A Fatal Feast

A Fatal Feast is the latest book in the Murder, She Wrote mystery series. The book harkens back to the old murder tv series with plenty of character-based revelations and suspense.

The only thing I didn't care for was the goofy sub story regarding the letters, totally unneeded.

Murder, She Wrote: A Fatal Feast provides the newest novel in the series and comes from a mystery author who is facing more than holiday blues. Jessica's struggle with writer's block and a new novel's deadline leads to conflict with a major culinary effort for Thanksgiving: the result is a powerful and revealing murder mystery perfect for mystery lending libraries.

Being a fan of the show I really got into this as well. Of course, I picked the wrong person who had done it.

The latest "Murder She Wrote" caper is a celebration in more ways than one. Firstly, the setting of the story is in the picturesque village of Cabot Cove, Maine, which is adored by many viewers of both the TV and book series. Jessica Fletcher has a lot on her plate this time around, what with her work at the senior center, her long-growing list of house guest for Thanksgiving (Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland being one of the many arrivals), and the frustrations of meeting a tight deadline for her new book. There is also the issue of a stranger in town. Jessica and a horde of other Cabot Covers have noticed him skulking around town in recent weeks. Jessica has seen him staring in the direction of her house. Others have observed his peculiarity at Mara's luncheonette by the dock. Who is he? What does he want? Soon Jessica adds an investigation to her to-do list, trying to decipher whom the mysterious man really is and what his intentions are in Cabot Cove. Too, the issue of the mysterious mail being sent to Jessica's house is off-putting. Frightening, even. The results, however, are a dissapointment, considering that the author has used the solution once before in a prior book (1995's "Rum and Razors"). Regardless, the reader is pulled into a fast-paced mystery, turning the pages (or clicking a button on the Kindle), in a haste to connect the dots with Jessica. Is it a fan? A stalker? As avid readers of the book series know, the Down East mystery writer will get to the bottom of things, even if it means putting her own life on the line. To further complicate the situation, Jessica encounters a few strange birds who have recently moved to the small town and are living down the road from her on Candlewood Lane. What secrets do they harbor? As the holiday arrives in Cabot Cove, so does the inevitable act of murder. Aside from the mystery, the story carries with it an air of suspense. At one point, Jessica arrives home from her various errands around town, only to be greeted with an unlocked front door, which she finds quite surprising, if not downright scary. That night, she hears noises and footsteps traipsing somewhere upstairs. Or is it just her wild writer's mind at work again? The atmosphere of this book feels like an early eighties episode of the TV series, excluding Jessica at the helm of Jed Richardson's Cessna and the visit of Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland. Jessica never learned how to drive a car, let alone pilot a Cessna. The storyline seems to work, albeit awkward at times seeing Jessica behind the wheel. However, including the character of George Sutherland only adds a sense of warmth to the already cozy story. Donald and Renee Bain write with charm, adding colorful Cabot Cove characters and the hominess of Down East. A FATAL FEAST is a highlight in the series and one that fans of the TV and book series should not pass up.