "page" where it was revealed. Also, the character of Frank at 9 was written much too young, and the parents were deeply annoying as the only interactions they ever had with the kid were to correct him constantly. Literally 90% of the child/parent dialog is them saying not to do something. The narrator's accent kind of wandered as well, occasionally lapsing into Southern rather than Maine. I don't mean to say this was terrible, and the author obviously did do good research on sound work (their description of the techs was spot-on) and commercial shoots. I did keep waiting for some kind of connection between Antonio and Frank's friend Michaele (probably not spelling that correctly, but then I never saw it written out since this was an audio book) since they were both Italian, which seemed odd. Ah well.

[Tiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Bain, who is a master of keeping these wonderful characters in character. This one tugs at your heart because of Frank's involvement and I found myself smiling at Jessica's interactions with him. I'm not even a big fan of kids, really, but this was still cute.

Plus, Jessica truly understands my writer's soul haha

"Writers get lonely. Writing is a lonely profession."

I never thought of it that way but goddamn if it ain't true.

"I call it the Fletcherita." "Is that related to the margherita?" "4th cousin once removed."

I laughed far too hard at this comment lmao The humor in this book was so lovely and it was truly a relaxing, cozy experience.

"Any idiot could have learned those lines by now."

Hi, yeah, idiot here 🙋🏻‍♀️ I promise you it would have taken far longer than a week for me to learn those lines. I really didn't like this character, she was such a jerk. Like, I get the profession is stressful but screaming at a 9 year old boy? For something he didn't even do?

Girl needs therapy. Or maybe a new hobby.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica is in New York to visit with her Publisher and her nephew and his family. When her nephew convinces her to consider being on a commercial she does and then comes back to the city to be in the commercial for a credit card. She meets the man behind the company and likes him and he gives a kind gift to all of the "talent." When she comes back she is treated poorly by the woman who is in charge of making the commercial. She ends up disliking her for what she does to her grand-nephew. When she is found dead and her grand-nephew is missing. The first suspect is her nephew and she has to find her grand-nephew and prove her nephew innocent.

I do enjoy the Murder, She Wrote stories and listen and read as many as I can, but I have been reading them out of order as I am able to obtain them.

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the weaker additions to the MSW series and I definitely did some heavy skimming to get through it. The murder doesn’t occur until around the novel’s midpoint (at which point, I was rereading the summary to see if there even was a murder). What takes place before the murder is mostly filler about Jessica’s family and some intrigue about money.

The writing was TOO cozy. I quickly got tired of Jessica’s grandmotherly quips like, “Those calories sure were worth it!”

The mentions of technology were also off putting for me. Bain/Fletcher specifically mention using a DVD player and Google, and the child receives an iPod, on which he puts Train and a Five for Fighting song. It felt like Bain’s grandkids told him about these things, so he wrote them into the text.

[Courtny · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the episode of Murder, She Wrote Jessica is visiting her nephew Grady and is pulled into filming a commercial for a credit card company that Grady's working with. There is a hateful advertisement producer who is killed and Jessica is left to pick up the pieces on who would want her dead. The police are eyeing Grady for the murder.

I liked this book more than Coffee, Tea, or Murder that I read earlier this month. I like the fact that it felt almost like a locked room murder. Our only suspects were those in the building and on the commercial shoot. I loved the side characters as well. Especially Cookie the Southern BBQ chef. Overall this is a solid, 3.25 rating.

[Aparna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: If you want an easy and quick murder mystery pick it up and you will enjoy it.

Madison Avenue Shoot is the 31st book in the Murder, She Wrote series by Donald Bain and fictional writer Jessica Fletcher based on the popular TV Show of the same name. The book was published in March of 2010. The time around the plot is set in New York but with the added pleasure to see Grady Fletcher and his family along with Jessica.

Jessica Fletcher arrives in New York City from her book tour in Chicago for a bit of business and a bit of pleasure. Business being with regards to her upcoming book while pleasure being meeting her nephew Grady Fletcher, his wife Donna Fletcher and their son and Jessica's grandnephew Frank - named after Jessica's long-ago passed away husband. Grady is now working for a company that deals with accounting for production companies as well. One of the company is Eye Screen is shooting a commercial in a week. And Grady ropes in to have Jessica be in on their shoot for the international credit card Permezzo - despite Jessica's protests. And then Jessica comes to know that Matt Miller, her literary agent, was getting a new client - Anne Tripper - who was one of the other celebrities in the commercial. Was Matt spearheading this commercial? Or was he just having two of his authors in that? What is he hiding or gaining by this? Anne is using the commercial to promote her new book which even Matt doesn’t have an idea about it. What is that plot based on? Another expose?

As everyone was settling in the making of the commercial, Grady finds out that his company has not been paying Mindbenders their paychecks as it should be. He is trying to dig through it and sort it out, but Jessica worries that something bad was going to happen to Grady - like as always. While everything seems to be going well despite the pressure Grady was in, and Frank having fun at the set, surprisingly Jessica too, Jessica and Grady find the body of Betsy Archibald - who was rather rude and loud with everyone. In the midst Frank goes missing and Grady is taken to the police station suspected of murdering Betsy Archibald. Jessica is again in thick of it - this time not only to solve the murder but to find her grand-nephew Frank and free Grady of the suspicion. Quite a set has Jessica landed into - literally. Detective Chesny along with Officer Rubins and Officer Lasker are assigned on the case. But that doesn't deter Jessica one bit.

Some of the fun characters we get to meet as the plot proceeds along are - Michele (Italian neighbor and friend to Frank), Carl (Grady's boss), Anne Tripper (Author of industry exposes), Stella Bedford aka Cookie (who hosts a cooking show on TV as well as has her own cookbooks), Lance Sevenson (a TV mystic who hosts his own show as well), Matt Miller (Jessica's literary agent), Betsy Archibald (Chief Creating Officer for Mindbenders company who are doing the commercial for Permezzo), Kip (one of the creative artist at Mindbender), Antonio Tedeschi (Permezzo's President and Chief Marketing Officer), Jimbo Barnes (Stella's manager), Daniel Howerstein (Producer of the show), Jason and Lucy (Production Assistants), Lena (Lance's assistant), Kevin Prendergast (one of the principals of Mindbenders), Alice Evans (another production assistant), Dave Fitzpatrick (Second assistant director) and Adam Akmanian (The director of the commercial). As always Jessica is supported by her friendly Cabot Cove neighbors - Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Robin Stockdale (drama teacher at the high school).

Who killed Betsy Archibald? What was the expose Anne Tripper going to reveal in her new book? Has that any bearings with the murder? Where did Frank disappear off to? Had he witnessed any murder? Was the killer his kidnapper? The rest of the plot continues on how Jessica unravels the mystery.

The author has cleverly extended the Fletcher family by introducing to the son of Grady Fletcher. In the TV Series we see Grady getting married and also has a child but the series ends with Frank being a months baby. Nice to see the next generation with this plot. I also liked the fact that the author through Jessica talks about changing in what the norm is. For instance - Putting the phone on vibrating mode at dinner table is the preferable choice by Jessica as opposed to what the folks are doing now.

Another successful mystery by Jessica with the right elements to keep you interested and hooked to the book.
 
Spoiler Alerts:

1) I wonder in which book Jessica no longer had a residence in New York. This book claims that she doesn’t live in NYC any more.
2) Interesting to see an actual script in the plot, albeit it is for the show only. :)
3) Jessica wonders if children screamed for ice cream with this little rhyme "I Scream, You Scream, We all scream, for Ice cream". Not to worry Jessica, my nephews do that now so it’s a legend being passed down. :)
4) Jessica mentions about a time when she was in France on an extended holiday but ended up being a working holiday as she tries to solve the murder of the chef of the cooking school. The plot is covered in the 17th book Provence - To Die For, which I am yet to read.
5) Jessica also talks about her trip to British Columbia and ended up solving a case. This plot is covered in the 20th book Destination Murder which I am yet to read.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

While visiting Grady and the family 👪 in New York🌆, Jess gets roped into doing a commercial📺 for Grady's new job. Thinking it would be fun for little Frank 👦 to see Aunt Jess filming 🎥 her commercial they invite him for the day. Things take a turn for the worse when a dead body turns up and little Frank 👦 disappears. Did little Frank 👦 witness the murder and the killer kidnapped him? Or did little Frank accidentally kill the victim then run🏃 away? This is one of Jess's toughest cases and it left me saying "that was crazy." 😵

[Carôle Ceres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite Pedestrian

I must be the only Baby Boomer on the planet who hasn’t watched this show. It’s the 21st century, so I’m waay out of date for this and therefore don’t feel qualified to review this equitably.

It’s an easy read (I listened to the audiobook version of this title) and I think that it was good that I didn’t see the TV Series because the narrator wasn’t necessarily endearing, so probably didn’t sound right.

The story wasn’t engrossing, and the solution was a bit bland (and unlikely) and all of the characters were one dimensional at most…