Murder, She Wrote (Season 4)

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Happy International Murder, She Wrote Day!

On this date 30 years ago, after 12 seasons, the final episode of the beloved television series, Murder, She Wrote, aired. I never did watch the series until about five years ago when I became interested in cozy mysteries. I started watching it in order from season 1 and I just recently finished watching season 4.

For the most part, the series maintained the same vibe as the previous three seasons. Jessica Fletcher is a widow who is a retired teacher turned mystery author. She has a knack for noticing details, piecing together clues, and solving whodunnits in hour long (with commercials) episodes. While the authorities consistently remind her that she is not one of them, overall she gets along well with them and they realize how valuable she is in helping to solve these crimes.

While we often think of Murder, She Wrote being set in Cabot Cove, Maine, I counted only five episodes out of 22 in season 4 taking place here. Others are set in various states like Maryland and New York. Some are also set in other countries, like France and Canada. Ms. Fletcher has a lot of friends, many of whom don't live in Cabot Cove, which means she travels a lot. So, is there really a high rate of crime in Cabot Cove? I don't know. But wherever they are set, Ms. Fletcher does seem to frequently find herself where murders happen. It's a good thing she's so good at solving them!

The mysteries continue to be strong. It's very rare when I'm able to figure out the whodunnit, and usually when I do, it's simply based on a hunch. I enjoy seeing how Ms. Fletcher untangles the mysteries and presents the big reveals. She's intelligent and poised.

Murder, She Wrote fans know that the series often includes notable guest stars. There were several from this season that I was familiar with including, Nancy Dussault, Jenilee Harrison, Christopher Hewett, John Callahan, Charlotte Rae, Jeffrey Tambor, Robert Reed, Sonny Bono, Norman Fell, Kristy McNichol, and Terry Kiser. Four of these are from Three's Company, which is a sitcom I used to watch in reruns.

One of the drawbacks of watching older shows like Murder, She Wrote is that not every episode ages well. What was acceptable when this season aired in the late 1980s would not go over well in present day. One such episode was the tenth one in this season titled, "Indian Giver". Another episode in season 4 I was not a fan of because it felt darker was the second one titled, "When Thieves Fall Out". 

However, this season also aired some of my favorite episodes including, "Old Habits Die Hard" (episode 5) for it's locked room feel, "If It's Thursday, It Must Be Beverly" (episode 7) because I love the Cabot Cove episodes most of all, "Curse of the Daanav" (episode 14) because it's set in my home state of Maryland and because it has a twisty mystery, and "Deadpan" (episode 21) because I enjoyed the plot and the clever reveal.

So that's a wrap on season 4. I'm looking forward to watching the remaining seasons!

Do you have a favorite episode or guest star from this season or from any season?

Character Guest Post - Jessica Fletcher

“The End”

Those have become my favorite words, and I type them on the bottom of the last page of every book I’ve ever written. Not because the publisher wants them there—in fact, I usually delete them before I send my editor the more polished manuscript.

But typing “The End” is a celebration of sorts. It marks the accomplishment of a goal, the culmination of weeks or months of dogged research, writing, and rewriting. And (usually) meeting a deadline, whether self-imposed or contractual.

And it’s a milestone worth celebrating!

Some writers break out the champagne. Some just take a nap. Whenever possible, I like to celebrate with friends.

So, it was a wonderful coincidence when I sent in my latest manuscript on the very day that friends of mine opened Riley’s, an Irish pub, in Cabot Cove.

At first, I was a bit fearful that the pub might fall short of my expectations, especially after I’d become a bit of an aficionado of genuine Irish pubs during recent trips I’d taken to the Emerald Isle. But the owners did a spectacular job, and spending a joyous evening there with my friends Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and his wife Maureen…well, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Literally. Seth insisted I needed some time off to relax.

And I was so relaxed that my friends even convinced me to stay—well past my bedtime--for pub trivia. I should have known we’d make a great team. As a doctor, Seth has a knack for the physical sciences. Mort is a sports fan. And both men are history buffs. Maureen was our go-to for those pop culture questions. I was able to draw on my experience as a former English teacher to do my part when literature questions came up.

And wouldn’t you know, we won!

Now, admittedly, I wasn’t quite as excited as my friends about the super secret grand prize the winners would receive. I was more content enjoying the food and fellowship with good friends and soaking up the atmosphere of such a fine addition to our little village.

Little did I know that this prize would take us all on an adventure…

And murder wouldn’t be far behind.

Sunday Post 136

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I watched paint dry this past week. 

We are having a lot of work done on our building, including painting all of the common areas. It's a nice upgrade. Today my door was painted on the side facing the hallway and on the side of the door. This meant the door had to stay open for a few hours. That's not easy with two cats. They were confused and a bit unhappy about being locked in a room for a while. I did spend some time in the room with them, which helped. When I wanted to leave the room, I locked them in the walk-in closet in the bedroom. They actually seemed to enjoy that, a bit too much. When I went to release them from the walk-in closet, Fiona came out right away, but Bell lollygagged. And it wasn't because she was scared. She thought it was a game and she wanted to play. Bell also had her mani and pedi this morning, so she had an especially big day. (Fiona goes to the vet periodically to get hers done, whereas Bell allows me to do hers.)

We used to have a fountain in front of the building. The birds loved it and I loved watching them play in it. Unfortunately, after 20 years it became too expensive to maintain and we had to get rid of it. Instead, we installed a few benches and some plants in that area. I am not a fan of insects, which are sure to visit as the weather warms up, so I'll probably wait until fall to sit there.

Speaking of weather, I believe we are turning the corning, zipping past spring, and heading straight into summer. I've really enjoyed the coolish weather, but this coming week will see highs in the 90s. Yuck. Is it fall yet?

I had a few appointments and meetings this past week, most of which were virtual. I only worked on the puzzle for about two hours all week. I got some done, but not much. I did get quite a bit of reading and listening done, though!

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I listened to A Deadly Inside Scoop (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 1), written by Abby Collette and narrated by Shandra Skye. It took some time for the mystery to get going, but once it did, I was all in. I enjoyed it overall. You can read some excerpts here.

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I also listened to another cozy mystery, Where the Light Shines Through (Olivia Penn Mystery 1), written by Kathleen Bailey and narrated by Natalie Naudus. I loved it from beginning to end! I'm planning to publish my full review this coming week. In the meantime, you can read some excerpts here. I definitely want to continue this series. 

IN PROGRESS

I read Spring Week 8 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. This was about various rodents the author has come across in her life. It reminded me of the gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pig I had at various times in my life. 

I'm still really enjoying Between a Roquefort and Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly. So far, I think this is one of the stronger installments in the series. I love the characters, including some new ones, as well as the perplexing mystery. I have some thoughts on the whodunnit. We'll see if I'm right.

UP NEXT

My next audiobook listen will be A Game of Cones (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 2), by Abby Collette. This second installment is set in the summer, so the week leading up to Memorial Day is the perfect time of year to listen to it.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Way Home - Six more episodes to go in this entire series and I still don't know how they're going to wrap everything up and answer every question. I am enjoying the ride, though.
• The Brady Bunch - I'm enjoying season 3. As the seasons progress, I think the emphasis is more on the comedy aspect of the sitcom than the earlier episodes are. I haven't listened to any podcast episodes on this season yet, but I'm looking forward to doing that eventually.
• Mom's Day Away - This is a 2014 Hallmark movie about a mother who loves her family, but needs a break, which was perfect for Mother's day. I love that that her bestie was the opposite in that her life centered mostly on her career. The two friends balanced each other out nicely. The main character in this movie is Bonnie Somerville. You may remember she played Ross's girlfriend Mona on Friends.
• All's Fair in Love and Mahjong - This was a 2026 Hallmark premiere and I loved it! I enjoyed the friend group, the budding romance, and the Mahjong theme. It made me want to learn how to play. My local library has a group that meets regularly, but I'm not able to make it at that time.
• Don't Go Breaking My Heart - This is a 2021 Hallmark movie that I watched last week for the first time. There were some eyebrow-raising moments, but overall I enjoyed it.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 05/09 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 05/12 - A Deadly Inside Scoop, by Abby Collette
• Friday Features - 05/15 - Bookish Response, Featured Book, Feline Friday, Nature Pic
• Puzzle - 05/16 - Dogwood and Lilacs

Have a great week!

Puzzle 138 - Dogwood and Lilacs

Isn't this is a pretty spring illustration? I finished it in 2:32 using 36 non-rotating pieces.

Enjoy!

Friday Features 36

Happy Friday!

Today I'm once again participating in six blog hops.  You can click on the host links below to find the blogs of others who are participating in each blog hop. If you're a blogger, feel free to join through the host links.

BOOK BLOGGER HOP, hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Question: Are you team dog-eared pages or strictly no creases?

My response:  I'm Team No Creases, but I won't judge you if you feel otherwise. 

FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower

FRIDAY 56, hosted by My Head is Full of Books

BOOK BEGINNINGS, hosted by Rose City Reader

Today's excerpts are from the audiobook format of Where the Light Shines Through (Olivia Penn Mystery 1), by Kathleen Bailey.

Here's the beginning:

Olivia Penn drove past Hamilton & Sons General Store, counting down the final fifteen minutes to her hometown of Apple Station for a last visit with her father before her move to New York the following week.

And here's an excerpt from 56%:

"We're going to the emergency room. What's hurting? Did you hit your head?"

Olivia Penn is the main character and amateur sleuth. In the excerpt from 56%, Olivia's father is addressing her. What do you think happened? Of course I'm not going to tell you. You will need to read it to find out. I finished this book yesterday and I loved it! I will post my full review next week. I can say this is a series I will definitely continue! Also, I just love that book cover.

FELINE FRIDAY, hosted my messymimi's meanderings

Here's a rare photo of the girls sitting next to each other. Sort of.

NATURE FRIDAY, hosted by Living the LLB Life

Everything's coming up roses!

A Deadly Inside Scoop (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 1), by Abby Collette

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One of the reasons I love The Cozy Mystery Book Club is because I often discover books I may not have otherwise heard about or read. I'm being selective this year with which books I read or listen to for the book club because there are some that I know will not sit well with me. One of the things I look for is how much swearing there is in the book. I tend to really dislike books that have a lot of swearing in it. I can deal with some swearing, but none is my preference. From what I could find, A Deadly Inside Scoop had no swearing it. I liked the setting, so I decided to give it a go. 

In this first in series, Win Crewse is a recent MBA graduate and she is set to re-open the family business - an ice cream parlor. She plans to use her grandmother's recipes, as well as her own. She had planned on opening in the summer, but unforeseen circumstances caused her to push it to the fall when the snow is falling in Ohio. She decides to embrace it anyway, and open the shop during this time of year. Unfortunately, Win discovers a dead body and her father is the prime suspect. Can she help the authorities clear her father's name, find out who the real killer is, and bring her focus back to running her shop during an already challenging time of year?

When I picked up this book, I thought it would be perfect for spring with the ice cream theme. Honestly, at first I was disappointed to learn it is set in the fall. However, this disappointment quickly melted away as I embraced the idea of having ice cream in the fall the way Win did. I don't know why it bothered me so much at first. After all, I do eat ice cream any time of year.

It took me some time to warm up to some of the main characters. I really loved Win, her parents, and her grandparents. One of my favorite aspects of cozies is when the entire family is present and gets along well. I find this very comforting.

On the other hand, I didn't like the way Win's bestie was fixated on one suspect through most of the book and I also thought she was quite harsh with her feelings about the detective. However, I appreciated that Win continuously set her straight, encouraging her to not have a one-track mind and to have more respect for the detective. 

As far as the victim goes, we didn't have a lot of information on him in the beginning, but his backstory was gradually revealed, and by the end, I felt like I had a good idea of who he was. There were also enough viable suspects to consider.

The mystery took a while to get going. The crime happened fairly early in the book, but for a while, there was mostly speculation happening. Once the sleuthing and finding concrete clues got going, I was fully invested. I had a hunch who the culprit was, which turned out to be correct, but I enjoyed the ride to the big reveal.

The audiobook does not list recipes at the end, but if you read it in a different format, you will find some delicious-sounding concoctions. I do wish audiobooks would more consistently include the recipes. Everyone should be able to access them.

Until I was about 80% into this book, I was on the fence about continuing the series. However, I ended up liking the setting and characters enough that I do want to continue with it. Also, it is my understanding that the next one is set around Memorial Day, which, at the time of this writing, is coming up in a couple of weeks. So it's the perfect time of year to read or listen to it.

Let's talk ice cream. Do you prefer to eat it in the warmer months only or do you eat it year-round?

Sunday Post 135

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy Mother's Day to all kinds of Moms! I know this day isn't easy for everyone. Know that I'm hugging you in my heart.

I had an ultra quiet week of nothingness, which was most welcome after a very active April. Last week, I had no appointments and no social events. I do enjoy getting together with friends and family, but I also cherish my alone time. It was bliss. I got some reading, blogging, and puzzling done.

Here's the puzzle I started working on. It's a Star Wars theme. It's 500 pieces and it has a 3D effect.

I picked up this puzzle at a swap last year. The box contains two 500-piece puzzles. On the way out, the person who donated it wished me luck and said she gave up on it. But how could I pass on a two-in-one puzzle? 

When I opened the box last week (yes, it took me months to dive in), I noticed that one puzzle had not yet been started at all. The pieces were still in the sealed bag. I decided to start with the one that was open. There were large chunks already assembled. I wanted to start from scratch, so I took them all apart. This process took ten minutes! The pieces lock in very tightly, but it also goes to show how much of the puzzle was already done. I don't know why they would get that far and then give up. Perhaps I'm about to find out. LOL.

Can you tell from the picture that there are a lot of extra pieces? They are all duplicate pieces. I measured the puzzle, so I'm certain I'm only missing one edge piece. But I don't even know where it goes. I made a break in the bottom, but I don't know if that's the correct spot in which it goes. 

Anyway, I think I finished the easiest part of the puzzle. The rest will be much more difficult because the colors are very similar. Also, all of the pieces (besides the edge pieces) are only two shapes, which is resulting in a lot of false fits. But I'm determined to finish it. Eventually. Hopefully this month, during Star Wars month. I started it on May the Fourth (be with you).

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

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I finished Spell to Pay (Spellbooked Mystery 2), by Elle Wren Burke. I enjoyed it, although there was one aspect I was hoping for more of. You can read some excerpts from Spell to Pay here and you can read my full review here.

IN PROGRESS

I read Spring Week 7 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. I have mixed feelings about this chapter. I understand how taking pictures can take some people out of the present moment, but for me, it does the opposite. Taking pictures has helped me notice and appreciate the natural world so much more than I used to. 

I'm enjoying Between a Roquefort and Hard Place (Grilled Cheese Mystery 7), by Linda Reilly. I'm already loving it more than the previous book in the series. Some time is taken to set up the mystery, but it doesn't take long before the real action begins.

I'm currently listening to A Deadly Inside Scoop (Ice Cream Parlor Mystery 1), written by Abby Collette and narrated by Shandra Skye. I love the setting and most of the characters, but I'm struggling to become invested in the mystery. I'm about 70% done and I think I know who the culprit is. I'll be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong. You can read some excerpts here.

UP NEXT

I think I know what my next read and what my next audiobook listen will be, but let me not say anything just yet in case something changes. (How's that for a cliffhanger?)

ON THE SCREEN

• The Way Home - It's hard to believe there are only seven episodes left in this entire series. How are they going to wrap up every storyline and answer every question without rushing the last few episodes? I am enjoying this season, but I can't help having doubts about how it will end.
• High Potential - I finished season 2, so I'm all caught up.  One aspect of the beginning of the season felt off and I wish they would develop more of the characters, but otherwise, this is a phenomenal show. It's a fast-paced police procedural, with a cozy mystery element (the amateur sleuth turned consultant for the police department) and a touch of a thriller vibe.
• The Brady Bunch - I started watching season 3. This season begins with the Bunch in The Grand Canyon, only the first of the three-part premiere didn't air. And I can't find it anywhere on TV. It's one thing to skip episodes, but to jump into a new season with the second episode of a three-part premiere seems like an odd choice. Anyway, I'm glad they are back home in the fourth episode. The ones where they travel are some of my least favorite episodes. I think they're missing the light-hearted humor and coziness that I love so much.
• Bottled With Love - This is a 2018 Hallmark movie. I remembered that I enjoyed it when I first watched it, but I had forgotten everything else about it. After watching it a second time, I loved it. It has a You've Got Mail vibe, but I actually like this movie more. Andrew Walker and Bethany Joy Lenz rarely disappoint.
• Kentucky Roses - This movie premiered on Hallmark last week. I enjoyed it and I might be open to watching it again. Good timing with the Kentucky Derby, Hallmark. Also, fun fact: Preakness will be taking place just 13 miles away from where I live next Sunday. The usual track in Baltimore is being renovated, so they had to temporarily relocate. (No, I won't be going.)

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 05/02 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 05/06 - Spell to Pay, by Elle Wren Burke
• Friday Features - 05/08 - Bookish Response, Featured Book, Feline Friday, Nature Pic
• Puzzle - 05/09 - Mother's Day

Have a great week!