Spotlight of Murder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of Murder by Jessica Fletcher & Barbara Early

24 Mar, 2025

About Murder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of Murder

Murder, She Wrote: Snowy with a Chance of Murder
Cozy Mystery
60th in Series
Setting - Maine
Publisher : Berkley (March 18, 2025)
Language : English
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593820045
ISBN-13 : 978-0593820049
Digital ASIN : B0D7G8TTLR

Add to Goodreads

In a nod to Rear Window, this newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series finds Jessica Fletcher coping with an injury that leaves her homebound—and a murder just outside her window!

Jessica Fletcher has taken a nasty spill on the ice, leaving her in a wheelchair for several weeks. She tries to work on her latest manuscript but finds herself distracted by a new neighbor moving in across the street. There’s good reason for her to be distracted, because soon after unpacking his sparse belongings, Mr. Rymer is out in the front yard, building somewhat risqué (read: naked) snow sculptures.

While Cabot Cove debates whether the sculptures are a protected form of art or a public display of lewdness, someone starts destroying them at night. Rymer doesn’t seem upset. He just makes new ones. No need to get the police involved over a little snow, he says. Especially when there’s plenty more of it and a blizzard in the forecast.

The morning after the storm, Jessica looks out the window to see a new sculpture across the street—and the body of Mr. Rymer half-buried in the snow. Can Jessica catch a cold-blooded killer from her chair by the window?

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop.org | Penguin Random House | Kobo

Excerpt

I stared at the luggage lying open on my bed and pondered what I might have to remove if I was to have any hope of closing them. The multiple evening gowns strapped into my garment bag seemed excessive, especially since cruises had become more casual of late, but the Mystery Lovers Cruise always included a formal dinner, which I'd agreed to keynote this year.

And if this cruise had a captain's table, well, I was considered enough of a celebrity to receive an obligatory invitation. The more noteworthy celebrities at the table would ask me a polite question or two about my books. Then I'd sit quietly, eating my dinner, sipping my tea, and nodding occasionally while they told exaggerated stories of their own exploits, trying to one-up the others. Not that I would mind. I'm an excellent listener, and I've gleaned a few good plot ideas from such dinners. Minor celebrities with overinflated senses of self-importance always make such excellent murder victims. Fictionally speaking, that is.

For author presentations, of course, wearing one of my tailored jackets always bolsters my confidence. To save space in my luggage, not to mention my stateroom, I deviated from my well-used packing list and paired the blazers with colorful sleeveless dresses that I could also wear alone while relaxing on the deck with a good book, soaking up the sun and the sea breezes, or, during our stops, meandering through streets lined with quaint shops and open-air markets. But accessories soon ate up that freed space: scarves, belts, brooches, earrings, necklaces, hats, sunglasses, and-oh, I needed my navy pumps and a bag to match. I headed back into my walk-in closet.

After several trips down the stairs, my well-traveled burgundy luggage stood in a neat formation just inside my front door, and I peeked to see if my taxi had arrived. I stifled a sigh when I noticed that the stiff wind coming off the coast had drifted some of the shoveled snow back onto my steps and front walk. Yes, agreeing to go on a cruise in the February of a particularly snowy Maine winter had been a wise decision, and I was also looking forward to the two days of pre-cruise relaxation that Susan Shevlin had talked me into when booking my trip. "You don't want to cut it too tightly," she'd advised, drawing on her years of experience as Cabot Cove's best travel agent. "One canceled flight or missed connection and you could miss the cruise. And I know of a lovely resort not far from the port . . ." Although part of me would miss the brisk New England air, my blazing fireplace, and my cozy cardigans, getting out of Cabot Cove and into some tropical sunshine would surely boost my spirits, not to mention my vitamin D.

The taxi pulled up and I grabbed the largest of my bags, knowing that Demetri, my driver and longtime friend, would see me struggle with it and come to my aid. I waved as the door of the blue Subaru Forester popped open, and I took a step forward.

My foot failed to find solid purchase and instead slid hard to the right. I shifted my weight to the other foot, but not before my right ankle and knee bent awkwardly, and then the other twisted, and then gravity-assisted by the added weight of my luggage-pulled the rest of me down, driving my hip, then elbow, then head into the concrete steps. I slid down, my head jarred as it made contact with each new step, and then everything went black.

"Mrs. Fletcher! Mrs. Fletcher!" Demetri shook my shoulder a moment later. At least I thought it was only a moment later. I raised my eyelids, and the world went from all black to a dismal gray circle broken only by Demetri's blurry face hovering over me. "It's all right, Mrs. Fletcher. I called an ambulance. It'll be here soon." He squeezed my hand with his gloved one.

Squeezing back was the only motion I dared to attempt, my hazy brain starting to receive mingled messages of pain and cold from the rest of my body. "Thank you, Demetri."

About Jessica Fletcher & Barbara Early

Barbara Early earned an engineering degree, but after four years of doing nothing but math, developed a sudden allergy to the subject and decided to choose another occupation.

Before she settled on murdering fictional people, she was a secretary, a schoolteacher, a pastor’s wife, and an amateur puppeteer. She lives in Western New York State (Go Bills!), where she enjoys cooking, crafts, classic movies and campy seventies television, board games, and spending time with her granddaughters.

Before teaming up with Jessica Fletcher, she previously wrote the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series and the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries (as Beverly Allen).

Website | Facebook

Giveaway!

Click here for more information and adding an entry.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS - Please visit all the stops.

March 18 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 18 – Bea's Book Nook – REVIEW
March 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
March 19 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 20 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
March 20 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
March 21 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
March 21 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
March 24 – Diary of a Bookworm - SPOTLIGHT (That's me!)
March 25 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
March 26 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
March 27 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
March 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
March 28 – Storied Conversation – REVIEW
March 29 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
March 30 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW
March 30 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 31 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 31 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here