Leafing Through Pages - You Bet Your Life (Murder, She Wrote # 18)
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Stars: 4 / 5
Recommendation: Perry Mason crosses with Matlock in this cozy addition to the series giving Jessica a better role as an amateur sleuthing. As always the ending was a little quick, but at least we got to see her completely solve the case this time as opposed reading about it later in the final chapter.
You Bet Your Life is the 18th novel in the long-running Murder She Wrote series co-written by Donald Bain & fictional writer Jessica Fletcher. It was first published on October 1, 2002. Jessica comes back to Las Vegas to defend her friend Martha who is accused of murdering her husband and Jessica is the only one who believes her. Now she has to wade through the myriad suspects and at the same time raise her stakes to capture the killer.
This is my take on the series of books written by a plethora of authors and Jessica Fletcher (fictional author) based on the 80s and 90s popular American crime drama television series Murder, She Wrote. These books are ghost written by Donald Bain and fictional author Jessica Fletcher for the first 43 books until 2015. Then Donald Bain wrote these with Renee Paley Bain and Jon Land for four more books. After Donald Bain passed away in 2017, Jon Land alone took the baton and continued with Jessica Fletcher for 5 more books until 2020. Starting 2021 the series was picked by Terrie Farley Moran again pairing with the fictional writer Jessica Fletcher. As of 2023, 56 books have been written in this series. They are all written in first person narration.
I think this is one of the better novels in the series. Begins with a flashback for a couple chapters before taking the readers into a courtroom drama. It’s Perry Mason crosses with Matlock in this book. And Jessica does her sleuthing as usual along with being part of the defense team.
The story reminded me of the Season 8 Episode 7 "Terminal Connection" from the Murder, She Wrote TV Show. Although in this Martha Kildare is not necessarily abused by her husband Victor, he comes across as a very demanding and sometimes insensitive person.
A scene directly from O. J. Simpson's trial is used in this plot. The famous scene where he tries on gloves that allegedly were used during the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson. Albeit here the gloves are of the female defendant as opposed to a male one in the former trial.
Incidentally, the protagonist Martha, had portrayed the lead role in Cabot Cove's Village Theater Troupe's production of Witness For Prosecution. Recently I read the 10th book, Witness In Death, in the long-running In Death series by J.D. Robb that had alluded to this very same play. Both books were written two years apart, the latter in 2000 and the former in 2002.
It's been 15 years since Court TV's final episode aired. But it was very intriguing to read about Court TV in this plot and the workings how the reporters and attorneys tied to Court TV are portrayed and how they showcase a murder trial.
Perry Mason crosses with Matlock in this cozy addition to the series giving Jessica a better role as an amateur sleuthing. As always the ending was a little quick, but at least we got to see her completely solve the case this time as opposed reading about it later in the final chapter.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Martha Kildare's family and friends: Victor Kildare, her husband; Betsy Cavendish, her friend in LV; Jane, Victor's daughter from his first wife; Daria, the first wife; Bunny, Victor's second wife; Cindy, Victor's third wife.
b. Victor's associates & friends: Tony McKay, business partner; Henry Quint, business manager; Pearl Quint, Henry's sister and secretary; Oliver Smith, Victor's driver and majordomo; Joseph Ciappino "Chappy", business associate; Mrs. Isobel Alvarez, the housekeeper.
c. Attorneys and Law Enforcement: Shelby Fordice, Prosecutor; Vincent "Vince" Nastasi, defense attorney; Judge Mavin Tapansky; Evelyn, Vince's secretary; Dean Brown, Vince's assistant attorney; Charles "Charlie" J. Biddle, Vince's investigator.
2. Sub Plots:
a. Friends of Jessica Fletcher: Dr. Seth Hazlitt, long-time friend in Cabot Cove, Maine; George Sutherland, senior inspector with Scotland Yard; Morton "Mort" Metzger, Cabot Cove Sherriff and his wife Adele / Maureen?; Eve Simpson, realtor friend working at Cabot Cove Realty; Sam Booth, mayor of Cabot Cove; Ethan Cragg, Cabot Cove’s chief town elder.
b. Literary contacts and friends: her publisher Vaughan Buckley of Buckley House, his fashion model wife Olga Buckley and their dogs Sadie and Rose; Harry McGraw, her private eye friend; Matt Miller, her literary agent & his wife Susan; Paulette, Matt's assistant.
c. Other Characters appear frequently: Josh, the mailman; Jed Richardson, only bush pilot for Cabot Cove and owner of Jed's Flying Service, and his wife Alicia; Mara, restaurant owner of Mara’s Luncheonette; Hank Weathers, a homeless war vet; Seamus McGilray, manager of Hill House Hotel; Richard "Dick" Mann, Fire Chief; Charlene Sassi, a baker; Susan Shevlin, travel agent and her husband Jim who is the Mayor of Cabot Cove; Professor Donskoy; Roberta Dougherty, bookstore owner; Richard Koser, photographer, and his wife MaryJane; Barbara DePaoli, Chamber of Commerce's secretary; Anthon Colarusso, dentist; Beth and Peter Mullin, owners of flower shop Old Tyme Floral; Sam Davis, investment advisor; Jack Decker, publisher of Cabot Cove's monthly magazine; Peter Eder, Cabot Cove's symphony orchestra; Bob Daros, owns Heritage Fuel; Tim Purdy, treasurer of chamber of commerce and historian and president of Cabot Cove's historical society, also an investment advisor; Pat Hitchcock, Cabot Cove's popular nurse and teacher?; Gloria Watson, Wendell's mother; Joseph "Joe" Turco, an attorney; Marcia Davis, costume designer; David and Jim Raneri, owners of Charles Department Store; Ralph Mackin, town attorney; Ed and Joan Lerner, retirees; Brenda Brody, copy editor of Cabot Cove Insider; Doug Treyz, dentist, and his wife Tina; Jack and Marilou Decker, publishers of Cabot Cove Insider; Peter and Roberta Walters, owners of the radio station; Horace Teller, publisher of Cabot Cove News; Doris Sitar, assistant manager at Cabot Cove Savings Bank; Dmitri, owner of local taxi company; Phil Wick, field manager of the phone company; John St. Clair, professor of business law at Cabot Cove Community College; Dr. Jennifer "Jenny" Countryman, Seth's partner.
d. Sheriff Metzger’s office staff & other law enforcement: Deputy Andy Jenks; Deputy Jack; Rookie Wendell Watson; Deputy Harold; Deputy Jerry; Alfred Gillo, medical examiner; Judge Kaplan; Marie Poutre, dispatcher.
e. Jessica Fletcher’s family: Grady Fletcher, nephew that she and her late-husband Frank raise, his wife Donna and child Frank.
f. We continue to see Mort Metzger's wife being called as Maureen. But she was named Adele in the TV show…and also in the 50th book, A Time for Murder, she was back to Adele. Not sure when Bain changed it back to Adele since I have a few more books to go before I reach the 50th book, but perhaps the readers made him change it back.
g. From the 9th book, Murder on the QE2: Mary Ward has been a prominent character in this book. Will she resurface again?
h. From the 10th book, Murder in Moscow:
i. There is still no resolution as to who or how Ward Wenington was killed in D.C. and why Vladislav "Vlady" Staritova was killed in Russia. What was the connection?
ii. Alexandra Kozhina disappears at the end of the plot. And will she surface in another book?
i. In the 50th book, A Time for Murder, Jessica is shown at Hill House, Cabot Cove’s very own Inn due to a fire at her Victorian home at 698 Candlewood Lame. I wonder if the 49th book, Murder in Red, has anything to do with her house getting caught fire which almost killed her.
j. From the 51st book, The Murder of Twelve:
i. Author Land gives considerable mystery to Seamus McGilray’s character. I wonder if he resurfaces in a future book.
ii. Towards the end of the book, Mort jokes that Jessica should run for mayor. Hmm…something to look forward to I suppose.
3. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. On Pg. 71, Line 4 from bottom, it should be "…were being played…"
b. In several places the defense attorney Vince is referred to a Victor. For instance On Pg. 87, at the bottom of the page, Evelyn addresses him as Victor. Again on Pg. 229, in the middle of the page, he is named as Victor again.