"Murder in a Minor Key"
A Funeral in New Orleans Jessica Fletcher has a writer’s conference in New Orleans and can’t resist staying an extra week for the annual Jazz Festival.
In her short time there, she gets a chance to sample everything the city has to offer— its delectable food, its wonderful music and, of course, its unique brand of murder and corruption…
Arts critic Wayne Copely is desperately searching for the fabled recordings of New Orleans jazz legend Little Red LeCoeur. But when he hears that his old friend Jessica Fletcher is in town, he’s more than happy to take a break from work and give her an insider’s view of the festival.
Unfortunately, her jazz lesson and his search are tragically cut short when he turns up dead next to the grave of an old voodoo queen. And when the cops pass off the bizarre event as a mere ‘accidental death’, it’s up to Jessica to get to the bottom of it.
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| I'm pleased to report that all the "Murder She Wrote" books have been quite good. Fast- paced, nicely developed and easy to read. They have provided a lot of reading pleasure. |
"Destination Murder"
At the invitation of Cabot Cove denizen Reggie Weems, TV's Jessica Fletcher takes a murderous jaunt by rail through British Columbia in the 20th competently constructed "collaboration" between her and real-life mystery writer Bain.
Not long into the trip, which is sponsored by the Track and Rail Club, the club's wealthy and domineering president, Al Blevin, falls victim to a poisoned cocktail. Jessica and Reggie do their best to assist an RCMP detective, Christian Marshall, in sorting out the various suspects.
The victim had engendered strong feelings in a number of other club members, and he had also incurred the hatred of his stepson, Benjamin Vail, whose father had disappeared mysteriously on a previous rail journey.
As the train continues on its way, Jessica gets to know her fellow travelers better and keeps on the trail of the killer. The authors telegraph an important clue early on, allowing seasoned mystery fans to get to the truth ahead of Mrs. Fletcher.
In novel form, Jessica has little personality, and thus readers will have to keep the image of Angela Lansbury firmly in mind to endow the sleuth with the qualities viewers of "Murder, She Wrote" appreciated.
"Close-up on Murder"
Cabot Cove is being invaded—by Hollywood. One of Jessica’s older novels is being adapted into a big-budget movie. The producer has decided to shoot on location, since the book was loosely based on a murder that shocked Cabot Cove several years earlier.
Unfortunately, everyone on the set seems to have a hidden agenda. A novice director wants his shot at the big time. The lead actress has many unreasonable demands. Her astrologer sees trouble in the stars. And a stranger on the movie lot is stalking Jessica.
When a body is found on the set, a strip of celluloid film wrapped around its neck, there’s a cast and crew of possible suspects. With tensions between locals and the Hollywood horde mounting, Jessica must find the killer before anyone else is left on the cutting room floor.
"Margaritas & Murder"
San Miguel de Allende is the perfect place for Jessica to soak up the sun, bask in Mexican culture, and spend some time with her good friends Vaughan and Olga Buckley.
But when Vaughan is kidnapped for a large ransom, Jessica must put her life on the line to find her old friend.
"Aloha Betrayed"
Jessica Fletcher finds herself in a tropical paradise where “aloha” means both hello and goodbye. But sometimes, the goodbye is permanent…
Jessica is on the Hawaiian island of Maui, giving a lecture at Maui College on community involvement in police investigations—a subject she knows well. Her co-lecturer is legendary retired detective Mike Kane, a behemoth of a man who shares his love of Hawaiian lore, legends and culture with Jessica.
Sadly, all the talking stops when the body of a colleague is found at the rocky foot of a cliff.
Mala Kapule was a botanist and popular professor at the school, known for her activism and efforts on behalf of the volcanic crater Haleakala. The high altitude crater is already the site of an observatory, but plans to place the world’s largest solar telescope there split the locals, with Mala fiercely arguing to preserve the delicate ecology of the area. Was someone trying to muffle the protestors? Or was Mala’s killer making a more personal statement?
Now, it’s up to Jessica, along with Mike, to uncover who was driven to silence the scientist…and betray the true meaning of Aloha.
"Three Strikes and You're Dead"
Visiting her old friends the Duffys in Arizona, Jessica watches their foster son Ty hit the winning run in an AA league playoff game. She and the Duffys are thrilled, but team owner Harrison Bennett is not—his son Junior and Ty are bitter rivals.
Then Junior Bennett is found dead, his head caved in with a baseball bat. He and Ty were last seen fighting outside a bar, and Ty can't remember the rest of the night.
Jessica finds it hard to believe such a fine young man would wreck his life in a moment of anger. And when she starts looking into the case, she finds that for some people, baseball is more than just a game...
"Nashville Noir"
Jessica Fletcher knows that creativity must be nurtured. So when a young lady from Cabot Cove shows promise as a singer and songwriter, Jessica and a local citizens committee send Cyndi on a scholarship trip to Nashville, Tennessee, where she can benefit from professional instruction.
Only weeks later, Cabot Cove is shocked to hear of the cold-blooded murder of a brash country music publisher-by the young talent Cyndi!
And as Cyndi's mother begs Jessica to help her daughter, Jess heads to the country music capital of the world to help the wayward starlet.
Jessica finds that the murdered man was no country gentleman, with a list of ex-wives, cheated partners, swindled singers, and stolen songs that has Jessica swinging to-and-fro in the search for a killer.
If she can't uncover the culprit soon, Jessica knows that poor Cyndi will never get the chance for an encore...
"Coffee, Tea or Murder"
Ms. Fletcher learns that the friendly skies aren't so friendly after all.
When Cabot Cove's own Wayne Silverton debuts his new airline, he invites Jessica Fletcher and other locals on the inaugural flight from Boston to London. Jessica is thrilled for the opportunity to visit her dear friend, Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland. But the reunion hits turbulence when George is called to the airport to investigate the apparent murder of Wayne Silverton.
Jessica and George decide to put their sleuthing skills together. But there's a full passenger list of suspects-and Jessica's going to have to catch a killer before she can catch a flight home.
"The Fine Art of Murder"
While on vacation in Italy, Jessica joins a tour that takes her to where lesser-known Italian masterworks are displayed—and where a pair of young Italian gunmen steal a painting off a church wall, killing an off-duty policeman in the process.
Agreeing to help identify the crooks at a later date should they be caught, Jessica returns to Cabot Cove and puts the shocking experience behind her.
"A Slaying in Savannah"
Jessica Fletcher digs up a home-grown murder mystery down South in this installment in the USA Today bestselling series.
Jessica is saddened when her eccentric old friend Tillie Mortelaine passes away—and surprised to learn that Tillie has left her a million dollars. But there are strings attached.
Jessica must use the money to help the literacy fund she and Tillie established years ago in Savannah, Georgia. And she will receive the money only if she can solve a mystery within the month: the murder of Tillie’s fiancé, Wanamaker Jones.
As Jessica settles into Tillie’s Savannah mansion and meets Tillie’s boarders, she also discovers that the spirit of Wanamaker Jones haunts the grounds. And that there are those in Savannah who are looking to cash in on Tillie’s demise—and Jessica’s failure...
"Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch"
Bestselling author Jessica Fletcher takes a break from her latest hobby -- flying lessons -- to accept an invitation to stay at an old friend's Colorado ranch.
Also attending are the Morrisons, an unpleasant bunch of land developers from Denver. Arriving late are Paul and Geraldine Molloy, a seemingly happy couple on vacation.
The relaxed atmosphere is short-lived, however, when Paul Molloy is found stabbed to death. The local law arrives to investigate, and asks for Jessica's help in capturing the killer.
But before you can say "giddy up," Geraldine Molloy disappears -- and turns up dead.
"Murder on Parade"
The Cabot Cove residents are pulling out all the stops for their celebration of the 4th of July this year.
But amidst the pleasures of planning the big event, there is tension too. Joseph Lennon, a very successful businessman, has recently relocated to Cabot Cave and is funding a big fireworks show and rock concert.
There are many in town who don't like him throwing his wealth and power around to get things done his way.
When Mr. Lennon's body is found the evening of the fireworks show, Jessica has a long list of potential suspects.
"Brandy & Bullets"
Cozy Cabot Cove, Maine, has a country luncheonette, but not much high culture. Mystery author Jessica Fletcher is the only writer in residence, but the renovation of the local Worrell mansion into an art colony may bring scores of artistic people to town.
No one, however, expected a creative killer.
The posh retreat offers struggling artists a European spa, psychiatry, and even hypnotism. But soon the retreat begins to look like a health hazard.
A suicide attempt and a brutal murder quickly arouse the sheriff's attention--and Jessica's. And when an old friend mysteriously disappears, Jessica fears a twisted genius is at work writing a scenario for murder -- putting Jessica's own life on the line.
"Domestic Malice"
Jessica has always been civic-minded, so when the director of the Cabot Cove Women’s Shelter asks her to join the board of directors, she readily accepts, even though the shelter has been in the crosshairs of an unreasonable councilman who’d like to see it closed.
One night while Jessica is at the shelter, a woman walks in battered and bruised. Her husband is a respected businessman and regarded by all as a pillar of the community. Could this paragon of virtue have beaten his wife?
Despite Jessica’s support and advice, the woman refuses to stay at the shelter, press charges, or even report the abuse. But a few days later, the entire town is shocked to hear that domestic abuse has turned to murder.
Investigating the crime, Jessica soon discovers that the woman’s family has secrets and lies that go beyond domestic violence—and that the real killer may be hiding behind a wall of silence that could send the wrong person to prison….
"Prescription for Murder"
In the newest novel in the USA Today bestselling series, Jessica Fletcher must diagnose a killer with a taste for bad medicine…
When her latest book tour brings bestselling author Jessica Fletcher to Tampa, Florida, she’s thrilled to learn that her travel plans overlap with those of her good friend, Cabot Cove’s own Dr. Seth Hazlitt.
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| The Columbia in Tampa, FL |
Seth is in town visiting Alvaro Vasquez, a renowned physician he befriended while participating in a research program in Havana. Vasquez, who has defected from Cuba to Tampa, is developing a potentially groundbreaking cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
If he’s successful, his American backers stand to make millions. But there is a growing fear that the drug may fall into the hands of a powerful pharmaceutical company.
Jessica attends a party at Vasquez’s lavish home, but the celebration ends abruptly when guests witness Vasquez seemingly struck by lightning. Jessica and Seth do some digging into the physician’s checkered past and learn that his death was no accident.
As they work together to find a cure for the common killer, they become enmeshed in international intrigue involving the local police, the FBI, the CIA—and begin to wonder if they’ll ever see Cabot Cove again.
"A Fatal Feast"
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...
Donald Bain, Jessica Fletcher’s longtime collaborator, is the author or ghost/author of more than 80 books, many of them bestsellers. Among his books, the airline comedy, Coffee Tea or Me?, published almost 30 years ago, together with its sequels sold more than 5-million copies worldwide and was the basis of a television movie-of-the-week.
Donald Bain, Jessica Fletcher’s longtime collaborator, is the author or ghost/author of more than 80 books, many of them bestsellers. Among his books, the airline comedy, Coffee Tea or Me?, published almost 30 years ago, together with its sequels sold more than 5-million copies worldwide and was the basis of a television movie-of-the-week.
Bain is a graduate of Purdue University and received its highest award for his work in educational radio and television. (He was designated a Purdue “Distinguished Alumni” for 2003.) He went on to work professionally in broadcasting in Texas and Indiana, and co-hosted more than 200 shows in New York with Long John Nebel, then king of late-night talk-radio.
A public relations executive for McCann-Erickson and American Airlines, Bain also was a consultant to Pan Am for the introduction of the 747, the takeover of National Airlines, and a national campaign to promote air travel. Two of these projects earned Silver Anvil awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). In 1985, with his wife, he co-founded Hyphenates, Ltd., which has provided editorial services to a wide variety of companies.
Bain has worked for more than 30 years as a professional jazz musician, has taught at the college level and has written myriad magazine articles. He is a member of Sigma Delta Chi, the Writer’s Guild of America, the Authors Guild, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Mystery Writers of America.
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| Heck of a story by Jessica Fletcher's ghost writer. A real page-turner. |
"Lights Out?
Fans of Donald Westlake and Elmore Leonard will enjoy this bright caper novel from ghostwriter Bain (Close-up on Murder and dozens of other Murder, She Wrote/Jessica Fletcher mysteries).
Straight-arrow Carlton Smythe, a 53-year-old engineer, has spent his career working at an Ontario power company before being “phased out.”
Not content with his moneyed marriage to Cynthia and infatuated with beautiful Gina Ellanado, whom he met on a business trip to Argentina, Smythe conceives a plan to get rich by creating a major blackout, like the one in the Northeast in 2003, and selling or franchising the blackout’s specific time to criminal interests.
Smythe gets the nerve to approach Dominick Martone, head of Ontario’s leading crime family, but he must also contend with a nosy mother-in-law, a drunken engineer, a private detective, a DEA agent, and a Malaysian terrorist. Smythe’s plan takes off with unintended, unexpected and amusing results.
