In the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series, Jessica Fletcher takes on an Agatha Christie-style mystery when she finds herself stranded in a hotel during a blizzard with twelve strangers and a killer in their midst…. Still staying at the Hill House hotel while her beloved home is being rebuilt, Jessica Fletcher finds herself sharing the space for a weekend with a dozen members … weekend with a dozen members of a wedding party who have gathered there for a rehearsal dinner. The families of the bride and groom can’t stand each other but have agreed to put aside years of long-simmering tension to celebrate the nuptials.
Unfortunately, weather forecasters underestimated the severity of a storm that turns into a historic blizzard that dumps nearly five feet of snow on Cabot Cove, leaving everyone stranded.
But the hotel guests have bigger things to worry about than bad weather conditions and potential cold feet, because a murderer has shown up ininvited–one who has vowed to take them down one by one….
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With a record setting blizzard on the way to Cabot Cove, Maine, Jessica Fletcher is planning to hunker down in her temporary home – the Hill House hotel. Before she can do that, she joins Sheriff Metzger when he gets a call about a man found in his car on the edge of town. What at first looks like a tragic accident is indeed murder. On arriving at the hotel, Jessica learns she will be joined for the weekend by a wedding party. But with the bride and groom missing, tempers begin to flair. Then a dead body appears. Are they trapped with a killer? Is it connected to the man outside of town?
This is another fast-moving mystery that obviously pays homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. I felt it was a bit more of a thriller (minus the language and violence) than a true cozy, but I’m not complaining since I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. Much of the book features Jessica and those trapped in the hotel with her, and they are all strong enough characters to carry the story. Unfortunately, the little bit we did see of the recurring characters fell into predictable patterns, although I still enjoyed spending time with them. The writing was so vivid, I felt the cold as I was reading. Any complaints are minor, and I’m happy I picked up this fast-paced book.
This one is fast-paced, suspenseful, and a little bit of a nail-biter at the end. The reader won’t guess the ending before the climax.
It was a puzzler. I had my murderer all picked out UNTIL they died. After that happened I was clueless. Jon Land has taken the murder she wrote series to a whole new level and I love it! The only thing I would like to see is Jess gets to go home.
I love these books!
I have always loved Murder She Wrote and I love reading the books that are based on the tv show. These are well written and follow the characters wonderfully. I especially love the ones that take place in Cabot Cove. This was a well done story that takes place in a hotel during a monumental snow storm. I look forward to reading the next book. I received a copy of this book from edelweiss for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
YAY, I am happy to be back in Cabot Cove, Maine, with Jessica Fletcher. I’m sure this will be another wild adventure and I’m looking forward to it. I can surely use some mystery to busy my mind and chuckles to ease it.
AND a blizzard tops it off. We all know nothing bad happens during a blizzard. LOL
I love the take Jon and Jessica have taken with this mystery. It’s fresh and new, and I read a lot of mystery.
The only witness to the murder is the local lush , and he says it’s Big Foot. Well, this does have me even more curious now. My mind starts running. Is it a Big Foot? Is it just a big guy wrapped up in a heavy coat?
The Murder of Twelve by Jon Land brought back memories of a couple blizzards I’ve been in. It also made me realize that I am doing the right thing when I flip the safety latch on the hotel room door.
A couple thoughts came to mind about who was behind it all, but Jon and Jessica give nothing away. We have soooo many suspects as body after body drops dead. I chased those red herrings, keeping myself fearful for who will be the next victim. Each time a body falls, there is one less suspect. LOL
I love everything about the book…a blizzard…no one getting out…no one getting in…the Hilton House Hotel.
The clues add up, suspect’s are eliminated, one by one, and, funny that such a small town seems to invite in so much murder? Do you have an opinion?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Murder of Twelve by Jon Land.
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I enjoy spending time with Jessica Fletcher and the various residents of Cabot Cove, Maine. In this, the 51st book in the series, we have an homage to Dame Agatha Christie and one of her greatest mysteries – And Then There Were None.
Cabot Cove is cut off from the rest of the world when a fierce blizzard comes to town and Jessica, staying at The Hill House, finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery. Along with Jessica, there is a wedding party staying at The Hill House and soon they start dying off at the hands of a killer. If Jessica can’t nail the killer fast, she might just become the next victim.
I love spending time with Jessica, knowing that the puzzle will keep me engaged to the very last page and the aha moment when the killer is revealed. I was was not in the least bit disappointed. I’m already looking forward to #52.
This is a fabulously fearsome new mystery in the Murder She Wrote series! It invited me in at the very beginning and was almost impossible to put down. The regular characters are a delightful mix of intellect, logic, wisdom, and humor, defined well through conversations, actions, and for Jessica, her thought process. I look forward to every new book in this series, and this exceeded my expectations!
Jessica Fletcher’s home had been damaged by fire several months earlier, and construction delays prevent her from returning home. She has been staying at Hill House, a local luxury hotel, while waiting. It is winter in Cabot Cove, and a heavy snowstorm with high winds is expected to dump as much as five inches per hour the first night. Cabot Cove gets few tourists in winter, but this weekend, a wedding party is filling much of Hill House.
Early in the day, Jessica, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt, all old friends who have worked many murders together, are about to begin another. The victim is a man found in his car, dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. They learn the man is a private investigator, and doubt the death was suicide or accidental.
One of Jessica’s fans is in the lobby at Hill House when she arrives, asking her to autograph a copy of her book. Connie is the mother of the bridegroom. He and his fiancée have not yet arrived, and snow has been steadily falling. The father of the bride is rude, and confronts Connie about the financial scam he lost money to her late husband in. Thus, Connie to shares some family secrets with Jessica.
When the evening is still young, Connie is unconscious in the aftermath of a seizure at dinner with Jessica and the wedding party. Jessica found residue in Connie’s wine glass that she suspects is poison. The bride groom’s twin brother is murdered. All the wedding guests and Jessica receive a text concurrently, suggesting a mass murderer is at work, and that the killer will leave nobody behind.
Harry, Jessica’s PI friend in New York, has been helping her with research by phone, as have Seth and Mort. Seth can’t get there to help with Connie due to the storm, and Mort will try to arrive by snowmobile. The only help Jessica has is Seamus, part owner of Hill House and former constable from Ireland, and Eugene, a huge man and temporary kitchen worker. Then they lose cell phone coverage, then electricity, even as the wedding party squabbles amongst themselves.
This novel reminded me of a movie classic based on an Agatha Christie mystery, adding modern twists and refreshing differences and insights. I enjoyed reading the brief background on the industrial period in Cabot Cove and for Hill House. I like how Jessica can set aside her feelings when necessary to take a logical look for and at clues to determine whodunit. There were several unnerving scenes, yet I didn’t want to put the book down. I could not guess who the real culprit was. I had some ideas, but nothing that came close to the full scope of the crimes. The solution was incredibly complex! I highly recommend this to fans of Jessica Fletcher, old and new, who love well-written, locked-room style mysteries.
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel; a review was not required.