Customer Reviews

Murder on Parade (Murder, She Wrote)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As this entry in the "Murder She Wrote" series opens we find that everyone's favorite mystery writer is at home in Cabot Cove for the town's 4th of July celebration. Cabot Cove it seems has always had a very appealing Independence Day festival and Jessica has told people all over the country about what a wonderful celebration it is. This year though there is some controversy about the festival and even a small protest march if you can believe it, along with a surprise visitor or two.

Cabot Cove has grown by leaps and bounds and some of the older residents aren't too happy with some of the changes. They are especially upset with the newly arrived Joseph Lennon who has relocated his business to Cabot Cove and seems to delight in throwing his weight and considerable fortune around. According to some residents he has basically taken over the whole celebration and they are more than a little upset but their objections do little to reign in Lennon or his brash assistants. Despite the tension however the celebration goes off without a hitch but shortly thereafter Mr. Lennon's body is discovered and it is up to Jessica to find out who sent Lennon to that great corporate boardroom in the sky.

I always seem to like these books better when they are set in Cabot Cove because I just love the people that live there. As an added treat in this book former sheriff Amos Tupper takes a few days leave from his retirement in Kentucky to visit Cabot Cove and it really is nice to visit with Amos again. There have been times in this series when there have been continuity problems between the TV show and the books but this time Mr. Bain followed the TV show to the letter by remembering that Amos' family lives in Kentucky. Well-done Mr. Bain!

As is usual in this series the writing is excellent and the characters are believable and fun. The reader will get all of the clues that Jessica gets and I found that I came to the same conclusion that she did. Maybe she and I were right and maybe we weren't but it was fun to try to come up with the answer. I have only been to Maine once but Mr. Bain does such a good job of portraying the scene that I feel like I have been there many times and this book is a superb entry into this series. As any good writer does, this author makes you feel as if you know the people in this series and I felt as if I were like Amos and was on a trip back to visit a place that I knew well. It takes some skill to take a series of books that are based on a TV show and give them a life of their own and this author has again proven that he has that skill. I can almost taste Mara's famous blueberry pancakes every time I read about them.

Takes you back to old Sunday night TV. Cabot Cove and Jessica Fletcher team up for fun and mystery. She does great description of the many places she visits. This was in the good days of TV when sex and terrorism and blood were not so graphic and you could relax with hometown characters

Read all of these MURDER, SHE WROTE books! They are all magnificent, very much like the TV series, and excellent reads!

I have collected all of the Murder She Wrote books to date and re-read them every so often. I find them very 'readable'. This one is no exception.

This is just another one of jessica's great mystery adventures. If you love solving crimes, this will sure fit your fancy.

I never saw a single TV episode of the Murder She Wrote series, nor had I read any of the other books before this one. Thus, I came to this novel with no pre-conceived notions. And in a word, I found this book to be anateurish.

The plot is padded and repetitive. Extraneous information and details abound. The reader is just halfway through the book before a murder occurs. A setup chapter or two may be needed, but not half a book. The good mystery novel is tightly written, with everything designed to move the plot forward. Alas, not here.

The writing is wooden, both the exposition and the dialogue. In real conversations, people seldom refer to the other party by first name, for example.

The atmosphere of a small coastal town in Maine is more than a bit hazy. That is, it never took me there. Well written books make the reader feels as if he could find his way around if he were dropped off in the book's setting.

Above all, a novel has to be convincing, and I wasn't at all convinced.

This is only my 4th or 5th book in this series and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Although the books all start out with a murder, you won't be reading the graphic "blood and gore" that is so popular with a lot of today's fiction. (That is NOT to say I don't enjoy the more graphic murder mysteries) You will also not be reading page after page of sex. The authors have a delightful cast of characters and the town of Cabot Cove seems like the ideal town in which to live or visit. You can get comfortable, and just "cozy on up" with these books. They can be easily be read in an afternoon or evening. Grab that cup of tea or glass of wine. Perfect for traveling. By the time the plane lands, you will know "whodunnit."

I've read all of the Murder She Wrote series and expecially liked this one set in Cabot Cove. Always enjoy jessica's interaction with Sheriff Mort Metzger & Doc Seth Hazlitt in solving a crime. Looking forwrd to the next book. Keep them coming.

This is my second Murder She Wrote. She doesn't disappoints. I enjoyed the return of Amos as as always in Cabot Cove just about anything can happen. This is a nice read. It has intrigue and suspense.