Murder, She Wrote: A Time for Murder

I love this fabulous 50th in series! It is a wonderful start to the next 25 years of Jessica’s adventures! In this stunning, intense mystery, Jessica takes us back to a place and time she rarely mentions – Appleton, Maine, when she and her late husband Frank were very happily married and raising their nephew, Grady. Characters are likable and well-developed. The mystery is challenging, culminating in an intense battle. The plot is finely detailed and executed. Jessica meets with a student reporter from Cabot Cove High’s newspaper. The teen is dressed to portray an older, serious journalist. While Jessica is impressed with her demeanor and the information she has gathered about her, she doesn’t want to open that chapter of her life again. At least not to the public. Even the high school. She gently shut the door on those questions. Jessica has been staying at Hill House while her home is being refinished. It was set on fire by killers a few months ago, and she misses that beautiful Cabot Cove home she shared all too briefly with Frank. Her mail at Hill House includes an invitation to the retirement party of Wilma, a fellow teacher from Appleton High School 25 years earlier, to be held this Saturday in Cabot Cove. It has been at least ten years since Jessica last saw Wilma, at a bookstore where a signing was held for one of her books. It might be fun to see everyone again. After thinking it through, Jessica decided to give the young reporter something that will help the future of her career. It’s time to open the curtains on that happy time of her life, even if it does take her back to the first murder she investigated, long before that party in London celebrating her first book publication. When she went to the high school to find her, the young woman she was introduced to as the reporter is not the person who interviewed her. As she wonders who, and why, someone wants to learn about her past, Jessica discusses it with close friends, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt, who also happen to be her partners in crime-solving. That night, Mort learns that a woman matching that description is found murdered at a scenic overlook. The young woman is Ginny Genaway, the younger daughter of Walter Reavis, the principal from Appleton High School and ex-wife of a mafia boss. Walter is also the subject of Jessica’s first murder investigation. How ironic that 25 years later, his younger daughter has met a similar fate. I so enjoyed meeting the younger Jessica, who is as brilliant as she is today with her incredible talent to notice details that many would miss and connect dots before others even see them! I also enjoyed meeting Frank and a much younger Grady. A really fun surprise is that now-retired Cabot Cove sheriff, Amos Tupper, was a new detective in Appleton. Not only is it their first time working together, it is also Amos’ first murder investigation. Jessica does has an amazing memory for the details of Reavis’ death and seeing what pieces might lead her to find his daughter Ginny’s murder. There are plot twists that left my head spinning, and while I had a feeling about much of the solution, I didn’t completely solve it. There were surprises throughout, with a powerful, incredible ending! I highly recommend this to everyone who is a fan of Jessica Fletcher, page-turning cozy mysteries set in Maine/ New England, with breathtaking moments and satisfying resolutions. From a thankful heart: I received an early copy of this novel; a review was not required.

Very good read, loved it