Murder in Season

 This is book 52 in the Murder She Wrote series penned by Jessica Fletcher and co authors.  This is the first I have read with the new author Jon Land and I must say he gave a bit of a refreshing feel to the series.  The storyline was a bit less predictable while still including the mainstay of characters in Cabot Cove.  Jessica has just returned to her home after a major renovation due to fire and her nephew Grady and his family come for the holidays.  There is a bit of a nostalgic feel as Jessica realizes how much she misses have family to celebrate the holidays with and life in general.  The mystery is well structured and spans centuries in the discovery of the guilty parties.  

The founders of Cabot Cove had secrets and they are unearthed in this book along with some of the descendants' secrets as well.  I appreciated the handling of the discovery of a connection to past behaviors that are not acceptable in today's world.  The presentation of the situation and then the commenting by characters that you cannot view historical events through filters of society today was a welcome change from many books that try to sermonize to readers.  The authors do a wonderful job of condemning the acts as something that shouldn't be repeated today but also provide the framework of the historic time to explain how it fit into that era.  

I look forward to reading more in this series if this new author continues to co-write with Jessica.

Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has a new co author and I feel it has given new originality to the series. Set in the ever charming Cabot Cove at the holiday season, it is enjoyable to experience small town holiday traditions. Unfortunately crime has other plans for a smooth Christmas with family and friends for Jessica Fletcher. She and Sheriff Metzger find themselves investigating multiple murders related to the founding families of the town. I appreciate they addressed the problem with applying current social standards to history. You don’t have to condone the actions of the past but also they need to be viewed with a perspective of the times not the modern norms. The mystery is well constructed and keeps the reader wondering until the end. The twist on the missing treasure is a wonderful aspect too. I look forward to reading more by this new author duo

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #109
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  27-2
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #116
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #130
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #74
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #110
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #92
9. Medical Examiner Challenge  4 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 1
• Pathway or forest
• Row 2
• Lawn

Row 5

Home or business office

• Weapons
• Row 2 
• Rock, brick, blunt object
• Axe or hatchet
• Row 5
• Medicine or drugs
• Hands or fists
• Detectives- Jessica/Mort
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #12  Shot #5