Book Review: Murder She Wrote- Debonair in Death by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran

When Murder, She Wrote ended airing on TV in 1996, many fans missed the series. Since the series was so popular, a book series inspired by the show was published. In 2024, the series is still in print and new title are still being published to this day!

When I found out there was a book series in 1990’s, I was really excited. I was a fan of the series growing up and I missed Jessica Fletcher’s adventures. It was then when I decided when I get older, I would start to read the series. Fast forward to today and I have achieved my goal of reading books from the series!

One of the books in the series I recently read is Murder, She Wrote: Debonair in Death. This book initially grabbed my attention because it includes a character I liked from the TV shows in the book.

The book’s synopsis from Amazon is…

When a local art shop owner is murdered, Jessica Fletcher is surprised to once again be working alongside her old friend MI-6 agent Michael Haggerty to solve the case in the newest mystery in this USA Today bestselling series.

When Nelson Penzell, co-owner of a local art and treasure store in Cabot Cove, is murdered, the nail tech from Jessica Fletcher’s favorite beauty parlor is the main suspect. After all, she’s the one who ran out of the store screaming, covered in blood, and holding the murder weapon. Jessica is positive that despite the circumstances, Coreen can’t possibly be guilty, and is determined to prove it.

When Michael Haggerty, handsome MI-6 agent and Jessica’s old friend, is caught snooping around the victim’s home, it’s quickly apparent to her that she was right. Nelson has always had a bit of a reputation for being a rake, but Haggerty is sure his sins go far beyond what anyone in town imagined. If she wants to clear Coreen’s name, Jessica will have to work alongside Michael to find out who killed Nelson—and maybe help bust a crime ring in the process.

Overall, I liked the book. The pace was slower than I hoped it would be, but I think this helped the book. It was an easy read  and was clearly drawn from the series, yet it is modern. Although there are nods to the series, which aired in the 1980’s to 1990’s, there are more modern elements included in the book. I also really liked the addition of Michael Haggerty into the novels. The reason why I decided to read this book is because of Michael Haggerty. I hoped the novel series would start to include more characters like Michael Haggerty in the series for many years. I was happy to see this novel has Michael included and am happy I am able to read another adventure with Jessica and Michael!

Even though the book has a lot of great elements to it, I still didn’t enjoy it as much as I do watching the series. I’m not sure why I feel this way, but I think it has to do with the way the actors played their characters. I miss that the most from the series. Reading a book is not the same as watching the series. Because of this, if you are hoping to read a book that really reminds you of the way each actor played their character, you may feel like you’re missing something. Despite this, if you are interested in the book for its story, I highly recommend it! Especially if you are a fan of Michael Haggerty. Like the TV show, it is a clean book and does not dwell on the morbid side of murder nor anything controversial. At the time I read this book, I came off reading novels that were really hard to read and digest due to their content. This book was a relief for me, even if it made me miss the show!

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!