Leafing Through Pages – Gin and Daggers (Murder, She Wrote # 1)

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Stars: 3 / 5

Recommendation: A very good who-dun-it to begin the series, almost close to the TV show episodes, although I felt Jessica a bit impulsive. The characters remain similar to what we were used to see except for one. Yet, a good enough read to pick up the next book in the series.

Gin and Daggers is the very first novel in the long-running Murder She Wrote series co-written by Donald Bain & fictional writer Jessica Fletcher. It was first published on January 1, 1989. Jessica travels to London in this book for a speech at the International Society of Mystery Writers (ISMW) and also to meet her mentor and friend, famous mystery novelist Marjorie Ainsworth. And she ends up smack in the middle of the murder of Marjorie, majorly as a suspect. 

This is my take on the series of books written by a plethora of authors and Jessica Fletcher (fictional author) based on the 80s and 90s popular American crime drama television series Murder, She Wrote. These books are ghost written by Donald Bain and fictional author Jessica Fletcher for the first 43 books until 2015. Then Donald Bain wrote these with Renee Paley Bain and Jon Land for four more books before Jon Land alone continued with Jessica Fletcher for 5 more books until 2020. Starting 2021 the series was picked by Terrie Farley Moran again pairing with the fictional writer Jessica Fletcher. As of 2023, 56 books have been written in this series.

I wondered if they would stop writing these novels anymore considering the death of Angela Lansbury (the star who portrayed the role of Jessica Fletcher in the TV Series and who has her face on the covers of these books) on October 11 2022. Apparently we do have a 56th novel published three months after her demise. Will they continue is something we have to wait and see. And I see that there are two more possible books to be published in 2024 co-written by Terrie Farley Moran. I wonder if they will be published at all.

Marjorie Ainsworth’s character reminds me of Agatha Christie a lot. Perhaps Bain formulated around Christie. However Christie did not suffer the same tragedy as Ainsworth in the book. We have Ainsworth trying to do a series of books combining food / drink with murder and mayhem in this book.

Interestingly enough, Bain’s first five books are along the same lines – this very first one Gin and Daggers; Second book Manhattans & Murder; Third book Rum & Razors; Fourth book Brandy & Bullets and the Fifth book Martinis & Mayhem.

I was a little surprised that this tale introduced George Sutherland, Scotland Yard Detective, as though Jessica and he were meeting for the first time. But then I was confusing him with Michael Haggerty, who played the Scotland Yard Detective in the TV series, who had first appeared in Season Two Episode One “Widow, Weep For Me” which as aired on September 29, 1985. And we see the beginnings of romance at least from Sutherland’s side in this book.

Also I felt Jessica much more impulsive than usual in this book. As opposed to the other future novels that I read already where she was much more composed and grounded. Looks like Bain toned her back to what we were used seeing her as in the TV show.

Looks like Bain emulated Sutherland after Haggerty to give a similar character in the novel. I would have assumed he would bring back Haggerty as he had brought back other frequent supporting characters from TV to Page. This however begins a long friendship between Jessica and George and we are bound to see him in many more novels in future.

The most annoying person of all in this book was Lucas Darling, the unpaid secretary of ISMW. For a while his attitude and character portrayal made me think he would be the killer. He grated on my nerves and it made me wonder how Jessica even tolerated him. More like a pimple she might have.

We get to see some history of London and the surroundings in this plot. It was a pleasant write by Bain. I was surprised at who the killer might be although I had a few of them under suspicion. Bain managed to keep the suspense till the very end of the book.

A very good who-dun-it to begin the series, almost close to the TV show episodes, although I felt Jessica a bit impulsive. The characters remain similar to what we were used to see except for one. Yet, a good enough read to pick up the next book in the series.

Spoiler Alerts:

1. Plot Reveals:
   1. Mort creates a murder mystery game board at the beginning of the book.
   2. Marjorie’s family and friends: Jane Portelaine, her niece; Wilfred, chauffer; Marshall, butler; Ona Ainsworth-Zara, her sister and Ona’s husband Count Antonio Zara; Mrs. Horton, her chef; Jason Harris, an author she mentored;
   3. Other folks of interest: Bruce Herbert, Marjorie’s New York Agent; Clayton Perry, her American publisher, and his wife Renee; Archibald Semple, her British publisher, and his wife; Sir James Ferguson, producer of theater; William Strayhorn, London book critic; Inspector Montgomery Coots; Maria Giacona, James’ girlfriend; Jimmy Biggers, a private investigator; David Simpson, Jason’s stepbrother; Chester Gould-Brayton, Marjorie’s solicitor; Mr. Walter Cole, a British publisher;
   4. Sutherland explains how the term Red Herring was coined. Interesting story there. He had lost his wife to a car accident some years ago.
2. Sub Plots:
   1. Friends of Jessica Fletcher – her publisher Vaughan Buckley of Buckley House, his fashion model wife Olga Buckley and their dogs Sadie and Rose; Dr. Seth Hazlitt, long-time friend in Cabot Cove, Maine; George Sutherland, senior inspector with Scotland Yard; Morton “Mort” Metzger, Cabot Cove Sherriff and his wife Adele; Harry McGraw, her private eye friend; Eve Simpson, realtor friend working at Cabot Cove Realty; Sam Booth, mayor of Cabot Cove; Ethan Cragg, Cabot Cove’s chief town elder;
   2. Other Characters appear frequently: Josh, the mailman; Jed Richardson, only bush pilot for Cabot Cove and owner of Jed’s Flying Service; Mara, restaurant owner of Mara’s Luncheonette; Hank Weathers, a homeless war vet; Seamus McGilray, manager of Hill House Hotel; Dick Mann, Fire Chief;
   3. Sheriff Metzger’s office staff: Deputy Andy Jenks; Deputy Jack;
   4. Jessica Fletcher’s family – Grady Fletcher, nephew that she and her late-husband Frank raise, his wife Donna and child Frank;
   5. In the 6th book, A Deadly Judgment, Dr. Seth Hazlitt is seen dating jury consultant Jill Farkas at the end of the book. Did that spill into any subsequent books? At least I don’t remember from reading either the 7th book A Palette for Murder or the 8th book The Highland Fling Murders. May be this was only pat of the 6th book plot.
   6. George and Jessica decide to meet up in London in the seventh book, A Palette for Murder – I wonder which future book was based on that trip.
   7. From the 51st book, The Murder of Twelve:
      1. Author Land gives considerable mystery to Seamus McGilray’s character. I wonder if he resurfaces in a future book.
      2. Towards the end of the book, Mort jokes that Jessica should run for mayor. Hmm…something to look forward to I suppose. 😛
   8. In the 50th book, A Time for Murder, Jessica is shown at Hill House, Cabot Cove’s very own Inn due to a fire at her Victorian home at 698 Candlewood Lame. I wonder if the 49th book, Murder in Red, has anything to do with her house getting caught fire which almost killed her.