Four Stars

I was given this copy of Killing in a Koi Pond in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for giving me this amazing opportunity to fangirl over my first MSW ARC!

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On a trip to visit an old friend, Jessica finds herself in yet another whodunnit. Eager to help her old pal, Jessica extends her visit to help as much as she can. While trying to support and calm Dolores, Jess connects with her old friend Harry, to get the the bottom of the elusive business dealings of Dolores' late husband, Willis.

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Throughout the various authors of the MSW book series, there is always a constant; a twist, a turn, and satisfying solve. Terrie Farley Moran has definitely lived up to the standard set by the great Donald Bain. Jessica is in good hands.

I loved this book a great deal. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars, was due the the random lulls in the story. I felt there were a few chapters that were dull and didn't really need to be there. Not sure if they were placed strategically to build suspense or not, but I didn't make that connection.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves a good cozy mystery. This book could easily be finished in a weekend. Short, sweet, and to the point. The characters were well thought out, and the book had a good story arc. I cannot wait for more MSW from the mind of Terrie Farley Moran!

Jessica goes to visit an old friend and stay at their house. Dolores is married very happily and Jessica knows they get along well but thinks he's a little blunt and a bit rude. He can be very charming and then turn into an angry man. As long as Dolores is happy, Jessica lets it go. When she decides to go for a morning run, she sees something funny by the koi pond. Unfortunately it was the husband and he's dead.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published the 8th of June.

When she sees a stone near his head, she knows it's murder. There are no stones of that type in the koi pond. When she tells the Sheriff that, he blows her off. He'll do his own investigation.

Jessica tries to make some sense out of his financial records. She also asks her friend who is a PI to run a check on the people involved. The Sheriff takes her friend in to ask questions. He thinks Dolores killed him. Jessica knows that's not true so she continues on with her own investigation.

Everyone has secrets. The more she learns, the less she knows. Will she find the killer before her girlfriend gets thrown in jail?

What a fun book! I never watched this show, but I thought the book might be worth a read. It definitely was. I realized that this was probably the beginning of the “cozy mystery.” (or it at least feels like it) Jessica leaves Maine to visit a college friend in South Carolina, when she, of course, stumble across the body of her friend’s husband. The sheriff suspects the friend and Jessica works to clear that up.

Well-written, no language issues and just a pleasant read. Sure would be a good way to spend a couple of hours. I heartily recommend it.

After traveling to Bethesda for a mystery writers’ conference, Jessica Fletcher decides she’s earned a vacation and takes a train to Columbia, South Carolina, to visit her old college friend Dolores, who has recently married her third husband, Willis Nickens, a wealthy and cutthroat businessman. They’ve moved into an opulent historic home with plenty of space for guests, and Jessica is ready for a week of shopping, gossiping, and relaxing at the grand estate. The morning after she arrives, Jessica discovers Willis facedown in the koi pond, and despite what the police think, she’s sure he was murdered. She hadn’t known Willis long, but it’s clear to her that he didn’t concern himself with making friends. The question isn’t if her friend’s husband was murdered but by whom.

This is a long running series, and I have read them all because I loved the television series. This is the first one by Terrie Farley Moran, who is a cozy writer I have read, so I was interested to see how she handled the series. I really liked the story, and see she has another entry coming out in November which I hope to read also. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this.

I haven’t kept up on the Murder She Wrote books, but this one was so good I will start following them. In this story, Jessica is visiting a friend in South Carolina when she finds her friend’s new husband dead in the koi pond. Her friend seems to be the main, and only, murder suspect, so Jessica sets out to prove her innocence. There are lots of other possibilities. The characters in this book were very realistic, as was the plot. I liked that some of the characters from the Murder She Wrote TV series were mentioned in this book. If you like a cozy mystery, or you were a fan of the TV show, you’ll enjoy this book. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

There is no mystery series I love more than the Murder She Wrote books! Jessica Fletcher has been part of my world for the better part of the last 30 years. I remember watching the show with my grandma and mom. When the books started to come, I could not get my hands on them fast enough. I have read each and every one multiple times. And to be lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the upcoming one, well everything else got dropped so I could read it. I loved every part of this book from beginning to end! Long live Jessica Fletcher!!!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Review of uncorrected ebook file

After Jessica Fletcher attends the Malice Domestic conference, she decides to visit her friend, Dolores, in South Carolina. Dolores, recently married to her third husband, Willis Nickens, lives in a palatial mansion with plenty of room for guests and Jessica is looking forward to some girl time, shopping, swapping stories, and relaxing.

Out for her regular early-morning jog, Jessica finds a body face-down in the koi pond. It’s Willis . . . and soon Dolores is the prime suspect in his murder. When Jessica sets out to investigate, she discovers that Willis was definitely lacking in the friend department . . . and more than one person had reason enough to want Willis dead.

But Sheriff Halvorsen is certain Dolores is the culprit. Will Jessica be able to find the truth that will free her friend?

The venerable series continues to shine in this, the fifty-third narrative. The characters are much as readers [and viewers of the long-running television series] expect them to be; the mystery is intriguing; and, of course, Jessica figures it out ahead of everyone else.

Harry McGraw and Seth Hazlitt both make appearances as Jessica juggles Cabot Cove responsibilities and staying in South Carolina to clear her friend; the other characters are sufficiently fleshed out and relatable. Early on, readers get a taste of Willis’s ruthless, fractious comportment; readers are not likely to be surprised when he is the one that turns up dead.

Astute readers may identify the culprit prior to Jessica’s spelling out of the clues that led her to the murderer, but the unfolding story offers enough intrigue and plot twists to keep the pages turning in this delightful, quick-read adventure.

Highly recommended, especially for “Murder, She Wrote” fans.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
#MurderSheWroteKillinginaKoiPond #NetGalley

I'm a big fan of the Murder, She Wrote TV series and was excited when I heard there were a lot of books in the Murder, She Wrote series. This was the first book I read in this series and I really enjoyed reading this, it had what I had come to expect from the TV series, the storyline was very well done and I enjoyed the mystery in the book and the characters in this story. I look forward to reading more from this series as it was a worthy successor to the TV show.

There’s nothing like a murder mystery set in a big old house with a closed circle of suspects. This is another fine addition to the long-running Murder She Wrote book series. This time Jessica Fletcher is on the case when her old friend’s new husband is discovered in their mansion’s koi pond. Will Jess be able to keep her friend out of the local sheriff’s hot seat? With some long-distance help from some familiar faces, of course she can!

Another Jessica Fletcher mystery comes to life only to again attempt to solve a murder. This time its her best friend's husband. While she is visiting and planning on a week of relaxing and shopping, she discovers the body of her friend Dorothy's third husband in their koi pond. Dorothy is immediately the number one suspect. And Jessica is on the case. This was a fast, enjoyable read.

I enjoyed another visit with Jessica Fletcher, while she's traveling to South Carolina to visit a college friend and her third husband. Jess is expecting some rest and relaxation, but instead she finds the body of her friend's husband, lying in the koi pond. When her friend becomes the main suspect in the killing, Jess begins her sleuthing. She gets investigative help from Harry McGraw, and moral support from Seth Hazlett, via phone calls and texts. Although it is a murder mystery, I feel like I have spent a fun week with Jess, watching her work and enjoying her company. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC.