Customer Reviews

Murder, She Wrote: A Slaying In Savannah

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love reading the "Murder, She Wrote" books. I feel as if I am seeing a new episode of the much loved TV series!

"A Slaying In Savannah" was not a disappointment. Jessica receives a phone call from a lawyer requesting that she come to Savannah to hear the reading of the will of her old friend, Tillie. Turns out, Tillie is leaving Jessica a million dollars to be given to a charity they started together years ago! The catch? To get the million dollars Jessica must solve a murder that happened 40 years ago, within 30 days of the reading of the will! A challenge to be sure, things are even more complicated by angry relatives, so-called friends, and a couple who live in the guest house who believe the mansion is haunted.

Jessica Fletcher is one of my favorite amateur sleuths and Savannah is my absolute favorite city in the world so I have been eagerly anticipating the release of this book for months. I am now happy to report that I was not disappointed!

I was a bit delayed in getting the book because my wife snatched it almost before it came in the door and I can happily report that she also gives it very high marks. Since we both have an interest in all things ghostly it didn't hurt one bit that there was a ghost in this story and that the ghost may well have had a hand in Jessica's ability to solve the mystery. Considering that the murder Jessica was investigating had happened forty years ago it isn't surprising that she might need a little otherworldly help in coming up with a solution.

I was amazed at how well Donald Bain caught the atmosphere of Savannah and it is patently obvious that he spent some time in that most charming of cities before he wrote this book. He not only caught the outgoing nature of the people there but he also hit upon the unfortunate pompous attitude of a few Savannah natives. Most importantly though he captured the eccentric nature that seems to permeate so many old Savannah families and it is that friendly, yet eccentric nature of so much of the population that helps to make Savannah such a special place and few authors do it justice. John Berendt captured it perfectly and now Donald Bain has followed suit.

The whole story revolves around the last will and testament of an elderly and wealthy Savannah lady with whom Jessica has worked previously on a literacy program. The will specifies that Jessica will be paid the sum of one million dollars to be given to the literacy fund but not until she solves the murder of the deceased's fiancé. That unsolved murder took place forty years ago in the deceased's house and that is the very house where Jessica will be staying. To make matters even worse Jessica only has a month to solve the case and she was to work around an elderly lawyer with a deep drawl, a snobby judge, a couple of ghost hunters, an amorous doctor and a man who claims to be a General. As a note to the author I very much liked the reference to the valiant General J. Johnston Pettigrew, CSA.

The plot of this book manages to stay on track more than is the case with a lot of cozy mysteries but the author still manages to take a few excursions into the history and culture of Savannah including its vaunted St. Patrick's Day celebration. This entry into the "Murder She Wrote" series is probably comes closer to the feeling of the TV series than do any of its predecessors and even if it weren't set in Savannah I think that I would have greatly enjoyed it. It seems that as of late each new entry in the series is an improvement over the last one and that trend continues here. Save for the misspelling of Paula Deen's name I can't find a single thing to complain about.

This is my third novel novel that I have read. It was throughly enjoyable. It starts out with Jessica Fletcher being invited to Savannah,Georgia for the reading of the will of her friend Tillie. But as always there a catch in order to get 1 million left to her for the literacy program that they started. She must solve the mystery of her dead fiancee within one month. They are a lot of surprises in this novel. If you are a fan you will enjoy.

We were on our way to Savannah, GA when I was reading the book. It was very good and I could recognize the references she made during the story. Enjoyed!

As a fan of the Murder She Wrote TV series and a native of Savannah, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was delighted to find it when searching for mysteries set in the Savannah area. This book was perfect matching of the Jessica Fletcher character and the wonderful ambiance of Savannah during the famous St. Patrick's celebration held here every year. The mention of certain restaurants, roads, landmarks and even the merge of the Savannah and Chatham County police departments showed that the author(s) had definitely done their research on Savannah. I was most pleased with this book as it melds both local area setting and murder mystery perfectly! If you love Savannah, you will love reading this book!!!

I love the "Murder She Wrote" series and "A Slaying in Savannah" is one of the best in the series. Jessica receives a phone call telling her about the death of her old friend Tillie and the strange circumstances of her will. Jessica has to go to Savannah and live in Tillie's mansion to try to solve the murder. The characters are well defined and the city of Savannah is described very well. The mystery will keep you reading until the wee hours of the night. This is a real page turner. I highly recommend this book.

the book is everything i expected it to be. i can't wait for the next one.

The book was in perfect condition, came on time. would do business with these people anytime.

It brought back the CBS show that was on many years. Story was interesting and kept you wordering who was the killer.

A SLAYING IN SAVANNAH is part of a best-selling series of murder mysteries and deserves a spot in any general lending library, particular those strong in Southern culture. Jessica learns an old friend has passed away and left her millions - but she has to use the money to help a literacy fund she once helped establish years ago - and solve a mystery within a month. A dangerous set of interactions evolves.