It’s Christmas in Cabot Cove, but Jessica’s hardly got time to breathe. She’s finally able to move back into her house after a devastating fire. Restoration is finished except for replacing the septic system. It had been grandfathered in, but now that the house has been redone, the system has to be replaced, too.

Digging comes to a halt when very old bones and a fairly new skeleton are found in her back yard, along with a chest full of the town’s original paperwork, including a shocking secret about the five founding fathers. Identifying the victims is the first and hardest step.

Jessica’s nephew Grady, who she raised, is bringing his wife and son to visit during the holidays. Still, murder comes first. When additional deaths are ruled murders as well, it’s time to get to the bottom of things before Santa’s arrival.

Between rehearsing for the annual Christmas play, being Mrs. Claus in the parade, interviewing the descendants of the founders, avoiding a sleazy reporter, and deciphering clues, Jessica doesn’t even have time to shop for groceries before her family shows up—a day early! Everyone has a secret so it’s up to Jessica and Mort to decide which secrets are mere scandals and which are lethal.

This is book fifty-two in the long-running, popular series. With the motive presumably set in the past, Jessica isn’t in any personal danger—this time anyway. Readers will be happy to see Harry, Jessica’s detective friend from New York, arrive in Cabot Cove for his first visit, as well as the return of Grady, his wife, and young son, Frank. Look for the next book, Murder, She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond, Jessica co-writing with Terrie Farley Moran, in May.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Jessica Fletcher is one of my all-time favorite sleuths, and this latest novel solidifies that. I am continually amazed at her ability to observe and interpret! I enjoyed the history of Cabot Cove, love the well-defined characters, and the mystery is incomparable!

Jessica is happy to finally be back in her re-built home on Candlewood Lane after the fire many months earlier that almost destroyed the home she shared with her late husband. It is almost Christmas, and she is preparing to welcome her beloved nephew, Grady, his beautiful wife Donna, and their eight-year-old son who reminds her of Grady at that age and is named Frank after her late husband. Also invited are dear friends Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Sheriff Mort Metzger and his wife Adele, and Big Apple detective/ friend, Harry McGraw.

To get final inspection approvals, Jessica learns her septic system is not up to code and needs to be replaced. As the contractor excavates for it, they find something that could only happen to Jessica. That’s right, a body is found in the trench. Seth, the de facto coroner, went in the trench to examine the remains. There are two sets – one of a man possibly deceased more than 200 years ago, the other a woman, possibly only for ten to sixteen months.

There is also a well-made colonial period chest. All appear to have been very recently moved from another location. The chest contains documents and journals that appear to be about the same age as the chest and oldest skeleton and could possibly be the long-lost founding documents of Cabot Cove!

A man and two women arrive at the trench. Tad, the star of the tabloid TV show Stalker, his producer, and videographer have come to Cabot Cove, which he refers to as the “murder capital of the country”. They plan a show about the murders that have taken place since Jessica has lived there, even casting aspersions that Jessica could be behind them even as she writes her murder mysteries. He claims he will get to the bottom of the cause of all the suspicious deaths that take place in this idyllic little town. Later that night, he is on major news networks alluding to the big secret he is preparing to unleash – with video of Jessica and the sheriff inside the department office looking into the chest, taken through the a windows. The next night, he is found dead in his motel room.

Jessica, Mort, and Harry look into these deaths and trying to learn what they can about the founding fathers of Cabot Cove and their descendants. It is rumored that there was a much darker beginning to the town that most people are aware of, and Fred, president of the historical society and owner of a charming antiques store, is excited to look through some of the documents in the chest, especially when one of the documents corroborates some of the rumors. When it looks like the living descendants of the founding fathers have are targeted, there is great concern for the rest of the descendants who will ride at the head of the Christmas Parade as is tradition.

The characters are three-dimensional. There are little things we learn more about them each time. Jessica is very observant and able to brilliantly recognize clues and put together theories that many might miss. Seth continues to be the town curmudgeon, despite his role in the annual Christmas play. Having Harry and Grady and his family in town is a bonus, and one can imagine the first couple Christmas celebrations when Grady came to live with Jessica and her late husband brought to life through his young son. The one-time characters are defined as required.

The mystery is not easy to solve, even for this wonderful team of friends and professionals! Plot twists change things we may assume to be one way, offering a different way of seeing people and circumstances. I was startled several times at the discoveries! I also enjoyed seeing the traditions in Cabot Cove and how important they are to the residents. The resolution was quite a surprise in every way! I highly recommend Murder in Season; the series is fresh, relevant, and challenging!

Jessica Fletcher is looking forward to spending Christmas in her fully restored house, including a visit from nephew Grady and his family. The final work needing to be done on her house is a new septic system. When the workers start digging, they find human remains. It is quickly determined that one of the bodies is centuries old, but the other is much more recent. The investigation looks like it ties into the founders of Cabot Cove. What secret might the founders have been hiding that is worth killing for today? Meanwhile, in a bit of horribly bad timing, a tabloid TV reporter is in town to do a story about the high murder rate in Cabot Cove. What complications will that produce in the investigation?

Next to the Cabot Cove episodes of the TV show, the episodes with Grady were always my favorite, so I was thrilled to get to spend time with him here. Some of the other regulars seem a bit off to me, but that’s been how I’ve felt with the last few books, the only books in the series I’ve read. The mystery was good. I do struggle at times to get into mysteries that are set years before the characters we are reading about, but this book did a good job of tying the past into modern activity to make me care about the outcome. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it does answer our questions. The Christmas scenes were wonderful and put me in the mood for the holiday. This is a Christmas treat for fans of the series.

I'm always up for spending time with Jessica Fletcher but I must admit - the books that take place in Cabot Cove are especially my favorite. This was lots of fun with the town history getting dug up (literally and figuratively). Seth and Mort were definitely front and center as was Harry McGraw (who in my head is and will always be Jerry Orbach) and we even got Grady and family. There's lots of Christmas cheer with plays and parades but of course, this being Cabot Cove, the bodies are dropping like flies. The pacing is fast and fun with lots of questions and theories. I thought I had it figured out a time or two only to second guess myself or form a new theory.

The only thing that dampened my enjoyment a bit of this mystery is the lack of the "Why" question being fully answered. I know the who and the general why and am good with both but felt like it needed a bit more development. It feels a little bit like the author learned last minute that his 300 page book really could only be 250 and he had to do some last minute editing.

If you are looking for a fun and cozy holiday mystery this is one that can't be missed. Don't let the fact that this is number 52 scare you off as I think you can easily jump right in for a bit of Cabot Cove fun.

3.5 Stars

Jessica Fletcher, mystery writer and amateur sleuth, is back in her home after extensive restorations have been made after a fire. While the finishing touches are being made to her updated septic system, Jessica is looking forward to the Christmas holidays and a visit from her beloved nephew Grady and his family. However, Jessica’s plans get complicated when her contractor finds human bones and a wooden box buried in her yard. The bones are from murders more than two hundred years apart and the contents of the box could contain information that puts the town’s founding fathers in an unpleasant light. A tabloid journalist is in town to do a story on the unusually high murder rate in Cabot Cove, Maine, but it seems he is hiding something. To make sure everyone is able to have a Merry Christmas, Jessica lends her assistance to solve the case.

I have read most, if not all, of the books in this long-running series. The mystery stands on its own, but will be more enjoyable for readers familiar with the recurring characters either from prior books or the television series. The last few books have been written by a different author. The books have been good and Jessica is the same intelligent and generous woman readers have enjoyed over the years. However, the banter between her and Sheriff Mort Metzer has become more sarcastic than the gentle teasing found in older books of the series. Mort has toned it down a little, though, and I enjoyed the two of them working together on the case. If they’re not bickering too much, they make a great detective team.

This book takes place during the holidays and the story includes a Christmas play, Christmas cookies, and decorations. However, the plot of the book and the truth about how the founding fathers were able to help Cabot Cove to prosper is too heavy for a cozy mystery, especially one set during Christmas. Some of the historical information about the town slows the story, but I did enjoy the excerpts from one of the founding father’s journals. There are plenty of suspects in the more recent murders for Jessica and Mort to question, and Jessica even enlists the help of her private eye friend, Harry McGraw. It’s also nice to see Grady and his family pay a visit for the holidays. The plot, however, in addition to being less than cozy, is also convoluted in places. Clues throughout the story pointed to the identity of the murderer, but when everything was revealed I felt some details were missing. There were still some holes in the plot and that left me unsatisfied when the book ended. I enjoyed the book and recommend it for fans of the series even though it isn’t my favorite of Jessica’s cases.

~ Christine

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Season is the 52nd-installment of this beloved series starring famous author and amateur sleuth, Jessica Fletcher. This is the 5th-book written in the series by Jon Land, who took the reins after the passing of the series original, and long-standing author, Donald Bain. This is the 35th-book that I have read in the series. Sometimes it feels like I have been reading this series my whole life. Honestly, I hope it continues that way. There's something about settling in with a new Jessica Fletcher mystery in front of me. The epitome of cozy.

As with many Adult Mystery series, you do not need to read these in order. You can really start anywhere. You'll learn the characters as you go along and before you know it, it will be like reuniting with old friends every time you start a new story. If you are interested in starting this series, I would recommend just reading the synopsis for a bunch and picking whichever one sounds most interesting to you. Jessica travels a lot, so there are mysteries set all over the world, in addition to her hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine.

In this installment, Jessica has recently moved back into her home on Candlewood Lane after a lengthy reconstruction project following a house fire. The Christmas holiday is approaching and Jessica is looking forward to having her nephew, Grady, and his wife, Donna, and son, Frank, stay with her for the occasion. It seems like a long time since they have all been together.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, or as Jessica's luck would have it, one of the final bits of reconstruction includes some trenching in her back yard, where not one, but two bodies are discovered. The corpses appear to have been moved there, along with a trunk of old documents, from another location. Making it even more mysterious, one set of remains looks to be over a hundred years old, while the other is much more recent. How are they connected?

Now instead of focusing on the holiday, all of Jessica's focus is on the remains. Adding to the stress of the investigation, a tabloid reporter, Tad Hollenbeck, known for his overly sensationalized reporting, suddenly arrives in town claiming to be doing a story on how Cabot Cove is the "murder capital of the country". Tad's headline seems to be coming true when he is found dead in his local hotel room. What's one more mystery for Jessica, Mort and Seth to solve?

I had so much fun reading this; learning more about the history of Cabot Cove and having Jessica back home. This holiday is going to be tough, not being able to be with my family like I regularly would. I really needed something nostalgic like this to help with the 2020 blues. Jon Land is settling in nicely as the author of this series. In the beginning, I'll admit, I was worried, but he really nailed the tone on the last two.

I will continue to pick up the books in this series for as long as they are published. I am hoping with Jon Land now at the helm, that will be for a very long time to come. Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and I review. I truly appreciate the opportunity!

Christmas with Jessica Fletcher in Cabot Cove, Maine just isn't complete without a few dead bodies!

This cozy, Yuletide-themed mystery is filled with skeletons, diamonds, and of course...murder. I love the theme of family woven in and out of the story, as Grady and his family comes to spend Christmas with his aunt Jessica. I love the small town feeling and especially picturing the characters just hanging out at Mara's eating pie. A fun, literary story to incorporate into the holiday season.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

Why I liked it:
After a shaky installment in “The Murder of Twelve” which came out back in May, I didn’t go into this story expecting to love it. Land has only been writing the last couple of books in the series and I felt like the last one strayed too far from Jessica’s character. Thankfully, this book did not suffer from any of those issues. This is the Jessica that most of us know and love from the television series. She’s in the middle of the investigation because it literally starts in her lawn, but she’s not in overt danger. There are pretty good red herrings, a mysterious recurring clue that isn’t as obvious as it first seems, and a supporting cast of characters who carry their own agendas well. Also, Harry McGraw was always one of my favorite side characters in the story, so I really loved seeing him play a crucial role in the development of this story.

What I would like to change:

There’s one part of this whole story that really bugs me. How is Jessica continuing to live in her house without a functioning septic system?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3540591493
I liked this better than the previous two because the new author is learning more about the characters.

Jess has finally returned to her home after a major renovation and is enjoying getting to know the feel of the house again. There is a problem with the plumbing and when they start digging they find two bodies. There is also a tabloid reporter who shows up and begins to badger Jessica about the fact that she has investigated maybe 50 murders around this seemingly quaint little town in Maine. He has a point there! I love getting to visit Cabot Cove, especially at Christmas. Seth is the ghost of Christmas past in A Christmas Carol and Mort Metzger is on the case with Jessica to solve the murders and ancient town secrets found in a hidden box. Love the familiar town and characters!

I obtained this book from Net Galley and have left an honest review.

A perfectly light and fluffy book featuring beloved characters that would be great to read during a lazy Christmas Day afternoon after the presents are opened and you start to get a little sleepy.

While reconstructing her beloved home that burnt, Jessica and crew find a special box of secrets about the man who found their little town of Cabot Cove, along with two skeletons. Of course that throws pals, Mort the sheriff, Seth the doctor and of course Jessica the murder mystery writer on the case but will they get it all wrapped (see what I did there) before Christmas?

Although it is a early Christmas read for me, this will be a great book to get your in the holiday spirit. I love the Murder She Wrote series it is almost the same as the TV show. They even bring in some of the old characters toward the end. So maybe we will see them in future books. This is the fifty second book in the series and it does say 52 of 53 on amazon, does that mean our beloved series is going to end? I hope not as this book shows they have not lost their mojo yet. You can guess and guess but the who did it is hidden very well as always. I hope you all like this book as much as I did, it has the hope and kindness we all can use right now in our own turbulent world.

This review will appear on my blog on November 24th.

Jessica is finally home again to find she has a septic issue now and while working on that her workers stumble over a dead body or two and a box containing sacred old Cabot Cove documents. All this with Christmas on the horizon. Will Jessica have a Merry Christmas or will she be missing during this holiday?

Soon a tabloid reporter shows up to investigate Cabot Cove the murder capital of century at least that's what he calls it. When Tad Hollenbeck winds up snuffed out Jessica wonders if all the murders are connected? The more she investigates the more questions arise. With Mort, Harry, Seth, Grady, and other friends on the case you know it will be so much fun!

I love Jessica she to me was the first cozy character I really loved to watch her investigate and solve the crimes. She has a way that not many sleuths can match! You know when Jessica is on the case an injustice will be corrected and Jessica wont stop until the whole mystery is unraveled. This was no exception. Jessica proved once again why she in my eyes is the queen of cozies!

I am a big fan of the MURDER SHE WROTE TV show, but surprisingly, I have never read one of the books based on the show, until now. It is a very pleasurable read, written from Jessica Fletcher's point of view. It is Christmas in Cabot Cove, and Jess is moving back into her newly-renovated home after a fire destroyed most of it. Nephew Grady and his family are arriving soon for the holiday, so she is busy preparing. When septic workers find two skeletons and a strong box in the back yard, the sleuthing begins! Jessica gets help from old friends Seth, the doctor, Mort, the sheriff, and even Harry McGraw, the private detective. The mystery isn't too challenging, as I was able to figure it all out before the end, but that didn't matter to me. Spending time in Cabot Cove with Jess, listening to her tell her story, that's the important thing here. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley I got to preview this book. I have read the whole series except for the next to newest one, and I always enjoy catching up with Jessica and the people of Cabot Cove. This is a Christmas themed mystery with everyone anticipating the annual Christmas parade, but of course, it has to be interrupted by a murder, and Jessica has to find the killer. You would think by now, this series would be repetitive, but each one is always a little different which makes me come back for more. The addition of Jon Land as co-author has been a nice addition.

Murder in Season reminds you of those nights when you curl up under your favorite blanket to sit down and watch an episode of your favorite murder mystery writer. So full of favorite memories, characters, and plot, you will find yourself rooting for Jessica as she figures out the murderer. The only question is, will you figure it out before she does?

Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher, Jon Land. Thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Cabot Cove and Jessica Fletcher. The theme from the TV show played in my head while I was reading. Interesting mystery and detective work.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This is the first book in this series I've ever read and I love it! Growing up I was never a fan of the show, but here lately it's on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries at night, so I started watching. When I saw this new book was coming out, I figured I would give it a try as well and see if the books are better than the shows. I think they are about equal! The story quickly drew me in and it feels just like the script of the TV show. It's an easy read, much like a cozy mystery. I don't think it will be my last read in this series.