“Murder She Wrote: Hook, Line and Murder” by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain, and Renee Paley-Bain

by Sandra Murphy

Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review.

You’d think a fishing tournament would be a safe, fun week of solitude and the enjoyment of a Maine fall. On the other hand, when it’s Jessica Fletcher who is the fisherwoman, all bets are off.

First of all, Seth doesn’t think it’s safe for Jessica to be out of cell phone range for a week. What if she’s injured and can’t call for help? He maneuvers Jessica in a can’t-say-no position to take Maureen, the Sheriff’s wife, along. Of course, Maureen is chatty, brings enough outfits for a couple of weeks instead of a weekend, and has never gone fishing before—but she’s watched it on television.

Jessica agrees, figuring she’ll have Maureen’s company for three days and a week to enjoy the quiet after Maureen goes home. Unfortunately, there’s also the complication of an escaped convict. No one has actually seen him, but homeowners in Cabot Cove are almost afraid to go out for milk and bread, worried about the threat. Others swear he’s trying to escape into Canada.

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Brian, Jessica’s guide for the tournament, is a former friend of the escapee. In fact, he was convicted of abetting the same murder when the grocer was killed during a robbery just because they were friends. Years later, a group that proves the innocence of those wrongly jailed, gets him set free. Still, Maine memories are long, so being a guide for tourists is about the only job he can get.

Being a redhead, Maureen is prone to sunburn. In spite of Jessica’s continuous warnings, she only has SPF-15 lotion, manages to miss a lot of spots, and end up with a whopper of a sunburn. It forces her to bow out of the next morning’s fishing to cool off before she gets sick.

Upon returning to the cabin, there’s no sign of Maureen. Jessica’s worst fears have become reality. Maureen is the convict’s hostage. Mort was his arresting officer, so it puts Maureen in even more danger.

Image source: Penguin

Since Jessica can’t be much help in searching the woods or lake, she is able to work behind the scenes to research the relationship between four boys with bad situations at home, clues left by Maureen, and to find out about a not-so-accidental drowning of the town’s drunken lawyer.

Get your waders ready. Readers will foresee an annual fishing trip for Maureen and Jessica, at least until Maureen can get Mort interested in sharing the sport. This is book 45 in the Murder She Wrote series! Start at the beginning or jump right in with the fishing tournament in a book so rich in description, readers will hear the drip of the paddle as the boat moves through the lake water. Since the tournament is a catch, photo, and throw back type, no fish recipes in the book—you know Maureen’s the cook, not Jessica!

To enter to win a copy of Murder She Wrote: Hook, Line and Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “hook,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 17, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please included your mailing address.

You can use this link to purchase the book:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her newest, "Arthur", included in the anthology titled, Flash and Bang, available now.