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Murder She
Wrote #44
Jessica Fletcher, Donald
Bain & Renee Paley-Bain
Berkley
September 6, 2016/ ISBN 978-0451477378
Mystery / Women Sleuths / TV Series
Reviewed
by Linda Morelli
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Cliff Cooper, owner of
Spencer Percy House in Cabot Cove, believes his death is imminent
and asks realtor Eve Simpson to sell his house and give the
proceeds to his grandson Elliot, whom he raised from a baby
when his son and daughter-in-law headed for South America,
only to be killed by an indigenous tribe. Cliff, an avid reader,
also asks Jessica Fletcher to dispose of his books and donate
the proceeds to the local library. It’s a daunting task,
as Cliff kept every book he ever read, but Jessica agrees
to her friend’s request.
After Dr. Hazlitt tells Jessica he believes Cliff’s
death while in the hospital wasn’t from natural causes,
Jessica tries to discover who killed Cliff and why. And though
Eve tries to sell the house, the hired painters leave, swearing
the house is haunted. When other workers refuse to return
due to strange happenings, Eve hires a medium. Cliff’s
grandson, Elliot, arrives by motorbike, and Jessica likes
Elliot immediately, but she doubts the medium’s abilities
and has suspicions about the new caretaker. Then she begins
to question who told Cliff that Elliot’s parents were
murdered? Could that person also be Cliff’s killer?
The plot was entertaining, filled with interesting characters
and surprising twists. While The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher was
a captivating and enjoyable read, a few times I felt as though
I was reading a TV script. Nevertheless, I learned a few things
as Jessica and her helpers sorted through Cliff’s extensive
book collection and understood Jessica’s puzzles over
the medium’s unfamiliar actions. Jessica’s response
to the Conrad twins, two elderly sisters who live across from
the Spencer Percy House, one of whom was in love with Cliff,
was compassionate. The ending was satisfying, even though
I anticipated the denouement half-way through the book. Well
worth the read, especially for Ms. Fletcher lovers.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Margaritas
and Murder #24
A
Question of Murder #25
Three
Strikes and You?e Dead #26
A
Slaying in Savannah #30
The
Fine Art of Murder #36
Trouble
at High Tide #37
Domestic
Malice #38
Close-up
on Murder #40
Aloha
Betrayed #41
Death
of a Blue Blood #42
The
Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher #44
Design
for Murder #45
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