“This appealing—if murder-prone—world is a splendid place to spend a bit of the holiday season.”–Publishers WeeklyChristmas has come to Cabot Cove, but a peaceful holiday season is not in the cards after Jessica Fletcher is pulled into a centuries-old mystery in the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series.With work on the reconstruction of her beloved home almost complete, Jessica … her beloved home almost complete, Jessica Fletcher is in high holiday spirits, spearheading the annual Christmas parade and preparing for her nephew Grady and his family to come to town. The only thing dampening the holiday cheer is the discovery of two sets of bones on Jessica’s property: one set ancient, the other only about a year old. It’s concluded that they were both placed there during the reconstruction, and Jessica suspects that, despite the centuries between them, the remains might be connected.
Soon tabloid reporter Tad Hollenbeck arrives in Cabot Cove to write a story about what he calls “the murder capital of the country.” But when Tad himself is murdered, Jessica speculates that his arrival, his death, and the discovery of the bones are all somehow linked.
As Jessica digs deeper to find the connection between the bones and Tad’s murder, everything seems to come back to a mystery that has long plagued Cabot Cove. If she wants to solve the case, she’ll need to delve into her beloved town’s dark history, or else this holiday season may be her last….
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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 loved the TV show and now I love the books. Jessica Fletcher does it every time!
What a wonderful Christmas story if you want something different than the Santa Claus, snowflakes, cookies, etc. poor Mrs.F can’t get away from murders especially when not one but two bodies were found in her yard while renovating. It then takes her and her friends on a journey that goes all the way back to the founders of the town! And of course this has her gentle ways toward her family and her friends for Christmas. Great great book
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Any time I see a book by Jon Land, there is no question that I want to read it.
Murder in Season (murder, she wrote #52)
Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads
MY REVIEW
Tis the season and Seth is confirming Jessica’s role as Mrs Claus along with his as Santa. I am sure there will be a murder for the holiday.
Jessica is still at the Hill House Hotel since renovations on her burned out home at 698 Candlewood Lane has been met with setbacks. When she found out the septic system was not up to code and would have to be replaced, what do you think is going to happen? Isn’t it about time for a body to appear? Well, surprise, surprise, we have two…and a box…in the trench.
tad Hollenbeck, a tabloid reporter is there to report on Cabot Cove and why there seem to be in inordinate amount of murders taking place there. Jessica seems to draw them to her, like flies to honey and Tad ends up adding to the count. Why him, and who are the two found at Jessica’s home?
The town’s history comes to light and it’s not all peaches and cream.
When Sheila’s doorbell rang, I knew what was coming. I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, so it is pretty hard to surprise me…and I love when an author can.
Murder, treasure, greed, slavery…
What happened in the past? What secrets will be exposed? And…who the hell is doing all the killing? So many suspects and the clock ticks on.
As the story unfolds, my mind is at least able to keep up, using each new piece of the puzzle to put it together…slowly. It still takes Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land to get me there.
I did have a bit of a jolt, when Jessica walked into her house and someone grabbed her. After all, with all the bodies falling and Jessica on the investigation, someone could feel threatened by her. Hey…you can’t mess with Jessica. It’s just wrong!
Murder In Season by Jon Land is murder on the light side, seeing Jessica doesn’t like violence. And that’s just fine. It doesn’t always have to be violent and filled with blood and guts. And we do have many warm, wonderful moments for the holiday season, showing it is better to give than to receive, because family and friends give it back in spades.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Murder In Season by Jon Land.
See more at http://www.fundinmenal.com
Not your old-school Murder, She Wrote but it was still very enjoyable. I over looked the screw-ups from past books and just connected with my Cabot Cove friends. I barely figured out who the killer was before the reveal and was actually happy I was right. Jess home on Candlewood Lane was exactly what I needed this Christmas season.
Jess has finally returned to her home after a marriage 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!
This episode is a fabulous surprise in the series! I enjoyed every page of it, from the traditions of a Cabot Cove Christmas to the thrill of vicariously holding and reading historical documents from the late 18th century. Jessica is planning the best Christmas this year, as her home is finally ready for her to move back to. For the first time in years, she will be able to celebrate with Grady, the nephew she and her late husband Frank raised, and his family.
Jessica is at the favorite local diner, Mara’s, with Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sheriff Mort Metzger, when her contractor calls. They are beginning to replace her septic system; the final step in her home rebuild. They found human remains in the trench, so the three head for her back yard.
While discussing what is in the trench, a trio from the tabloid TV show, Stalker, arrive. Tad, the star, wants to do a series on what he has dubbed the “murder capital of the country”. He has some unusual ideas as to what the cause of the murders are, one of them even being that Jessica is behind the murders because, after all, she is a mystery writer. Mort sends them away, refusing to allow them to film a new police investigation.
The state police confirm Seth’s estimate. One skeleton belongs to a man who died in late 1700’s, and the other, a young woman, who died 10 to 16 months ago. Both had been murdered. The other find in the trench that Mort kept in Cabot Cove might shed some light on the older remains. There was a wood chest from the colonial period, according to its craftsmanship and hardware. Inside are many journals and documents that they think are the founding documents of Cabot Cove that went missing many, many years ago. They could not have been buried that long as they are too well-preserved. And one of the skeletons has soil on it that was not from the trench. They would have only been there for a couple days, if that long. Someone alive now, presumably in Cabot Cove, has put them in the trench since excavation began, but why?
Tad, of Stalker, has a few secrets of his own, including ones kept from his producer and photographer. He is there to get an even bigger story than he will tell them, but never revealed what it is before he was murdered in his hotel room. When his real identity is learned, there is something more going on behind the scenes than anyone could have guessed.
The characters are so delightful and engaging! Jessica, Mort, and Seth would be an interesting group to sit down at Mara’s with for coffee and a slice of pie. Add Harry, her favorite PI, in town to join her for Christmas and mystery, and I would be happy to join this group just to see them work out a case. If anyone could find the who, the whodunit, and why in this mystery, it is this crew! The ending brought surprises that I could not have guessed. Don’t let this being the 52nd in the series put you off from reading it, as there is sufficient backstory to make these old friends come to life. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys well-written cozy mysteries with excellent characters, a Christmas setting, and a baffling mystery!
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel, and this is my honest review.