Murder, She Wrote fans! I have the latest Jessica on my blog today and even better an interview with the one and only Jessica Fletcher. I love, love, love this series and in Killing in a Koi Pond  Jessica even talks about Malice Domestic a wonderful conference for mystery writers and their readers that takes place every year in Bethseda, Maryland. I’ve been there many times, yet, I’ve never seen Jessica! Go figure. 

About Murder, She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond

 

Murder, She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond

Cozy Mystery

53rd in Series

Publisher: Berkley (June 8, 2021)

When a friend’s husband dies while Jessica Fletcher is in town visiting, Jessica’s vacation turns into a murder investigation in this latest entry in the long-running USA Today bestselling series.

 

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.

 

But the morning after she arrives, Jessica discovers Willis facedown in the koi pond, and despite what the police think, she’s sure foul play is involved. 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.

A Visit With the J.B. Fletcher

Jessica Fletcher is a bestselling mystery writer who has a knack for stumbling upon real-life mysteries in her various travels.

 

Please tell us about your latest adventure.

After spending an exhilarating four days at Malice Domestic, a fabulous mystery conference in Bethesda Maryland, I arranged to take a few days off and visit my old college friend Dolores Nickens who lives in Columbia, South Carolina. She had recently married and wanted me to meet her new husband. We planned a lot of quality time together: lunches, shopping, touring some of the many cultural sites, generally relaxing and catching up with each other’s lives. Tragically, Dolores’s husband was murdered shortly after I arrived, and Richland County Sheriff Halvorson thinks Dolores is the most likely suspect.

Do you have any friends/sidekicks helping you out?

With Dolores in such jeopardy, I called on my good friend Harry McGraw who is a private investigator in Boston. Harry has the savvy and the contacts to dig up information all over the globe. He was a huge help. I also relied on my best buddy Dr. Seth Hazlitt to keep me in touch with what was going on in my home town of Cabot Cove, Maine.

Do you have any special skills to fight crime?

I don’t consider what I do fighting crime as much as I consider it to be ensuring that justice is served.

Are you a full-time detective or do you do something else?

A detective? Heavens no! I am a former school teacher, a profession I loved, and now I am a full time writer. Of course I do write mysteries…

What are you most frightened of in this story?

I am rarely frightened of anything. In this story I am, however, terribly concerned that my dear friend Dolores will be officially accused and perhaps even convicted of murdering her husband unless I can find a way to discover what actually happened.

Is there anything funny that happens to you or another character in this story?

Well, I don’t think it’s funny but most people find Seth Hazlitt’s parsimonious ways to be hilarious.

Do you have other mysteries you would like to tell us about? Is this the first book in the series, or have you cracked a few other cases?

I am almost embarrassed to admit that murder seems to follow me around. Murder, She Wrote Killing in a Koi Pond is book #53 of the series. Book number #54 Murder, She Wrote Debonair in Death will be released in November 2021.

Do you have any final words you would like to leave with our readers?

I am overjoyed and thankful for the grand company of everyone who follows along on my adventures.

Let’s give your author a chance to speak. Anything you would like to add?

Hi Everyone, I am Terrie Farley Moran and all I can say is that it is a pleasure to work with Jessica Fletcher and share her exploits with all of you.

My Review

Jessica is on the road visiting her old college friend Delores in Columbia, South Carolina. Delores has remarried and lives in a stately home that includes a Koi pond and plenty of people dependent on the actions of her new husband, Willis. Willis is a real piece of work displaying cutthroat business ways and rudeness to everyone, except Delores and his sweet granddaughter. The Murder She Wrote series loves to give us someone we love to hate and Willis fills the bill. Terrie Farley Moran is the new writer of this series and there were some things she did that I liked. Jessica wasn’t so dependent on Seth and Sheriff Metzger in this one although she did call up her old friend, the PI from Boston. I love these characters, but I also love it when Jessica doesn’t have to be rescued but confronts the crime with her abilities. Much like the character created for the series Jessica makes friends wherever she goes whether they work in the kitchen or own a multi-million dollar home. Her kindness to others opens many doors and I think that’s a lesson for all of us to take home. This was a fun, easy-to-read mystery, and the many suspects made figuring out whodunnit a challenge for me.

Terrie Farley Moran is the author of Murder She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond, the latest in the long-running Jessica Fletcher series, to be followed in autumn 2021 by Murder She Wrote: Debonair in Death. She has also written the beachside Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series and is co-author of Laura Childs’ New Orleans scrapbooking mysteries. Her short stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Terrie is a recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer awards.

Terrie’s Links

 Website: http://www.terriefarleymoran.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terriefarleymoran

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Penguin Random House – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound 

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