MURDER, SHE WROTE

A merry Christmas is challenged by murder.

Jessica Fletcher is looking forward to an old-fashioned Christmas with a visit from her nephew Grady’s family. But Cabot Cove is turned upside down when it becomes one of 10 towns chosen to compete to be named Maine’s Christmas Town, a contest which not only provides great publicity but also features a monetary award. As a member of the festival committee, Jessica has to come up with some projects that would be helped by the reward money. While she’s getting her hair done at the salon, Jessica learns two pieces of gossip: First, one of her favorite former students, Albert Pellecchia, has returned to town, and second, realtor Eve Simpson is about to make a big sale to a wealthy businessman. With everything else going on, she’s hard-pressed to keep up with the outline for her new book as she prepares for the family visit and helps Eve by attending a dinner party to welcome her big client, John Bragdon. All goes well until Kenny Jarvis turns up. His sister, who’s selling the house and land to Bragdon, had him declared dead years ago, but now that he’s not, he refuses to sell. Frantic Eve insists that since he was declared dead, Kenny has no claim. The dinner party for the Bragdons goes well enough, but a tea party Mrs. Bragdon hosts at the hotel has disastrous results after Kenny barges in and threatens her. She immediately falls ill and later dies. Kenny’s the obvious suspect, but Jessica, Sheriff Metzger, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt all imagine a motive closer to home.

A down-home Christmas mystery filled with good cheer and just enough murder to add spice.