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Jessica Fletcher

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Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage Kindle Edition

by Jessica Fletcher (Author), Terrie Farley Moran (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 158 ratings

Book 58 of 58: Murder She Wrote

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The newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

Jessica Fletcher’s British cousin, Emma MacGill, will be traveling to Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, to perform with internationally famous star of stage, screen, and television Derek Braverman in an old-fashioned musical review. Emma would love for Jessica to join her there and suggests she bring along some friends. Having just finished her latest book, Jessica is ready for a vacation and is delighted to agree. Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sheriff Mort Metzger are huge fans of Braverman, so they are eager to tag along, and their fanboy behavior gives Jessica and Mort’s wife, Maureen, more than occasional cause to roll their eyes.

Upon arrival in Edmonton, Jessica is quickly outed as mystery writer J. B. Fletcher, and despite numerous protests, a hotel staffer arranges a book signing for her. This and touristy adventures arranged for the group make for a much busier trip than Jessica was expecting. When a hotel bartender, who also happens to be a stagehand for Emma’s play, turns up dead backstage at the theater, Jessica’s fun and relaxing vacation quickly becomes anything but.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Murder, She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond

“A deftly written mystery that pulled me in and never let up. Murder She Wrote has always been state-of-the-art fiction, but with Terrie Farley Moran on board—kapow! She really knows how to ratchet up a story. This tricky whodunit will grab you with its authenticity, quirky (but believable!) characters, and inventive plot.”—New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs

“Jessica Fletcher gets a bitter taste of Southern hospitality when her good friend’s husband is found dead in his own koi pond. Terrie Farley Moran ably aids super-sleuth Jessica in the latest edition of this long-running series. Two thumbs up!”—Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Deletion

“Keeping with the spirit of the peerless sleuth and much-loved mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, Moran continues the series in this cleverly crafted whodunit....Delightfully charming cozy fare with a vivid setting, colorful characters, and an enjoyable mystery is sure to satisfy fans.”—Abby Collette, USA Today bestselling author of A Deadly Inside Scoop

Praise for the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series

"A delightfully horrifying tale of murder done, one by one, with all the twists and turns you love, leading to a finish that even the cleverest reader won't see coming....The ultimate murder mystery to snuggle down with on a wild winter's night--or any night. A perfect read."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston

"A tight, twisty tale that keeps you guessing until the final page and gasping when you've finally turned it. Jessica Fletcher has never been better!"—#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline

"Extremely satisfying...it pulled me in from the beginning."—Open Book Society

"Jessica Fletcher, mystery writer and amateur sleuth, always has me coming back for more."—A Cozy Girl Reads

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

I was in the midst of writing a pivotal scene in my latest book, When Margot Was Murdered, so I simply ignored my ringing telephone. The book's protagonist, Luisa, Margot's best friend, over the course of the last two paragraphs had her "aha" moment and realized who the killer must be. She was about to devise a plan to trap the murderer when the phone's jangle brought me back to the dining room of my home in Cabot Cove, Maine, far from the book's location of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

I was able to ignore the ringing until the answering machine kicked in and I heard an unmistakable British accent with just a hint of London cockney calling my name. I dashed to the telephone and picked up the receiver before my favorite cousin, Emma Macgill, could complete her message and hang up.

"Hello, Emma. I'm here," I said.

"Jessica, is that you? I was about to ring off. I haven't called too early in the morning or too late in the evening, have I? You know I never can keep the time difference between our two countries straight." The words tumbled out fast and furious, a true reflection of Emma's animated personality. When we were children, at every family gathering Emma was always the one who led the rest of us in raucous games of Sheriff of Nottingham, Capture the Flag, and a few others that she invented on the spot.

"Emma, it's been such a long while, and your timing is perfect; it's nearly seven in the evening here, so I am guessing that it's close to midnight in London. You are in London?" Knowing that Emma's career as an actress had her traveling all over the globe, I could never be sure.

"Oh yes, dearie, I am. I was asked to fill in for Glory Adams when she, well . . . I am not sure how to make the truth sound believable, but I will give it a go. Everyone knows we actors wish one another good luck by saying 'Break a leg.' Well, Glory had the misfortune to break hers right on the stage of the Apollo Victoria Theatre in the middle of act two of that lovely new musical by Carlton Craig." Emma's slight giggle let me know that there was some better news to follow.

"I can tell you I was proper chuffed when Carlton himself called and asked me to take on the role. With less than a week's rehearsal, I took over from the understudy, who I thought was doing rather a nice job but the producers didn't agree, so here I am." Emma sounded as proud as she rightfully should. Carlton Craig was the most highly acclaimed composer and lyricist in London's West End, which, in turn, was the most celebrated theater district in all of Europe.

"That sounds like quite an honor, and I am certain you are a smashing success," I said.

Emma surprised me with her reply. "The audiences seem to think so. Their response has been extraordinarily kind at every performance. The past eight weeks have been grand, but . . . let's just say I wasn't entirely comfortable playing a role that wasn't actually mine, so it was somewhat of a relief when Glory called Carlton to tell him that her surgeon and her physical therapist have both pronounced her fit to return to the stage. She will take back the role next week." Emma sounded quite relieved.

"How nice that she has healed so quickly," I said. "Is it possible that you will have some free time on your hands? If so, I hope you are thinking of coming to Cabot Cove for a bit of rest and recuperation. We haven't seen each other in ages, and I am very close to finishing my latest book. We would have plenty of time to catch up. And I can assure you that Seth Hazlitt and my other friends would be delighted to see you again."

"Close enough. I am flying across the Atlantic, and I have high hopes we can organize a get-together even though I won't be landing anywhere near Cabot Cove, worst luck. Wait until you hear my latest news. You'd have to have been living under a rock for decades and decades if you've never heard of Derek Braverman," Emma said, but there was still a touch of uncertainty in her voice.

"Heard of him? Emma, of course I have. Who on earth hasn't? Derek Braverman has been a major entertainer for at least forty years. He acts, he sings, he dances, and he has won numerous awards for his work in theater, movies, and television. Not to mention he's achieved great notoriety for his off-camera escapades. And he appeared to enjoy every moment of those antics." I truly hoped that Emma hadn't gotten involved in any escapades, so I stopped there, curious to hear whatever news she had that involved Derek Braverman.

"Well, Derek has just celebrated his eightieth birthday and has decided to retire, but before he does, he wants to star in a good old-fashioned revue, because it was in musical revues that he got his start in the industry. You'll remember the type of stage show I mean-lots of singing and dancing, with skits aplenty, not to mention a magician and a comic or two. I believe in bygone America, shows similar to our revues were called vaudeville. He's arranged for two months of performances at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in his hometown of Edmonton, which is the capital of Canada's province of Alberta. I can tell you that I was absolutely gobsmacked when he invited me to costar."

"Emma, that is marvelous. If he wants his final show to be memorable, he certainly made a wise choice in selecting you." Knowing her as I did, I was sure my cousin would add the pizzazz that the aging lothario would need in order to wow the audience with a lively show.

"Jessica, it is all turning up roses. With Glory coming back to take her rightful place here in London, I will have time to take a few days' holiday in sunny Spain, and when I get home, Alan Hughes, who has long been Derek's favorite director, will be sending scripts around for us to preview and make a suggestion or two. Alan is pushing to have rehearsals start in a jiffy." Emma paused for a breath.

"Oh, Emma, this all sounds very exciting. Do you think you will have time to stop by Cabot Cove so we could have a short visit on your way to or from Canada?" I asked.

"I have a much better plan, Jessica. Since Maine is so close to Canada, why don't you come to Edmonton toward the end of rehearsals and stay through opening night? Bring a friend or two if you like. I've been told a local hotel has a block of rooms for the cast and our guests. The Hugheses are far too miserly to pay for your rooms, but I promise you will get the best rate possible."

"The Hugheses? You mentioned Alan, the director, and . . . ?"

"And his wife, Rosalie, who, as the major investor in the show, wears the title of producer like a crown. What do you say, Jessica? Do you want to slip over the border to Edmonton, and we can have a proper visit with a bit of fun thrown in?"

"It does sound delightful, but from here on Maine's Atlantic coast, 'slipping over the border' is likely to be a three-hundred-mile car ride to Quebec. Edmonton is so far west that traveling there would add a couple of thousand miles to the trip, which would have to be by airplane." I sounded hesitant even to my own ears.

"Jessica, once I am in Edmonton, I'll be closer to you than I am right now, and we'll be on the same continent. It would be a shame not to take advantage. And I will be there for a good while, so if the days I suggest don't work for you, we can choose some others." Emma's enthusiasm was fast becoming contagious. "Besides, you did say you are nearly done writing your latest mystery."

Well, she had me there. "When did you say you would be arriving in Edmonton?"

She mentioned a date and said, "If you could come about two weeks later, I would make sure to have some free time, and you could enjoy the glamour of attending Derek Braverman's final opening night. And I wouldn't mind if you asked your doctor friend, Seth Hazlitt, to join us. I haven't seen him in ever so long. In fact, invite whoever you like. 'The more the merrier' has always been my motto."

I laughed. "Emma, you make this get-together sound utterly doable. Give me a day or so to check with my editor and my publicist to make sure my schedule is clear. And I will definitely talk to Seth."

"As soon as I ring off this call, I will email you all the details. Do try. It's been ages and ages since we had a good laugh about old times."

"You mean like the time you crept into Uncle Gerard's bedroom and put a frog under his pillow?" I laughed at the memory of our fastidious uncle standing in the upstairs hallway, bellowing, "Whichever child put this slimy toad in my room will be made to cook it and eat it. Come stand here, all of you, until the guilty one confesses."

"Poor old Gerard. Always such an easy target. Now, you go finish whatever it is you are working on so that we can have our chats in person ever so soon," Emma said, and disconnected the call.

I was so looking forward to the possibility of a vacation that would involve spending time with dear Emma and seeing her on the stage once again that the following morning the first thing I did was email my agent and the appropriate personnel at my publisher’s to verify that my professional schedule would be clear for a nice leisurely trip to western Canada.

It was a lovely crisp morning, which seemed to promise a cloudless day ahead, so I took my bicycle out of the shed and pedaled over to the wharf, where I planned to meet Seth for breakfast at Mara's Luncheonette. I couldn't wait to tell him that we'd received an invitation to visit with my cousin Emma and see Edmonton, a place I'd never visited although I'd long heard it was a vibrant, entertaining city.

I slid my bicycle into the nearly full bike rack. At this hour, I knew that meant Mara's would be crowded with locals enjoying coffee and conversation. Sure enough, when I opened the door, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and the crackle of sizzling bacon was nearly overshadowed by lively conversations bouncing off all four corners of the dining room.

Mara, who was at the register making change for a couple of fishermen, gave me a brief wave and pointed toward the middle of the room, where I saw my friends were chatting away while feasting on Mara's award-winning blueberry pancakes. Cabot Cove's favorite doctor and my longtime friend, Seth Hazlitt, was sharing a table with two of my other good friends, our town sheriff, Mort Metzger, and Dan Andrews, the editor of the Cabot Cove Gazette. There was an empty chair waiting for me. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CHDKVL78
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (April 2, 2024)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 2, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2993 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593640756

Best Sellers Rank: #52,737 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #43 in Movie Tie-In Fiction
- #401 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- #1,721 in Cozy Mystery

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4.4 158 ratings

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J. Alter

Jessica Fletcher does it again!

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024

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Traveling with Jessica Fletcher and her crew is always fun. They’re as familiar as old friends, and you feel comfortable with them. And yet, Jessica manages on each so-called vacation to stir things up with a new murder, so the story is always fresh. Murder Backstage takes us to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I loved the excursions to national parks and car museum and neon museum and countless other attractions, because I know nothing about Edmonton (had to look it up on a map) and foodie that I am, I loved reading about ketchup chips (who would have thought?) and peameal (Canadian bacon) and poutine (which I have long wanted to try) and tourtiere. But there is the requisite murder. This time murder takes us behind the curtain in a theater, with an actress (she just happens to be Jessica’s cousin) for a guide. For most of us the theatre is a different world, full of long rehearsals and temperamental egos and short tempers. No spoilers here, but when a stagehand is murdered, Jessica is of course the one to figure out the clues, using her intuition and her ability to confront people directly. Ultimately, though, she has the help of local law enforcement and her longtime friend, Sheriff Metzger. The plot revolves around hidden pasts and blackmail, and Jessica will figure it out long before you do. A real treat for Jessica Fletcher fans.

2 people found this helpful

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Evita

Murder, She Wrote is in caring, skilled hands with Terrie Moran!

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024

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I just finished “Murder Backstage”, Moran’s latest mystery in the “Murder, She Wrote” book series, and it was awesome!

After a mercifully brief tenure for the previous writer who took our favorite sleuth in inconceivable directions and nearly broke the relationships of the characters we love, the skillful Moran has more than righted the ship of the book series.

Moran has returned the books to an authentic place with love and care for these characters the fans love. Thank you! She has really settled into her stride writing this series. The relationships are true and as we understand these characters to be. She also honors the TV plots and canon with sentimental nuggets like Seth’s train from the Christmas episode.

More importantly, Moran honors the late, great Angela Lansbury with the nods to her star turn on the stage as “Mame.” I loved that she includes Lansbury’s signature song “Bosom Buddies” that she so famously performed at the Tony Awards. I saw Angela as Jessica’s cousin Emma so clearly in my mind’s eye as I read Moran’s prose.

Plus, it was a cracking good mystery in an international locale like on the show. Brava! Nicely done!

2 people found this helpful

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Diane H

Pleasant way to spend an afternoon with Jessica Fletcher

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

It’s always a delight to spend time with Jessica, Seth and Mort. In Murder Backstage, Jessica’s identical British cousin, Emma, invites them all to vacation with her in Edmonton, Canada. Emma is rehearsing a new musical revue with a retiring fellow thespian when one of the crew is killed. Soon the Cabot Cove bunch are knee deep in investigating the many secrets of the revue’s stars and staff.

Who knew there were so many reasons to visit Edmonton? This book serves up a travelogue while showing the typical tourist activities of the gang. If you are planning a trip nearby, Murder Backstage will give you some great ideas about what to see and do there.

The book also hints at how much work putting on a show can be. Poor Emma is mostly a walk-on constantly stating she has to rehearse. That’s a shame because I loved her sarcastic (or should I say cheeky) wit in the original series.

Overall, Murder Backstage is a great way to spend a vicarious vacation with Jessica and her friends. The writing is pitch perfect for recreating characters first seen almost forty years ago on television. 4 stars!

Thanks to Berkley, Great Escapes Book Tours, and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

One person found this helpful

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Laineshots

Jessica Fletcher Is Still Solving Mysteries

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024

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Reading Terrie Farley Moran's Murder She Wrote mysteries is like going home to Cabot Cove; she understands and portrays Jessica Fletcher better than any novelist before her. This time we got the added joys of the company of Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Sheriff and Mrs. Mort Metzger, and Jessica's beloved cousin, Emma MacGill, who sings, dances, and acts with all the grace and charm of Angela Lansbury. I really enjoyed the forays of Jessica, Emma, and Maureen Metzger into such subtle and clever sleuthing that no one ever dreamed they were doing anything besides what they were known to be doing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This time, I was sure I knew who the murderer was--but it was about the only person not on my own mental Suspects List! I can't begin to say how good it is to keep up with Jessica's life. May Ms. Moran keep the series running for a long, long time.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Reader

Another great Murder She Wrote Mystery

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024

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I've watched reruns of Murder She Wrote for years. When I read "her" books, each character comes alive.
I so enjoy this series, and each book brings a new adventure.

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Honest Opinion

Very difficult to finish.

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024

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This particular story was extremely tiring. The murder didn't make sense, and neither did most of the characters. I have read every book in the series, by all the authors. I like to re-read them from time to time. I don't think that will be the case with this story.
The law enforcement seems to "stand back" and let Jessica and her cousin solve a murder, which none of the characters in the story seem to be interested in. Seth loses a valuable pen which is mentioned several times, and when Jessica retrieves it from the "criminals" she puts it in her purse (and unless I missed it due to the tedious reading) she never gives it back to Seth?
The depiction of Edmonton and the food was interesting.

2 people found this helpful

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R. Meckley

Homage to Edmonton, Canada

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024

Verified Purchase

Jessica and her Cabot Cove friends go to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to meet up with her British cousin/stage actress Emma McGill, who is doing a play with back-from-retirement megastar Derek Braverman. The murder mystery almost takes a backseat to the travelogue as the group takes many day trips through the area, enjoying the many sights, smells, sounds, and tastes of Edmonton. I always enjoy visiting with Jess and her friends, inside or outside Cabot Cove.

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Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage Kindle Edition

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