Leafing Through Pages - Murder on the QE2 (Murder, She Wrote # 9)
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Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: Another good who-dun-it in the series where we see a story within a story within a story. Complex for sure of the plot lines and the conclusion, a bit impulsive is Jessica again. A cozy mystery perfect for the days you want to end in a little mystery and adventure.
Murder on the QE2 is the ninth novel in the long-running Murder She Wrote series co-written by Donald Bain & fictional writer Jessica Fletcher. It was first published on January 1, 1997. This time Jessica travels on a free trip on the transatlantic luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2 in return for a ew lectures aboard the liner along with scripting a play. But the leading lady is killed and Jessica finds herself investigating her death before more are killed.
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 before Jon Land alone 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.
The title reminded me of another of Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express with her Belgium detective Hercule Poirot in the center. That has since become my favorite novel of Christie so far.
e see a bit of Jessica's past with her late-husband Frank in this book. I recently read another book in this series, the 50th book A Time for Murder in which we actually go to her past for most of the book when Frank was alive. Although this book is much earlier written than the 50th, it was charming to see the references to her past.
We see a different mayor, Jim Shevlin, as opposed to Sam Booth. But remember Sam being the mayor in the 29th book Murder on Parade which I read a few years ago.
We also see reference to the previous book The Highland Fling Murders. And naturally we have George Sutherland, Scotland Yard Detective in this plot, albeit he is more towards the end rather than all through.
The plot has a story within a story within a story. That was intriguing in itself. However, there was a lot of repetition of the names of the characters who portray as actors and their names in the play they were part of. It was a bit of confusing at first.
I was curious though why the author continues to portray Jessica as impulsive and sharing information where she is not supposed to. Nonetheless who the killer or killers would be was kept in suspense again till the last two chapters. Although the ending was complicated than I thought it would be.
I couldn’t understand if Cunard was a service company employed by Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner or if the QE2 was owned by Cunard. The name just pops up and there is no introduction or explanation given to understand who they were.
Also I felt Jessica much more impulsive than usual in this book. As opposed to the other future novels that I read already where she was much more composed and grounded. Looks like Bain toned her back to what we were used seeing her as in the TV show.
Another good who-dun-it in the series where we see a story within a story within a story. Complex for sure of the plot lines and the conclusion, a bit impulsive is Jessica again. A cozy mystery perfect for the days you want to end in a little mystery and adventure.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Key players in this book: Rip Nestor, director of the play; Marla Tralaine, actress; Carlo Di Giovanno, five-star pasta chef; Troy Radcliff, an avid mountain climber with his own show Go For It; Elaine Anathous, famous for gardening books; Dan Solon, judge; Sam Teller, Teller Network owner, and his wife Lila Sims; Peter Kunz, Tralaine's manager; Tony Silvestrie, Tralaine's personal trainer; Candy Malone, Tralaine's hair dresser; Mary Alice Ward, another traveler.
b. Staff on the QE2: Priscilla Warren, a Cunard escort; Sandy & Walter, Cunard staff; Captain Sir Archibald Marwick; Wally Prall, security officer; Dr. Russell Walker, chief medical officer; Mrs. Montrose, gentleman's gentleman; Jacques, waiter; Rose Jenkins, editor of the shipboard newsletter / program; Sydney Worrell, gentleman host.
c. Others on the Crossing: James Brady, leading chronicler; Ruth Lazzara, Jessica's researcher; Pamela Fiori and Michael Cannon from Town and Country magazine; Hamish Monroe, a reporter;
d. We saw in the very first book in the series, Gin and Daggers, that Sheriff Mort Metzger creates murder mystery board game that he had almost sold it to Parker Brothers. Now he has written a play based on that same board game.
e. Mary Ward has been a prominent character in this book. Will she resurface again?
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; ; 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.
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; Dick Mann, Fire Chief; Charlene Sassi, a baker; Susan Shevlin, travel agent and her husband Jim who is the Mayor of Cabot Cove.
d. Sheriff Metzger’s office staff: Deputy Andy Jenks; Deputy Jack.
e. Jessica Fletcher’s family - Grady Fletcher, nephew that she and her late-husband Frank raise, his wife Donna and child Frank.
f. In the 6th book, A Deadly Judgment, Dr. Seth Hazlitt is seen dating jury consultant Jill Farkas at the end of the book. Did that spill into any subsequent books? At least I don’t remember from reading either the 7th book A Palette for Murder or the 8th book The Highland Fling Murders. May be this was only pat of the 6th book plot.
g. George and Jessica decide to meet up in London in the seventh book, A Palette for Murder - I wonder which future book was based on that trip.
h. 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. 😛
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.
3. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. On Pg 26, Line 5 from bottom, it should be "…videos given to me by…"