Murder,She Wrote: Destination--Murder [Hardcover]

Jessica Fletcher (Author), Donald Bain (Author)

Book Description

Series: Murder She Wrote | Publication Date: October 7, 2003

NAL celebrates the twentieth book in the USA Today bestselling series featuring TV's beloved sleuth!

Mystery writer Jessica Fletcher takes a three-night train trip with her friend and his railroad association through scenic British Columbia. But when a member of the entourage takes a sip of a Bloody Mary and dies, the police begin investigating.

The viable suspects are gathered together in the luxurious Starlight Express dinner car, and it's up to Jessica to do some unplanned sleuthing before someone else's plans are derailed by sudden death...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the invitation of Cabot Cove denizen Reggie Weems, TV's Jessica Fletcher takes a murderous jaunt by rail through British Columbia in the 20th competently constructed "collaboration" between her and real-life mystery writer Bain. Not long into the trip, which is sponsored by the Track and Rail Club, the club's wealthy and domineering president, Al Blevin, falls victim to a poisoned cocktail. Jessica and Reggie do their best to assist an RCMP detective, Christian Marshall, in sorting out the various suspects. The victim had engendered strong feelings in a number of other club members, and he had also incurred the hatred of his stepson, Benjamin Vail, whose father had disappeared mysteriously on a previous rail journey. As the train continues on its way, Jessica gets to know her fellow travelers better and keeps on the trail of the killer. The authors telegraph an important clue early on, allowing seasoned mystery fans to get to the truth ahead of Mrs. Fletcher. In novel form, Jessica has little personality, and thus readers will have to keep the image of Angela Lansbury firmly in mind to endow the sleuth with the qualities viewers of "Murder, She Wrote" appreciated.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jessica Fletcher is a bestselling mystery writer who has a knack for stumbling upon real-life mysteries in her various travels.

Donald Bain, her longtime collaborator, is also the writer of more than eighty other books, many of them bestsellers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover; 1St Edition edition (October 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451210484
• ISBN-13: 978-0451210487
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,570,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong series entry, October 7, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder,She Wrote: Destination--Murder (Hardcover)

Cabot Cove, Maine murder mystery writer Jessica Fletcher agrees to accompany her friend Reggie Weems, a train hobbyist, to the Track and Rail Club's annual meeting in Vancouver. Members of the group are going on a three day journey on the Whistler Northwind train run by B.C. Rails. The chairman of the club is Alvin Blevin, a high-power Vancouver lawyer who is very unpopular with certain members of the group.

On the first day of the train ride, Alvin goes into convulsions and dies. Jessica is certain that he was murdered and she doesn't hesitate to tell RCMP Detective Christain Marshal that she believes he was the victim of strychnine poisoning. When a toxicology report proves her right, the detective asks Jessica to determine which passengers had the best motive for wanting him dead. The problem with that task is that almost everyone had a motive, which makes ferreting out the real killer next to impossible.

Most mystery novels have more than one suspect but in MURDER SHE WROTE: DESTINATION MURDER, the count is more than the fingers on two hands. All the suspects have very credible motives which is why the RCMP detective enlisted the help of the amateur sleuth who has had a successful track record in finding killers on previous cases. Amateur sleuth lovers, especially series fans, will definitely enjoy this exciting who done it.

Harriet Klausner

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Aboard!, November 14, 2003

By 

"littleman25" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder,She Wrote: Destination--Murder (Hardcover)

This new mystery will have all Murder She Wrote fans up reading until the wee hours of the morning. I enjoyed this book immensely and was sad when the story ended.

The characters in this tale will have everyone guessing on who the perpetrator really is. I was wrong every time, if that says anything.

As Jessica Fletcher gets older, her knack for solving crime is still in tact. There is a scene on the train that Jessica will never forget. It's a life and death situation as she stumbles upon different clues to unravel who is behind the ghastly murder.

As the series chugs forward, the plots get stronger and unforgettable. "Destination Murder" is no exception. Don't let this mystery pass by.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder She Wrote continues it's greatness., April 4, 2004

By 

Meg "Livin la vida loca in Maine!" (Caribou, ME, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder,She Wrote: Destination--Murder (Hardcover)

As a member of a train group, this mystery hit close to home. I enjoyed it greatly as I have with all the other Murder She Wrote mysteries. The best thing about the book is the way the author wrote it in Jessica Fletcher's authentic voice. If you've ever watched Murder She Wrote, Jessica has a very distinct way of putting things, and the way she acts. This is all continued in the books.

This was probably one of the better MSW books, as I had a difficult time figuring out who done it. There was a MSW special on TV about 10 years ago with many of the same plot twists and turns about a train murder (only this one was set on an Amtrak train). Pick this up for a good mystery read which may on the surface look like an easy simple mystery, but is much deeper.