List of Murder, She Wrote novels

This is a list of fictional novels either from or inspired by Murder, She Wrote.

During the series many novels that J.B. Fletcher wrote, were mentioned. Her first novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight, was made into a film in one episode, and later in the series another was made into a theatre play. The novel A Killing at Hastings Rock also underwent development to become a virtual reality video game.

In keeping with the spirit of the TV show, a series of official original novels have been written and published. The co-author credited for all of the novels is the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher". The first novel, Gin & Daggers, authored by American ghostwriter Donald Bain, included several inaccuracies to the TV series including Jessica driving a car which she could not do as she never learned to drive. Due to fans pointing out the errors, the novel was republished in 2000 with most of the inaccuracies corrected.

The title The Stain on the Stairs had previously been used by Agatha Christie in The Murder at the Vicarage as the title of a supposed detective story.

Fictional novels

Novels that were written by the fictional character of Jessica Fletcher (J.B. Fletcher) within the storyline of the series:

  • The Corpse Danced at Midnight[1]
  • Dirge for a Dead Dachshund[2]
  • A Faded Rose Beside Her[3]
  • Murder on the Amazon[4]
  • The Umbrella Murders[5]
  • Murder at the Inn[6]
  • Murder at the Digs[7]
  • Murder in a Minor Key[8]
  • The Stain on the Stairs[9]
  • The Mystery of the Mutilated Minion[10]
  • The Belgrade Murders[11]
  • Sanitarium of Death[12]
  • Calvin Canterbury's Revenge[13]
  • Murder at the Asylum[14]
  • Murder Comes to Maine[15]
  • Ashes, Ashes, Fall Down Dead[16]
  • Goodbye, Charlie[17]
  • Yours Truly, Damian Sinclair[18]
  • The Corpse That Wasn't There[19]
  • The Messengers of Midnight[20]
  • The Poison in My Heart[21]
  • All the Murderers[22]
  • Murder at the Ridge Top[23]
  • The Corpse Swam by Moonlight[24]
  • The Killer Called Collect[24]
  • The Corpse at Vespers[25]
  • The Triple Crown Murders[25]
  • The Crypt of Death[26]
  • A Killing at Hastings Rock[27]
  • The Uncaught[28]
  • Murder in White[29]
  • The Dead Man Sang[30]
  • Stone Cold Dead on Wall Street[31]
  • Endangered[32]
  • The Launch Pad Murders[33]
  • Runway to Murder[34]
  • The Venomous Valentine[35]
  • A Case and a Half of Murder[36]
  • The Zero Aspect[37]

Novelizations

A number of episodes were the basis for a series of novels released in the mid 1980s by Avon Books. The first three books in the series were written by James Anderson and the fourth was written by David Deutsch. Each book, with the exception of The Murder of Sherlock Holmes, utilizes two episodes from the show as the basis for its story.

James Anderson

  1. The Murder of Sherlock Holmes (April 1985)[38]
    • based on the two-hour pilot episode of the same name.
  2. Hooray for Homicide (November 1985)[39]
    • based on the episodes "Deadly Lady" and "Hooray for Homicide".
  3. Lovers and Other Killers (February 1986)[40]
    • based on the episodes "Lovers and Other Killers" and "It's a Dog's Life".

David Deutsch

  2. Murder in Two Acts (April 17, 1986)[41]
    • based on the episodes "Sing a Song of Murder" and "Murder in the Afternoon".

Spin-off novels

The following are novels inspired by the series, which are published by the New American Library. Donald Bain began writing the series in 1989 and continued authoring the books until his death in 2017. Bain's wife, Renée Paley-Bain (1945–2016), participated in writing the books beginning in 2002,[42] and received a co-author credit for the final three books on which she worked. After Bain's death in 2017, author Jon Land was approached to take over the series.[43] Land would go on to author six books in the series.

In 2020, it was revealed that author Terrie Farley Moran would be taking over the series beginning in 2021.[44][45] In June 2024, it was announced that author Barbara Early would pen two Murder, She Wrote books; the first appearing in early 2025, with an additional book in 2026. Moran is expected to release two new titles following Early's release in 2025, as well as an additional book in 2026, again, after the publication of Early's.[46]

The book series has also been translated and published in Italian and French.[47][48]

Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

  1. Gin & Daggers (June 1989)[49]
  2. Manhattans & Murder (December 1994)[51]
  3. Rum & Razors (April 1995)[52]
  4. Brandy & Bullets (August 1995)[53]
  5. Martinis & Mayhem (December 1995)[54]
  6. A Deadly Judgment (April 1996)[55]
  7. A Palette for Murder (October 1996)[56]
  8. The Highland Fling Murders (April 1997)[57]
  9. Murder on the QE2 (October 1997)[58]
  10. Murder in Moscow (May 1998)[59]
  11. A Little Yuletide Murder (October 1998)[60]
  12. Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch (May 1999)[61]
  13. Knock 'em Dead (October 1999)[62]
  14. Trick or Treachery (October 1, 2000)[63]
  15. Blood on the Vine (April 2001)[64]
  16. Murder in a Minor Key (October 2001)[65]
  17. Provence – To Die For (April 2002)[66]
  18. You Bet Your Life (October 2002)[67]
  19. Majoring in Murder (April 2003)[68]
  20. Destination Murder (October 7, 2003)[69]
  21. Dying to Retire (April 6, 2004)[70]
  22. A Vote for Murder (October 5, 2004)[71]
  23. The Maine Mutiny (April 5, 2005)[72]
  24. Margaritas & Murder (October 4, 2005)[73]
  25. A Question of Murder (April 4, 2006)[74]
  26. Three Strikes and You're Dead (October 3, 2006)[75]
  27. Coffee, Tea, or Murder? (April 3, 2007)[76]
  28. Panning for Murder (September 25, 2007)[77]
  29. Murder on Parade (April 1, 2008)[78]
  30. A Slaying in Savannah (September 30, 2008)[79]
  31. Madison Avenue Shoot (April 7, 2009)[80]
  32. A Fatal Feast (October 6, 2009)[81]
  33. Nashville Noir (April 6, 2010)[82]
  34. The Queen's Jewels (October 5, 2010)[83]
  35. Skating on Thin Ice (April 5, 2011)[84]
  36. The Fine Art of Murder (October 4, 2011)[85]
  37. Trouble at High Tide (April 3, 2012)[86]
  38. Domestic Malice (October 2, 2012)[86]
  39. Prescription for Murder (April 2, 2013)[87]
  40. Close-Up on Murder (October 1, 2013)[88]
  41. Aloha Betrayed (April 1, 2014)[89]
  42. Death of a Blue Blood (October 7, 2014)[90]
  43. Killer in the Kitchen (April 7, 2015)[91]

Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain with Renée Paley-Bain

  2. The Ghost and Mrs. Fletcher (October 6, 2015)[92]
  3. Design for Murder (April 5, 2016)[93]
  4. Hook, Line, and Murder (October 4, 2016)[94]

Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain with Jon Land

  2. A Date with Murder (May 1, 2018)[95]

Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land

  2. Manuscript for Murder (November 6, 2018)[96]
  3. Murder in Red (May 28, 2019)[97]
  4. A Time for Murder (November 26, 2019)[98]
  5. The Murder of Twelve (May 26, 2020)[99]
  6. Murder in Season (November 24, 2020)[100]

Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

  2. Killing in a Koi Pond (June 8, 2021)[101]
  3. Debonair in Death (November 2, 2021)[102]
  4. Killer on the Court (May 17, 2022)[103]
  5. Death on the Emerald Isle (January 3, 2023)[104]
  6. Fit for Murder (January 23, 2024)[105]
  7. Murder Backstage (April 2, 2024)[106]
  8. A Killer Christmas (October 8, 2024)[107]

Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

  2. Snowy with a Chance of Murder (March 18, 2025)[108]

Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

  2. A Body in Boston (July 1, 2025)[109]

Anthologies

Beginning in 1997, a series of three anthologies were released, each featuring a number of stories by different authors. While none of the stories tied into the series (save for one story by Charlaine Harris in the first book, with Jessica Fletcher as a supporting character), each book was captioned as "Jessica Fletcher presents...", with the fictitious character being credited as the author of the book's introduction and making a short comment at the start of each story.

  1. Murder, They Wrote (1997)[110]
  2. Murder, They Wrote II (1998)[111]
  3. More Murder, They Wrote (1999)[112]

Young Adult novels

  1. By the Time You Read This I'll Be Gone by Stephanie Kuehn (October 5, 2022)[113]
  2. Carry My Secret to Your Grave by Stephanie Kuehn (October 31, 2023)[114]
  3. The Dead Will Never Haunt Me by Stephanie Kuehn (October 1, 2024)[115]

References

  1. ^ Season 1, Episode 1; "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes"
  2. ^ Season 1, Episode 2; "Deadly Lady"
  3. ^ Season 1, Episode 10; "Death Casts a Spell"
  4. ^ Season 1, Episode 13; "Murder to a Jazz Beat"
  5. ^ Season 2, Episode 6; "Reflections of the Mind"
  6. ^ Season 2, Episode 7; "A Lady at the Lake"
  7. ^ Season 2, Episode 11; "Murder Digs Deep"
  8. ^ Season 3, Episode 14; "Murder in a Minor Key"
  9. ^ Season 3, Episode 21; "The Days Dwindle Down"
  10. ^ Season 3, Episode 22; "Murder, She Spoke"
  11. ^ Season 4, Episode 2;"“When Thieves Fall Out"
  12. ^ Season 4, Episode 3; "Witness for the Defense"
  13. ^ Season 4, Episode 8; "Steal Me a Story"
  14. ^ Season 4, Episode 9; "Trouble in Eden"
  15. ^ Season 4, Episode 21; "Deadpan"
  16. ^ Season 5, Episode 12; "Smooth Operators"
  17. ^ Season 6, Episode 12; "Goodbye, Charlie"
  18. ^ Season 7, Episode 18; "Where Have You Gone, Billy Boy?"
  19. ^ Season 8, Episode 1; "Bite the Big Apple"
  20. ^ Season 8, Episode 10; "The List of Yuri Lermentov"
  21. ^ Season 8, Episode 14; "The Monte Carlo Murders"
  22. ^ Season 9, Episode 1; "Murder in Milan"
  23. ^ Season 9, Episode 3; "The Mole"
  24. ^ a b Season 9, Episode 4; "The Wind Around the Tower"
  25. ^ a b Season 9, Episode 14; "Killer Radio"
  26. ^ Season 10, Episode 3; "The Legacy of Borbey House"
  27. ^ Season 10, Episode 5; "A Virtual Murder"
  28. ^ Season 10, Episode 9; "Murder at a Discount"
  29. ^ Season 10, Episode 10; "Murder in White"
  30. ^ Season 10, Episode 11; "Northern Explosion"
  31. ^ Season 10, Episode 15; "Murder on the Thirtieth Floor"
  32. ^ Season 11, Episode 1; "A Nest of Vipers"
  33. ^ Season 11, Episode 5; "Dear Deadly"
  34. ^ Season 11, Episode 17; "Murder a la Mode"
  35. ^ Season 12, Episode 10; "Frozen Stiff"
  36. ^ Season 12, Episode 24; "Death by Demographics"
  37. ^ Movie 4; The Celtic Riddle
  38. ^ "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  39. ^ "Hooray for Homicide". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  40. ^ "Lovers and Others Killers". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  41. ^ "Murder in Two Acts". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  42. ^ Bain, Donald. "Discussion". Archived from the original on 2014-07-17. I've been writing the MSW series for 25 years, with Renee's help the last dozen years or so.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  43. ^ "Jon Land Takes on a Classic as the New Voice Behind the Jessica Fletcher Murder, She Wrote Book Series". Early Bird Books. April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  44. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  45. ^ "Say Hi to Jessica Fletcher!". TerrieFarleyMoran.com. July 25, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  46. ^ "Terrie Farley Moran". Facebook.com. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  47. ^ "La Signora in Giallo". Sperling & Kupfer. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  48. ^ "Arabesque : Coups de sang à Manhattan Broché". Amazon. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  49. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (1989). Gin & Daggers. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0070032394.
  50. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (April 2000). Gin and Daggers. Penguin. ISBN 0451199987.
  51. ^ Manhattans & Murder. ISBN 0451181425.
  52. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (April 1995). Rum & Razors. Penguin. ISBN 0451183835.
  53. ^ Brandy & Bullets. ISBN 0451184912.
  54. ^ Martinis & Mayhem. ISBN 0451185129.
  55. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (April 1996). A Deadly Judgement. Penguin. ISBN 0451187717.
  56. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (October 1996). A Palette for Murder. Penguin. ISBN 0451188209.
  57. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (April 1997). The Highland Fling Murders. Penguin. ISBN 0451188519.
  58. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (October 1997). Murder on the QE2. Penguin. ISBN 0451192915.
  59. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (May 1998). Murder in Moscow. ISBN 0451194748.
  60. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (October 1998). A Little Yuletide Murder. Penguin. ISBN 0451194756.
  61. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (May 1999). Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch. Penguin. ISBN 0451194764.
  62. ^ Knock 'em Dead. ISBN 0451194772.
  63. ^ "Trick or Treachery". Penguin. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  64. ^ Blood on the Vine. ISBN 0451202759.
  65. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (October 2001). Murder in a Minor Key. Penguin. ISBN 0451204344.
  66. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (April 2002). Provence - To Die For. Penguin. ISBN 0451205669.
  67. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (October 2002). You Bet Your Life. Penguin. ISBN 0451207211.
  68. ^ Majoring in Murder. ISBN 0451208323.
  69. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2003). Destination Murder. New American Library. ISBN 0451210484.
  70. ^ Dying to Retire. ISBN 0451211715.
  71. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald; Fischer, Peter S.; Levinson, Richard; Link, William (2003). A Vote for Murder. ISBN 0451213033.
  72. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (5 April 2005). The Maine Mutiny. Penguin. ISBN 0451214684.
  73. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2005). Margaritas & Murder. New American Library. ISBN 0451216628.
  74. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (4 April 2006). A Question of Murder. Penguin. ISBN 0451218175.
  75. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2006). Three Strikes and You're Dead. New American Library. ISBN 0451219678.
  76. ^ Coffee, Tea, or Murder?. ISBN 0451220870.
  77. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2007). Panning for Murder. Obsidian. ISBN 978-0451222206.
  78. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2008). Murder on Parade. Penguin. ISBN 978-0451223678.
  79. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2008). A Slaying in Savannah. Penguin. ISBN 978-0451225054.
  80. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2009). Madison Avenue Shoot. ISBN 978-0451226037.
  81. ^ Bain, Donald; Fletcher, Jessica (2009). A Fatal Feast. ISBN 978-0451227966.
  82. ^ "Nashville Noir". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  83. ^ The Queen's Jewels. ISBN 0451231260.
  84. ^ "Skating on Thin Ice". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  85. ^ "The Fine Art of Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  86. ^ a b "Trouble at High Tide". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  87. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2013). Prescription for Murder. ISBN 978-0451239365.
  88. ^ "Close-Up on Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  89. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald (2014). Aloha Betrayed. ISBN 978-0451466549.
  90. ^ "Death of a Blue Blood". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  91. ^ Bain, Donald; Fletcher, Jessica (2015). Killer in the Kitchen. Penguin. ISBN 978-0451468383.
  92. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Bain, Donald; Paley-Bain, Renée (2015). This Ghost of Mrs. Fletcher. Penguin Publishing. ISBN 978-0451477361.
  93. ^ "Design for Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  94. ^ "Hook, Line, and Murder". Goodreads. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  95. ^ A Date with Murder. ISBN 0451489276.
  96. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Land, Jon (2018). Manuscript for Murder. Penguin. ISBN 978-0451489302.
  97. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Land, Jon (2019). Murder in Red. Penguin. ISBN 978-0451489333.
  98. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Land, Jon (2019). A Time for Murder. ISBN 978-1984804303.
  99. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Land, Jon (2020). The Murder of Twelve. Penguin. ISBN 978-1984804334.
  100. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Land, Jon (2020). Murder in Season. Penguin. ISBN 978-1984804365.
  101. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Moran, Terrie Farley (8 June 2021). Killing in a Koi Pond. Penguin. ISBN 978-0593333594.
  102. ^ Fletcher, Jessica; Moran, Terrie Farley (2 November 2021). Debonair in Death. Penguin. ISBN 978-0593333624.
  103. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  104. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  105. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Fit for Murder by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  106. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  107. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  108. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of Murder by Jessica Fletcher, Barbara Early". Penguin Random House. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  109. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston by Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran". Penguin Random House. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  110. ^ "Murder, They Wrote". Amazon. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  111. ^ Greenberg, Martin Harry; Foxwell, Elizabeth (1998). Murder, They Wrote II. ISBN 1572973390.
  112. ^ Foxwell, Elizabeth; Greenberg, Martin Harry (October 1999). More Murder, They Wrote. ISBN 0425169901.
  113. ^ "Murder, She Wrote: By The Time You Read This I'll Be Gone, Stephanie Kuehn". 16 May 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  114. ^ "Murder, She Wrote #2: Carry My Secret To Your Grave". October 30, 2023. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023.
  115. ^ Kuehn, Stephanie (2024-10-01). The Dead Will Never Haunt Me (Murder, She Wrote #3). Scholastic Inc. ISBN 978-1-338-76462-8.

Notes

  1. ^ Author Donald Bain released a revised second edition in April 2000, omitting passages which had Jessica Fletcher driving a car.