List of Murder, She Wrote novels

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This is a list of fictional novels either from or inspired by Murder, She Wrote.

During the series many novels that J.B. Fletcher wrote, were mentioned. Her first novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight, was made into a film in one episode, and later in the series another was made into a theatre play. The novel A Killing at Hastings Rock also underwent development to become a virtual reality video game.

In keeping with the spirit of the TV show, a series of official original novels have been written and published by the New American Library. The co-author credited for all of the novels is the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher". The first novel, Gin & Daggers, authored by American ghostwriter Donald Bain, included several inaccuracies to the TV series including Jessica driving a car which she could not do as she never learned to drive. Due to fans pointing out the errors, the novel was republished in 2000 with most of the inaccuracies corrected.

The title The Stain on the Stairs had previously been used by Agatha Christie in The Murder at the Vicarage as the title of a supposed detective story.

Fictional novels[]

Novels that were written by the fictional character of Jessica Fletcher (J.B. Fletcher) within the storyline of the series:

  • The Corpse Danced at Midnight[1]
  • Dirge for a Dead Dachshund[2]
  • A Faded Rose Beside Her[3]
  • Murder on the Amazon[4]
  • The Umbrella Murders[5]
  • Murder at the Inn[6]
  • Murder at the Digs[7]
  • Murder in a Minor Key[8]
  • The Stain on the Stairs[9]
  • The Mystery of the Mutilated Minion[10]
  • The Belgrade Murders[11]
  • Sanitarium of Death[12]
  • Calvin Canterbury's Revenge[13]
  • Murder at the Asylum[14]
  • Murder Comes to Maine[15]
  • Ashes, Ashes, Fall Down Dead[16]
  • Goodbye, Charlie[17]
  • Yours Truly, Damian Sinclair[18]
  • The Corpse That Wasn't There[19]
  • The Messengers of Midnight[20]
  • The Poison in My Heart[21]
  • All the Murderers[22]
  • Murder at the Ridge Top[23]
  • The Corpse Swam by Moonlight[24]
  • The Killer Called Collect[24]
  • The Corpse at Vespers[25]
  • The Triple Crown Murders[25]
  • The Crypt of Death[26]
  • A Killing at Hastings Rock[27]
  • The Uncaught[28]
  • Murder in White[29]
  • The Dead Man Sang[30]
  • Stone Cold Dead on Wall Street[31]
  • Endangered[32]
  • The Launch Pad Murders[33]
  • Runway to Murder[34]
  • The Venomous Valentine[35]
  • A Case and a Half of Murder[36]
  • The Zero Aspect[37]

Novelizations[]

A number of episodes were the basis for a series of novels released in the mid 1980s by Avon Books. The first three books in the series were written by James Anderson and the fourth was written by David Deutsch. Each book, with the exception of The Murder of Sherlock Holmes, utilizes two episodes from the show as the basis for its story.

James Anderson

  1. The Murder of Sherlock Holmes (April 1985)[38]
    • based on the episode of the same name.
  2. Hooray for Homicide (November 1985)[39]
    • based on the episodes "Deadly Lady" and "Hooray for Homicide".
  3. Lovers and Other Killers (February 1986)[40]
    • based on the episodes "Lovers and Other Killers" and "It's a Dog's Life".

David Deutsch

  2. Murder in Two Acts (April 17, 1986)[41]
    • based on the episodes "Sing a Song of Murder" and "Murder in the Afternoon".

Spin-off novels[]

The following are novels inspired by the series, which are published by the New American Library. Donald Bain began writing the series in 1989 and continued authoring the books until his death in 2017. Originally, the title of each book referenced a cocktail, while the cover art included a hidden depiction of a skull. The titling format was abandoned after the fifth book, 1995's Martinis & Mayhem, with the exception of Margaritas & Murder in 2005. Likewise, the skull motif was initially dropped with the series' move to hardcover with Destination Murder in 2003, but returned for the paperback edition and one later book, The Maine Mutiny, before permanently ending.[42]

Bain's wife, Renée Paley-Bain (1945–2016), participated in writing the books beginning in 2002,[43] and received a co-author credit for the final three books on which she worked. And Laurie Bain Wilson, Donald Bain’s daughter, also collaborated on several of the novels with her father. After Bain's death in 2017, author Jon Land was approached to take over the series. Bain had been working on the 47th book in the series, A Date with Murder, along with his grandson Zachary Bain Shippee. Land agreed to pick up where Bain left off and continue the series in his absence.[44] A Date with Murder is Bain's final Murder, She Wrote novel, published posthumously and co-authored with Land. Land would go on to author six books in the series.

In 2020, it was revealed that author Terrie Farley Moran would be taking over the series beginning in 2021.[45][46]

Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

  1. Gin & Daggers (June 1989)[47]
  2. Manhattans & Murder (December 1994)[49]
  3. Rum & Razors (April 1995)[50]
  4. Brandy & Bullets (August 1995)[51]
  5. Martinis & Mayhem (December 1995)[52]
  6. A Deadly Judgment (April 1996)[53]
  7. A Palette for Murder (October 1996)[54]
  8. The Highland Fling Murders (April 1997)[55]
  9. Murder on the QE2 (October 1997)[56]
  10. Murder in Moscow (May 1998)[57]
  11. A Little Yuletide Murder (October 1998)[58]
  12. Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch (May 1999)[59]
  13. Knock 'em Dead (October 1999)[60]
  14. Trick or Treachery (October 1, 2000)[61]
  15. Blood on the Vine (April 2001)[62]
  16. Murder in a Minor Key (October 2001)[63]
  17. Provence – To Die For (April 2002)[64]
  18. You Bet Your Life (October 2002)[65]
  19. Majoring in Murder (April 2003)[66]
  20. Destination Murder (October 7, 2003)[67]
  21. Dying to Retire (April 6, 2004)[68]
  22. A Vote for Murder (October 5, 2004)[69]
  23. The Maine Mutiny (April 5, 2005)[70]
  24. Margaritas & Murder (October 4, 2005)[71]
  25. A Question of Murder (April 4, 2006)[72]
  26. Three Strikes and You're Dead (October 3, 2006)[73]
  27. Coffee, Tea, or Murder? (April 3, 2007)[74]
  28. Panning for Murder (September 25, 2007)[75]
  29. Murder on Parade (April 1, 2008)[76]
  30. A Slaying in Savannah (September 30, 2008)[77]
  31. Madison Avenue Shoot (April 7, 2009)[78]
  32. A Fatal Feast (October 6, 2009)[79]
  33. Nashville Noir (April 6, 2010)[80]
  34. The Queen's Jewels (October 5, 2010)[81]
  35. Skating on Thin Ice (April 5, 2011)[82]
  36. The Fine Art of Murder (October 4, 2011)[83]
  37. Trouble at High Tide (April 3, 2012)[84]
  38. Domestic Malice (October 2, 2012)[85]
  39. Prescription for Murder (April 2, 2013)[86]
  40. Close-Up on Murder (October 1, 2013)[87]
  41. Aloha Betrayed (April 1, 2014)[88]
  42. Death of a Blue Blood (October 7, 2014)[89]
  43. Killer in the Kitchen (April 7, 2015)[90]
  44. The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher (with Renée Paley-Bain) (October 6, 2015)[91]
  45. Design for Murder (with Renée Paley-Bain) (April 5, 2016)[92]
  46. Hook, Line, and Murder (with Renée Paley-Bain) (October 4, 2016)[93]
  47. A Date with Murder (with Jon Land) (May 1, 2018)[94]

Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land

  2. Manuscript for Murder (November 6, 2018)[95]
  3. Murder in Red (May 28, 2019)[96]
  4. A Time for Murder (November 26, 2019)[97]
  5. The Murder of Twelve (May 26, 2020)[98]
  6. Murder in Season (November 24, 2020)[99]

Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

  2. Killing in a Koi Pond (June 8, 2021)[100]
  3. Debonair in Death (November 2, 2021)[101]
  4. Killer on the Court (May 17, 2022)[102]

Anthologies[]

Beginning in 1997, a series of three anthologies were released, each featuring a number of stories by different authors. While none of the stories tied into the series, each book was captioned as "Jessica Fletcher presents...", with the fictitious character being credited as the author of the book's introduction and making a short comment at the start of each story.

  1. Murder, They Wrote (1997)[103]
  2. Murder, They Wrote II (1998)[104]
  3. More Murder, They Wrote (1999)[105]

References[]

  1. ^ Season 1, Episode 1; "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes"
  2. ^ Season 1, Episode 2; "Deadly Lady"
  3. ^ Season 1, Episode 10; "Death Casts a Spell"
  4. ^ Season 1, Episode 13; "Murder to a Jazz Beat"
  5. ^ Season 2, Episode 6; "Reflections of the Mind"
  6. ^ Season 2, Episode 7; "A Lady at the Lake"
  7. ^ Season 2, Episode 11; "Murder Digs Deep"
  8. ^ Season 3, Episode 14; "Murder in a Minor Key"
  9. ^ Season 3, Episode 21; "The Days Dwindle Down"
  10. ^ Season 3, Episode 22; "Murder, She Spoke"
  11. ^ Season 4, Episode 2;"“When Thieves Fall Out"
  12. ^ Season 4, Episode 3; "Witness for the Defense"
  13. ^ Season 4, Episode 8; "Steal Me a Story"
  14. ^ Season 4, Episode 9; "Trouble in Eden"
  15. ^ Season 4, Episode 21; "Deadpan"
  16. ^ Season 5, Episode 12; "Smooth Operators"
  17. ^ Season 6, Episode 12; "Goodbye, Charlie"
  18. ^ Season 7, Episode 18; "Where Have You Gone, Billy Boy?"
  19. ^ Season 8, Episode 1; "Bite the Big Apple"
  20. ^ Season 8, Episode 10; "The List of Yuri Lermentov"
  21. ^ Season 8, Episode 14; "The Monte Carlo Murders"
  22. ^ Season 9, Episode 1; "Murder in Milan"
  23. ^ Season 9, Episode 3; "The Mole"
  24. ^ a b Season 9, Episode 4; "The Wind Around the Tower"
  25. ^ a b Season 9, Episode 14; "Killer Radio"
  26. ^ Season 10, Episode 3; "The Legacy of Borbey House"
  27. ^ Season 10, Episode 5; "A Virtual Murder"
  28. ^ Season 10, Episode 9; "Murder at a Discount"
  29. ^ Season 10, Episode 10; "Murder in White"
  30. ^ Season 10, Episode 11; "Northern Explosion"
  31. ^ Season 10, Episode 15; "Murder on the Thirtieth Floor"
  32. ^ Season 11, Episode 1; "A Nest of Vipers"
  33. ^ Season 11, Episode 5; "Dear Deadly"
  34. ^ Season 11, Episode 17; "Murder a la Mode"
  35. ^ Season 12, Episode 10; "Frozen Stiff"
  36. ^ Season 12, Episode 24; "Death by Demographics"
  37. ^ Movie 4; The Celtic Riddle
  38. ^ "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  39. ^ "Hooray for Homicide". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  40. ^ "Lovers and Others Killers". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  41. ^ "Murder in Two Acts". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  42. ^ "Murder, She Wrote Novels". Murder, She Watched. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  43. ^ Bain, Donald. "Discussion". Archived from the original on 2014-07-17. I've been writing the MSW series for 25 years, with Renee's help the last dozen years or so.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  44. ^ "Jon Land Takes on a Classic as the New Voice Behind the Jessica Fletcher Murder, She Wrote Book Series". Early Bird Books. April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  45. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  46. ^ "Say Hi to Jessica Fletcher!". TerrieFarleyMoran.com. July 25, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  47. ^ "Gin & Daggers". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  48. ^ "Gin and Daggers". Amazon. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  49. ^ "Manhattans & Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  50. ^ "Rum & Razors". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  51. ^ "Brandy & Bullets". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  52. ^ "Martinis & Mayhem". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  53. ^ "A Deadly Judgement". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  54. ^ "A Palette for Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  55. ^ "The Highland Fling Murders". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  56. ^ "Murder on the QE2". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  57. ^ "Murder in Moscow". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  58. ^ "A Little Yuletide Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  59. ^ "Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  60. ^ "Knock 'em Dead". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  61. ^ "Trick or Treachery". Penguin. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  62. ^ "Blood on the Vine". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  63. ^ "Murder in a Minor Key". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  64. ^ "Provence - To Die For". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  65. ^ "You Bet Your Life". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  66. ^ "Majoring in Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  67. ^ "Destination Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  68. ^ "Dying to Retire". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  69. ^ "A Vote for Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  70. ^ "The Maine Mutiny". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  71. ^ "Margaritas & Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  72. ^ "A Question of Murder". Amazoon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  73. ^ "Three Strikes and You're Dead". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  74. ^ "Coffee, Tea, or Murder?". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  75. ^ "Panning for Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  76. ^ "Murder on Parade". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  77. ^ "A Slaying in Savannah". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  78. ^ "Madison Avenue Shoot". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  79. ^ "A Fatal Feast". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  80. ^ "Nashville Noir". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  81. ^ "The Queen's Jewels". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  82. ^ "Skating on Thin Ice". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  83. ^ "The Fine Art of Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  84. ^ "Trouble at High Tide". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  85. ^ "Trouble at High Tide". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  86. ^ "Prescription for Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  87. ^ "Close-Up on Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  88. ^ "Aloha Betrayed". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  89. ^ "Death of a Blue Blood". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  90. ^ "Killer in the Kitchen". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  91. ^ "This Ghost of Mrs. Fletcher". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  92. ^ "Design for Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  93. ^ "Hook, Line, and Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  94. ^ "A Date with Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  95. ^ "Manuscript for Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  96. ^ "Murder in Red". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  97. ^ "A Time for Murder". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  98. ^ "The Murder of Twelve". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  99. ^ "Murder in Season". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  100. ^ "Killing in a Koi Pond". Amazon. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  101. ^ "Debonair in Death". Amazon. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  102. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  103. ^ "Murder, They Wrote". Amazon. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  104. ^ "Murder, They Wrote II". Amazon. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  105. ^ "More Murder, They Wrote". Amazon. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

Notes[]

  1. ^ Author Donald Bain released a revised second edition in April 2000, omitting passages which had Jessica Fletcher driving a car.

External links[]

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