Cozy Mystery Review: Murder Backstage | Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran | Murder, She Wrote #58

Jessica Fletcher knows a thing or two about solving mysteries, and so does her current co-writer Terrie Farley Moran! I never turn down a chance to sink back into Jessica Fletcher’s world in the Murder, She Wrote book series based on the hit television program. In Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage, Jessica is visiting her cousin Emma as she performs in a musical review in Canada, when a murder threatens to upend the production.

If you’re new to the Murder, She Wrote book series (or universe!), then allow me to briefly introduce you to Jessica Fletcher—a mystery writer who has a knack for stumbling across real life mysteries and often helping to solve them. Jessica Fletcher is truly one of the original legends that popularized cozy mysteries. Each book contains its own mystery so the books can truly be read in any order. The more you read, the more you’ll get a feel for Jessica as a character, but I felt that author Terrie Farley Moran did an excellent job capturing the quirky character of Jessica Fletcher in this book.

What’s Murder Backstage about?

The book starts off in her hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine with Jessica pushing to finish up her latest mystery novel. When Jessica she receives a phone call from her cousin Emma MacGill, she’s pleased to hear from her. Long time fans of the series (and the tv show it is based on) will be familiar with Emma—she has appeared on many occasions throughout the series. Emma is British and an actress on both the screen and stage, and there is a running joke through the series about how much Emma and Jessica look alike (the joke being that star Angela Lansbury played both Jessica Fletcher and Emma MacGill, so they look identical).

Emma is traveling to Alberta, Canada to perform alongside actor and star Derek Braverman in a musical review. She invites Jessica to join her, and the timing is (as always) perfect, because Jessica is just putting the finishing touches on her latest mystery. Jessica invites Dr. Seth Hazlitt (who is Jessica’s best friend in the television and book series) and Sheriff Mort Metzger (who took the sheriff’s position in Cabot Cove from season 5 and onwards) with his wife Maureen. As a sidenote, we learn that Mort and Maureen are big fans of Derek Braverman (which is why they asked to come along) and I was tickled by the fangirling and fanboying going on!

Derek isn’t the only one with fans—it appears that word has gotten around that mystery writer J. B. Fletcher is in town, and it has attracted quite a commotion with fans (two who are staying at the hotel and quite persistent!). The hotel arranges a book signing with Jessica despite her protestations. The trip turns out to be eventful and a bit awkward from the very first night, when Assistant Director Dennis gets into an odd conversation with a hotel bartender. Meanwhile, the next morning Seth discovers someone has stolen his prized pen that he was gifted in honor of an award he received from the Maine Medical Association. The pen isn’t just valuable, it has sentimental meaning. Strangely when they inquire at the front desk if there is a lost and found, they discover this isn’t the only item that has gone missing and wasn’t turned in.

The trip proceeds with Emma being called to rehearsals while Jessica and the crew do some site seeing. Dinners are when the group and actors come together, and Jessica gets to know the cast of characters. However, the festivities are brought to a halt when the bartender from the first night (who is also working as a stagehand) is found murdered at the theater when a group is there for costume fittings. It must have been someone at the rehearsal or a guest of theirs, and Jessica is sure she can help get to the bottom of this mystery.

How was Murder Backstage?

I think longtime fans of Murder, She Wrote will enjoy this mystery, which features a lot of scenes about Jessica’s life and career outside of the murder. However, if you’re new to the series, this may not be the right book to start on. The mystery was much less focal than it has been in other books, though I did find the conclusion to be satisfying and such a classic Jessica Fletcher way of solving a mystery!

The murder occurs about one third of the way through, and the victim isn’t the most compelling or relevant character. In fact, the mystery relies on finding out who would have a motive to murder such a mild character who doesn’t have many strong connections to the suspects. This is where Jessica really shines, because she’s not only good at getting information out of people (she’s just so proper and kind), but she’s good at getting her social connections to do this as well. Furthermore, this mystery (as many do) required a bit of research and Jessica knew just how to get the research librarian to give them access to the materials needed. Jessica may seem sweet, but she is as wily as ever!

What happened to Seth’s pen??

I admit that I sort of rolled my eyes when Seth lost his pen at first because it was such strange and mundane occurrence. But seeing the kindhearted Seth so devastated over losing that pen really did pull on my heart strings and by the time that part of the mystery was solved, I felt so happy that Seth got his pen back! It would have been terrible if a lively morning crossword puzzle led to the loss of an item Seth cared so much about. Also seeing Jessica solve that part of the mystery was truly Jessica at her finest!

How is Jessica doing?

One other small thing—in this book more than any other I noticed how often Jessica talks about her diet and exercise. This is such a funny thing to focus on! I first noticed it in the beginning of the book back in Cabot Cove when Jessica has to order a less caloric breakfast than usual because (according to her), she has spent so much time sitting while finishing this book that she hasn’t gotten as much exercise. This theme continues throughout the book, though! Jessica and the other characters are constantly talking about dieting, metabolism, what they can order versus what someone else can order, and how they are squeezing workouts into the travel schedule. Rather than seeming competitive or like eating disorder fodder, this was presented in such a pleasant way.

This bizarre and delightfully irrelevant storyline absolutely tickled me for some reason! Jessica is just one of those characters who always does everything that most of us should be doing, but often many of us (or at least I can speak for myself here) aren’t as regimented as we should be. The funny thing about this part of the book is that Jessica does these things without any drama. She’ll just depart from the others who are going to relax or take a nap and goes to her hotel room to do arm workouts for twenty minutes. This of course reminded me of Angel Lansbury’s iconic wellness video she released in 1988—you can find it on YouTube and it is worth the watch! It’ll not only make you laugh, it’ll make you inspired to be less dramatic about wellness like Jessica Fletcher.

Final thoughts

Overall, this is a book that fans of Murder, She Wrote will love. It’s always great to see Emma return, and to carry on the joke about how similar she and Jessica look. The mystery itself is entertaining, though not overly complex. I enjoyed the way the mystery came together in the end, and felt so relieved when Seth’s pen returned. Jessica was at her finest in this book—a mix of kind, proper, and a bit spicy! Her eyes are always on finding the truth, and she delivers again with another mystery solved.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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About the Author

Terrie Farley Moran is presently the co-writer, with Jessica Fletcher, of the Murder, She Wrote mysteries based on the long running television series. Her books include Murder, She Wrote Killing in a Koi Pond. Murder, She Wrote Debonair in Death, which was short listed for the SCRIBE award, Murder, She Wrote Killer on the Court, and Murder, She  Wrote Death on the Emerald Isle.

In an earlier series she was delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore where murder and sweet tea are always on the menu. The first book in the Read ’Em and Eat series, Well Read, Then Dead, received the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. It was followed by two additional books: Caught Read-Handed and Read to Death, all featuring Sassy, Bridgy, Aunt Ophie, Scully and the book club gang.

Terrie was also privileged to join Laura Childs in co-writing four novels in the highly entertaining New Orleans Scrapbooking mysteries

The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is spending time with her friends and family, especially her seven grandchildren.