Murder, She Wrote Book Reviews

Murder, She Wrote by James Anderson – the book pictured is the hardcover collection of James Anderson’s three Murder, She Wrote novels, which first appeared in 1985. The books, The Murder of Sherlock Holmes, Hooray for Homicide, and Lovers and Other Killers were novelizations of some of the earliest episodes of the series. For the most part, Mr. Anderson is faithful to the plots of those episodes, though he does occasionally stray at critical moments. Case in point, he changes the setting of the climactic scene in The Murder of Sherlock Holmes, moving it inside. Somehow, that scene loses a good deal of its punch without the pool.

Murder in Two Acts by David Deutsch – Very, very rare! Meant to be the continuation of the James Anderson books, this fourth book by David Deutsch was published only in Great Britain, and is virtually unknown in the United States. A novelization of the episodes “Sing a Song of Murder” and “Murder in the Afternoon” from the second season, the author’s zeal comes through in extreme faithfulness to the scripts and an elevation of Jessica’s talents to almost supernatural status. Read it if you can find it.

Gin and Daggers (first edition) by Donald Bain - When Gin and Daggers first appeared in 1989, it was the first MSW book of any sort that had appeared since the short-lived Anderson series four years earlier. Unlike the Anderson books, this book is written in first person, in Jessica’s voice. I am a little uncomfortable with the notion of a man writing in a woman’s voice. One of Angela Lansbury’s complaints during Murder, She Wrote’s run was that Jessica, created by male writers, often thought like a man. This book, if anything, amplifies the concept.
I hate to quibble, but I do wish that Mr. Bain had watched a few more episodes of MSW before sitting down at the word processor. Although he has the character of Jessica down pretty well, and Seth more or less correct, his characterization of Mort Metzger is frustratingly way off the mark. He consistently writes for Mort as though Mort were Amos Tupper. But by far the greatest sin he commits in this novel is the faux pas of having Jessica drive a car – a flagrant violation of one of the most basic tenants of the series. Why the editors didn’t catch this I have no idea.
This being said, the continuity issues weren't entirely his fault. According to Mr. Bain's recently published autobiography Murder, He Wrote, when he embarked upon this enterprise he requested character sheets on all the main characters, and was told no such things existed (!). The complete lack of direction from the Powers That Be at Universal made it difficult for him not to make errors of this nature. Mr. Bain's grasp of the canon subsequently improved over the course of the book series.

Manhattans and Murder by Donald Bain – After disappearing for a time following the publication of the fatally flawed Gin and Daggers, Donald Bain returns with the second first book of his MSW series. It’s a good story, set in New York City at Christmastime as Jessica, visiting her publisher and his wife, tries to track down a former Cabot Cove resident she bumped into on the street. Particularly enjoyable are the chapters where Jessica, now a material witness to a murder, slips the leash of the NYPD and ducks home to Maine to do some more background investigating of her own.

Rum and Razors by Donald Bain – St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands is the backdrop for this, the second book in the Donald Bain Murder, She Wrote series. In it Mr. Bain continues a trend started in Manhattans and Murder – emphasis on the fact that Jessica doesn’t drive, an attempt to make up for the big gaff in Gin and Daggers.

Brandy and Bullets by Donald Bain – Donald Bain’s first attempt at portraying Cabot Cove is only moderately successful. The response of the townspeople to the establishment of an arts institute outside of the village is met with unnecessary hostility and ignorance that is neither flattering nor realistic. The scene with the hypnotist in Boston is pretty good, though.

Martinis and Mayhem by Donald Bain – Ignore the murder plot, and you’ve got a pretty good book. The fourth novel in the Donald Bain series is set in San Francisco, and makes good use of the setting – but I found myself completely uninterested in the main plotline concerning Jessica’s attempts to prove innocent a woman wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the ending was a bit of a farce. Far more interesting and better handled was the subplot, in which George Sutherland, also in San Francisco for a police conference, continues to court the hesitant Jessica. Read those bits and skip the rest.

A Deadly Judgment by Donald Bain – An interesting book that follows Jessica to Boston for an extended stay as a jury consultant in a murder case. Anyone who has been to Boston will enjoy picking out familiar landmarks. Mr. Bain again uses what is by now becoming a familiar device – bringing Seth in toward the end of the book for no other apparent reason than to keep an eye on Jessica.

A Palette for Murder by Donald Bain – This book follows Jessica out to an artist colony on Long Island, looking for a chance to work in some other creative medium than writing. As usual, not much creating goes on because she quickly finds herself preoccupied by a murder. It’s good, one of the better books of the series – but what’s with this D thing, Donald? It’s JB Fletcher, not JD.

The Highland Fling Murders by Donald Bain – Possibly the best book to date by Mr. Bain. The murder case is gripping, the characters are interesting, and you can’t beat the subplot as George and Jessica pick up where they left off in Martinis and Murder. Touching, yes, but at the same time I found myself shaking my head as I watched Mr. Bain work himself into a dilemma that can have no good outcome without flying directly in the face of the most sacred tenants of the Murder, She Wrote canon. He seems to have realized this; this particular subplot virtually disappears after this book and remains, to this day, unresolved. Still, this is an excellent offering, and my favorite Donald Bain so far.

Murder on the QEII by Donald Bain – This novel is okay, I guess, but I found that I liked the teaser for it that appeared at the end of Highland Fling Murders better than the actual book itself. That teaser was totally gone by the time the actual book was published, victim of an apparently extensive and transforming rewrite; I rather wish he’d left it in.

Murder in Moscow by Donald Bain – If Highland Fling Murders was Donald Bain’s best book, this one was the worst. An incomprehensible murder plot culminates in a ridiculous (and overlong) chase scene, then peters out with no definitive conclusion. A Murder, She Wrote story in which the murderer remains uncaught? Unthinkable. But then, the whole premise of this book required a significant stretch of the imagination anyway. I was extremely disappointed by this one.

A Little Yuletide Murder by Donald Bain – The plot is slower than molasses in December, but somehow you don’t mind. This is Donald Bain’s second novel in the series to be set in Cabot Cove, and this time he has a much better grip on the local colour. The first half of the book drags, but the reader is so beguiled reading about the details of Jessica’s normal life in the Maine coast village that you don’t notice that whole chapters are going by without the case moving anywhere.

Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch by Donald Bain – Seth riding a horse? Jessica flying a Cessna? Okaaaaaay … In this offering from Donald Bain, the characters really step out a little during a vacation to a ranch in Colorado. He also capitalizes on Seth’s protective tendencies toward Jessica, more pronounced in this book than in previous stories, as well as Jessica’s gentle resistance of his well-meant hovering. Though these new elements take shape in this book, the reader will also come upon plot elements that seem awfully familiar – which they are, because he’s used them in previous books.

Knock ‘Em Dead by Donald Bain - This is a good book, one of the better ones in the Donald Bain series. The story’s good - a nice, tight, logical plot, which has not always been the case in Mr. Bain's works. He peoples the theater where most of the story takes place with volatile characters, but not so many that the reader becomes lost in the tangle of egos. The action moves along nicely. Now, the downside: my main problem is (again) with his characterization of Mort Metzger, a character he clearly is unfamiliar with from the show. Mort gets all nervous and overprotective about Jessica going to New York City, brings up a number of Big Apple stereotypes, and in general acts as if he's never been there - which, of course, he has. As anyone who watches the series knows, he spent most of his life in New York before coming to Cabot Cove. Mr. Bain seems unaware of this.

Gin and Daggers (second edition) by Donald Bain – After a long absence in the realm of Out of Print, Donald Bain dusts off his first book in the MSW series, the one that was more or less disowned because of glaring continuity and character flaws. He corrects the most obvious error – Jessica driving a car – but the rest of the book is exactly the same as the first edition, he didn’t change a thing. Still, it’s a good read, and for anyone who missed Gin and Daggers during its first brief incarnation, it’s necessary to understand where the character of George Sutherland, who plays such an important role in later books, came from.

Trick or Treachery by Donald Bain - This Halloween-themed installment in the Donald Bain series returns to Cabot Cove for its setting after a long absence. At the heart of the plot is a self-proclaimed medium claiming to be able to make contact with the spirit world, and the accusations that fly to and fro begin to shed a new light on a suspected arson-related death in the recent past. While this book does have its moments, many of the supporting characters are so obstinately two-dimensional that the reader grows increasingly frustrated with them. Also unconvincing is Mr. Bain's attempt to fill in some of the early history of Cabot Cove. His claim that the town was founded by Winfred and Hepzibah "The Legend" Cabot is an unnecessary historical inaccuracy - any student of New England history knows that English sea captain John Cabot explored the Maine coast, and it is for him that the town is named.

Blood on the Vine by Donald Bain - Jessica's in Napa Valley, visiting with friends from Cabot Cove, taking a between-books vacation with George Sutherland and gathering a little information on wine making for her next opus. The murder of a successful but odious vintner takes center stage when his spineless son begs Jessica to help uncover his killer. The real mystery here, however, is why Jessica, for the flimsiest of reasons, would sacrifice her vacation with old friends to go stay in the insufferable company of the most pathetic bunch of losers ever to grace the printed page. Vivid descriptions of California wine country and a couple of zingers toward the end of the book are high points. Fans wondering where Mr. Bain was going with the whole Jessica/George courtship thing and how he was going to wriggle out of it without killing off one of them get their answer here - sort of.

Murder in a Minor Key by Donald Bain - This book is so rich in its descriptions of New Orleans that it takes you to the Big Easy without a plane ticket. Add some colourful characters and a plot composed of several complexly interwoven threads, and you get a great story, one of the best I've encountered yet in the Donald Bain series. The genteel world of the organized book tour, a raucous jazz festival, and traditional voodoo (treated in a refreshingly non-Hollywood typecast sort of way) are all on a collison course with Jessica at the epicenter, and the reader, I think, will like the results.

Provence - To Die For by Donald Bain - Ever notice that when authors set books in popular tourist destinations, it's almost always when the weather's beautiful and the scenery is postcard perfect? Here's an interesting twist - Donald Bain takes us to the South of France in the off season. It's a tactic that grants the reader a different view of the region, and helps focus the story on the colourful cast of year-round locals. The first part of the book meanders until Jessica finds a firm reason to pursue her investigations, but once that happens the story picks up steam in the second half and crescendos toward an unexpected ending.

You Bet Your Life by Donald Bain - If you’re looking for tips on how to play the slots or shoot craps in this Las Vegas outing, you’ll be disappointed. But if you like courtroom drama and law tactics, sit down and prepare for a fast read. With its plot revolving around the mechanics of a criminal jury trial (complete with commentary from cable television’s very own Court TV), You Bet Your Life represents something of a departure from Donald Bain’s usual style. After a beginning that sets the stage with flashbacks, the book soon settles down into a good read that’s half murder mystery and half law thriller. In contrast with the last several Murder, She Wrote books which depended heavily on location to help establish atmosphere, this book, centered in the courtroom, could have been set anywhere. However, over the course of the trial the characters evolve into such a diverse and colourful population that they outshine even the bright lights of the Las Vegas setting.

Majoring in Murder by Donald Bain - Majoring in Murder sweeps readers off their feet right from the get-go - literally. Before the end of the first chapter a tornado touches down on the Indiana campus of Schoolman College, where Jessica is guest-lecturing, leaving in its wake wrecked buildings and lives. But the destruction caused by the storm turns out to be nothing compared to the disruption stirred up by Jessica as she sifts through the college community's buried secrets to reach the truth behind a professor's "accidental" death. Although some of the characters in this book are basic stock (the cocky, too-smart-for-his-own-good undergrad, the devoted but underappreciacted secretary), others prove to be multifaceted, with complex personalities lurking behind their public facades. For Jessica this proves to be a boon in some cases, but a grave disappointment in others - proving that people, like books, can't always be judged by their covers.

Destination Murder by Donald Bain - In British Columbia, Canada, for a scenic train trip at the invitation of a friend, Jessica finds herself stuck for three days in the close confines of a passenger train car with some of the ... how shall I put this ...more colorful members of a model train fan club. Mr. Bain fills the train with a variety of well-characterized individuals, who all share two things in common: they love trains, and they're all annoying to spend any length of time around. Each has their own more-or-less odious personality traits, from the wife of the club president (she's a word that starts with "b" and rhymes with "witch") to the jerk from England who doesn't have a kind word to say about anyone except himself. The reader can sympathize with poor Jessica as she tries to find rare moments of peace away from these people. In fact, sometimes the reader needs some peace away from them as well ... a desire that is best served by putting the book down for awhile and walking away.

Dying to Retire by Donald Bain - When it's winter in Maine, there's nothing better than reading about places that are warmer than ... Maine in winter. Dying to Retire provides just such an opportunity - or rather, two opportunities, as the venue switches from a retirement community in southeast Florida to Key West and back again. The retirement community, quaintly named Foreverglades, is populated with a likable bunch of senior citizens, while the inhabitants of Key West are interesting in a quirky sort of way. Not every character is who they appear to be - although most of them are. The best parts of the book are the chapters that take place in Key West, which is described in luscious tropical detail.

A Vote for Murder by Donald Bain - I've got to admit, the plot for this book was pretty gosh darn twisty plot, which made for a very fast and interesting read. And the book's setting in Washington, D.C. is spectacular, although I could wish that we got the chance to visit more places of import than we do. Those are the big upsides for this book. The downsides are that despite having Jessica, Seth Hazlitt, and George Sutherland all in the same city, George and later Seth pretty much get relegated to set decoration/sidekick duty. As for the rest of the book, it was populated by the usual gang of unsympathetic characters that really seem to deserve each others' company. My final complaint: too many loose ends left at the end of the book. A lot of the issues (issues that contributed so much to the deliciously twisty plot I mentioned) just never get the chance to resolve. I love the way the book ends (very sweet), but was left yearning for an epilogue just to tie things up.

The Maine Mutiny by Donald Bain - A bad situation is rapidly getting much, much worse ... and that's just the prologue. The Maine Mutiny takes no prisoners - it plunges the reader right into the midst of its story with all the breathtaking shock of a leap into a cold lake. How exactly we get to this point is then the subject of a rapid and engaging read. I really enjoyed this book, and one big reason is that it rings true. Mr. Bain certainly did his homework for this one; his descriptions of lobstering and the lobster industry are detailed and accurate (as the wife of a lobsterman I can claim some authority to back up this statement). This one's a page turner, and is by far the most realistic representation of coastal Maine of any of the books in the Murder, She Wrote series.

Margaritas and Murder by Donald Bain - Of all the books Donald Bain has written, this was the first one that I literally couldn't put down. Instead, I read the whole thing, start to finish, in the space of four hours. I was not enthusiastic about the premise of this story at the beginning, sensing a set-up that was ripe for stereotyping and predictable plotlines, but was very pleasantly surprised - the stereotypes are kept to a bare minimum, and the plot moves along at a fast clip without losing the reader's interest. Also engaging was the subtle subplot that is deftly interwoven with the main plot before the ending. Earning my further admiration are the deliberate and accurate nods to established MSW canon and continuity - always important points on my scorecard. Set aside a block of time for this one - you may find, as I did, that once you start reading, you won't be able to set it aside.

A Question of Murder by Donald Bain - It's a mystery within a mystery: at a mystery theater weekend in the Berkshires, a real murder occurs even as participants are busy unraveling the onstage murder they came to see. It's a great concept, made all the more intriguing to readers by the addition of a question about the mystery genre at the start of every chapter (don't worry, the answers are in the back - and yes, Mr. Bain is aware that the provided answer to Chapter 3's question is wrong). Unfortunately, the book is too short to adequately handle the complicated plot. Certain bits of information are provided by overly simplistic means, many characters do not get the opportunity to grow into well-roundedness, and the murderer's confessional soliloquy, meant to tie up the (numerous) loose ends, is improbably long and flowery. It would be interesting to see what this book could be if its plot, and characters, were freed from the limitations of time, location, and page count.

Three Strikes and You're Dead by Donald Bain - Another engaging read that I devoured in one day, Three Strikes visits the world of minor league baseball, and does an excellent job of illustrating life on the farm teams. Here's a hint: it's not nearly as glamorous as the Major Leagues, but every bit as political. The story pulls the reader along at a steady pace, and does a good job of creating a minor league team whose players are distinctive and true-to-form. Occasional nods to the Red Sox were also pleasing, at least to this long-suffering fan (yes, we won the World Series in '04, but we're still suffering, okay?).

Coffee, Tea, or Murder? by Donald Bain - If you're an ardent fan of the series and felt like something was missing in this book, it's not just you. Many readers sensed the same thing. I am referring, of course, to the B-plot of the book, the continuation of Jessica's relationship with George Sutherland. When the release date of this book was announced, Donald Bain hinted that it would see an uptick in the status of that relationship, something many readers were looking forward to. Alas, the results were disappointing. This was through no fault of Mr. Bain's - rather, the blame lies with his overseers at MCA/Universal, the folks that legally own the rights to Jessica's character, who apparently didn't approve of what they saw and sliced and diced the B-plot to ribbons. Mr. Bain describes what happened on the discussion page of his website: "Now, for the budding romance between Jessica and George Sutherland. I keep trying to advance that relationship, but MCA-Universal, which owns the Jessica Fletcher character, wields a fast and vicious blue pencil on those scenes. The latest book, COFFEE, TEA OR MURDER?, is a good example. I created myriad scenes between Jessica and George, many of which had to be toned down in the final manuscript. ... I'm not sure where the future will take the relationship, but we'll see. ... I do feel, as you do, that they go to extremes, and my editor at NAL shared my disappointment that certain scenes in COFFEE, TEA OR MURDER? had to be cut or edited. But along with being a writer, I also pride myself in understanding the "business" aspect of publishing. My deal is to write the best possible books within the structure of the contracts I sign. In other words, I understand and respect the terms of the deal, and I try to pick my fights. Aside from their penchant for applying too heavy an editorial hand on occasion, the folks at MCA are a pleasure to work with. Bummer that. We'll never know what was in those "myriad scenes," and wagers made as to whether or not they'd share a kiss must remain forever unsettled.

Panning for Murder by Donald Bain - What a coincidence: Jessica has booked a cruise to Alaska for herself just weeks after the sister of one of her friends, on a mission to track down an ancestor's stash of gold nuggets, vanishes into the Alaskan bush. The friend, Kathy, knows an opportunity when she sees one and invites herself along for the trip, turning Jessica's anticipated vacation into more of a working holiday (which, when you think about it, is pretty much par for the course for her). I've read other books that start out this way, with the Uninvited Companion usually becoming the Annoying Sidekick in short order. In this case, however, Mr. Bain pulls off a remarkable feat: the down-to-earth character of Kathy manages to remain realistic and likable with only occasional lapses into annoyance. She is a character that I would not mind reading about again.
As was true for A Question of Murder, there is a longer book inside of Panning that didn't have room to get written (not Mr. Bain's fault, I should note - the publisher sets page limits on his manuscrips). Several interesting characters and situations arise in the course of the story that do not get the page time they deserve or are left dangling as loose ends at the conclusion of the book. There's an epilogue of sorts, but it didn't address all of the questions I was left with when it was over. Perhaps someday Mr. Bain will be allowed to write lengthier books? That would certainly please a great many fans.

Murder on Parade by Donald Bain - It's a story as old as Vacationland itself: despite overwhelming odds, plucky local townsfolk manage to hold back the relentless tide of progress as defined by aggressive, wealthy developers From Away, thus preserving their threatened way of life for another day. It's a plot that's been retold several times in various Cabot Cove MSW episodes, and it's the theme of Donald Bain's latest book, also set in Cabot Cove, Murder on Parade. Given that the formula of townspeople-v.-developers has been done so many times, there was a danger that this latest retelling of that familiar plot would come across as stale. Happily, this was not the case. Although I occasionally grew weary of hearing about how hot it was in Cabot Cove that July, the strong cast of characters, both new and recurring, kept this story fresh all the way to its blockbuster-style ending.
One of those characters, as foretold by Mr. Bain on his website, was Amos Tupper, back in Maine for a visit. Although I was a little disappointed (and surprised) that Amos didn't get more "page time," it was good to see him back in his continuity-correct form. Kathy Copeland, the break-out character from last fall's Panning for Murder also makes a repeat appearance along with her sister, at least for the first half of the book (they disappear completely after that). But my far my favorite new kid on the block is Jessica's friend and former FBI agent Rick Allcott, a surprisingly nuanced character that adds a dimension of complexity to the plot in spite of his seemingly mild manner. It's this cast of characters that keeps this oft-told tale new, even if its moral - "What price progress?" - is as old as the coast of Maine itself.

Murder, They Wrote edited by Elizabeth Foxwell and Martin H. Greenberg - These books are an interesting concept - each is a collection of short stories written by female authors in the mystery field. There's just one flaw - hardly any of the contributions have anything to do with the show. When I bought the first book, the show had been off the air for, oh, about six months, and already I was beginning to starve for new material. I was disappointed to find that in that entire book, only one - one! - story was about Jessica; all the others had absolutely nothing to do with MSW. An entire volume of bookend episodes!

Book Two (Murder, They Wrote II) is more of the same, but does include a couple of very clever MSW parodies.

Book Three, (More Murder, They Wrote) which admittedly I haven't gotten completely through yet, doesn't seem to have any connections to the show at all. Once I got over my disappointment that these books are connected to MSW in name only, I did find that all of the stories are quite good - each one a perfect read for right before bed, or during lunch. These are all very good writers, and their stories are well worth reading - I just wish they were writing about Jessica!

The Unofficial Guide to Murder, She Wrote by James Robert Parish – Who cares if it’s unauthorized? This book rocks! Its main function is as a compendium of Murder, She Wrote episodes, providing concise plot summaries without giving away the identity of the killers. Also provided are highlights and trivia from each episode, a nifty photo section, and a history of the evolution of the series from its first season under Peter S. Fisher to its final one under Angela Lansbury herself. There are occasional factual errors, but they are rare. A must have handbook for devoted fans and novice viewers alike.

The Murder, She Wrote Cookbook edited by Tom Culver and Nancy Goodman Iland – This book is an interesting collection of favorite recipes of the cast and crew of Murder, She Wrote. Taken together, the cast and crew have and eclectic palate – the recipes are as varied and sound interesting (I haven’t actually tried any yet). Even better than the recipes are the behind-the-scenes glimpses shared by the contributors. Proceeds from the book went to Aid For AIDS, a charity supported by Angela Lansbury (who contributed a wicked good dessert).