Murder, She Wrote: Margaritas & Murder (Murder She Wrote) (Hardcover)

by Jessica Fletcher (Author), Donald Bain (Author) "don't have a formula as such for coming up with the plots for my novels..." (more)
Key Phrases: Maria Elena, San Miguel, Father Alfredo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In this new novel in the bestselling series, mystery writer Jessica Fletcher accompanies her publisher to Mexico for a little R&R.

San Miguel de Allende is the perfect place for Jessica to soak up the sun, bask in Mexican culture, and spend some time with her good friends Vaughan and Olga Buckley. But when Vaughan is kidnapped for a large ransom, Jessica must put her life on the line to find her old friend.

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 80 other books, many of them bestsellers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451216628
• ISBN-13: 978-0451216625
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #275,180 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventures in Mexico, November 9, 2005

By	Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Over the course of this series Jessica's publisher Vaughan Buckley and his wife Olga have taken on a more and more important role. At first they would just appear on occasion when Jessica had finished a book or when she was in New York. Finally Jessica spent a vacation at an Inn near the Buckley's home in the Hamptons and in this entry she is spending some time with them in yet another of their vacation homes. This time, unlike Jessica's trip to the Hamptons, the Buckley's are at the very center of the story from beginning to end and despite missing Seth and Mort, I found this story to be a very refreshing change. I do however hope and expect to see the Cabot Cove crew back at the forefront of the next book.

Vaughan and Olga have purchased a vacation home in rural Mexico and Jessica goes for a visit. Once she is there she meets a large group of Americans and Canadians who have retired to the area. As usual, Donald Bain does an excellent job of creating the characters with whom Jessica will interact. Some are very likable while others were so irritating that I found myself hurrying to get through the sections in which they appeared. Just like real people however, all of these characters are not really all that they seem to be but with Jessica on the case no one's secrets are safe.

"The case" in this book involves the kidnapping of Vaughan Buckley while he is on a trip with the outgoing and gregarious Woody Manheim who is retired from the military. When the pair does not return on time Olga, who was against the trip from the beginning, calls the police who find the pair's abandoned car along with a blood soaked handkerchief. Not sure just how far she can trust the police Jessica begins to snoop and because the life of her friend is in serious danger she takes her snooping to a new level. In the process she very much violates the privacy of several people but justifies it to herself because time is of the essence. In the end however it is not Jessica's snooping but instead an act of kindness on her part that provides the key clue.

The most impressive thing about this book however is the way that the author builds the suspense as his story progresses. As the reader nears the climactic moment the pace of the book picks up considerably and I found myself moving toward the edge of my seat. This reaction in the reader is a clear mark of a good mystery and since I scooted up so far that I almost fell out of my recliner this must indeed be a good mystery novel. It's not the best entry in the series by any means but this is certainly a very solid and enjoyable book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good effort by Mr Bain., November 1, 2005

By	M.S.W. Fan - See all my reviews

Yet another solid Murder She Wrote novel from the safe hands of Donald Bain, as always Mr Bain's easy to read style creates vivid images in you mind of people and places, his knack seems to be that he can do this witout the reader ever feeling that the story is becoming bogged down.
As others have mentioned the only real problem is Jesica's missing friends from back in Cabot Cove, not even the usual mention of the likes of Mort or Seth, or of Mara's Luncheonette or Charlene Sassi's bakery.
Still all told this is a solid installment in the series, can't wait for the next (which I believe is the final book in the current contact, however Mr Bain has just signed a contract for another four books in the series!)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Jessica's Best, October 18, 2005

By	English Major - See all my reviews

This is one of the best Murder She Wrote books thus far. While normally the stories set in Cabot Cove are the most enjoyable, this one set in Mexico with her publisher friends is just as good. I completely forgot about Seth and Mort back home and this time they were not missed. There's a lot of action right from the start and the ending is very well done.