Leafing Through Pages – Coffee, Tea or Murder? (Murder, She Wrote # 27)

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Stars: 3 / 5

Recommendation: Another solid read with decent plot, plus we get the added benefit to see Jessica flying a plane. Bain was very close to the tone of the original Murder, She Wrote series. A little fast paced, he made the story but not too much.

Coffee, Tea, or Murder? is the 27th novel in the long-running Murder She Wrote series co-written by Donald Bain & fictional writer Jessica Fletcher. It was first published on April of 2007. Jessica along with several of her friends from Cabot Cove take the maiden flight of the new airlines SilverAir from Boston to London. However upon reaching London they find the owner of the airlines murdered. And George Sutherland, Inspector at Scotland Yard and romantic interest of Jessica, is pulled into the investigation, and Jessica gets tugged along too. Now they have to together figure out who the murderer was before the catch their flight back to America.

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. After Donald Bain passed away in 2017, Jon Land alone took the baton and 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. They are all written in first person narration.

Jessica and George are again united in this book and they are involved in a murder investigation, naturally! We hear a little more about George’s dead wife. We also see George trying to push the relationship to be more than just friends. Interesting to see where this will turn into in the future books.

The 9/11 tragedy is mentioned more than once in this book. Reference to another one of Donald Bain’s book from way back in 1967 is seen several time. He was the ghost writer for the book “The Coffee, Tea or Me?”, a memoir by the fictitious stewardesses Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones, who had depicted the sexual escapades of the pilots and stewardesses. In fact the title of this book is a byplay on the title of the original title of the 1967 book.

Again we get first hand tour of London and its places through Jessica’s eyes. Also we get an introductory lesson on the criminal laws and court procedures in England. And a rant from one of the characters on the regulation of planes and disgruntled passengers. We get lessons on Bernoulli Principle as well.

Also first hand account of the Air Mail Scandal by Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1934. Finally we get to see Jessica flying a plane, albeit she was in the First Officer’s chair, but we see her prowess in flying. I was impressed just like how George was impressed towards the end when she takes him in the sky on their solo flight.

Another solid read with decent plot, plus we get the added benefit to see Jessica flying a plane. Bain was very close to the tone of the original Murder, She Wrote series. A little fast paced, he made the story but not too much.

Spoiler Alerts:

1. Plot Reveals:
   1. SilverAir owners & employees: Wayne Silverton, founder and chairman, & his wife Christine; Flight attendants – John Slater, Gina Mohlani; Carl Scherer, first officer & his wife Betsy, a flight attendant; Captain Bill Caine; Salvatore “Sal” Casale, one of the investors; Churlson Vicks, another investor; Jason, Wayne’s son;
   2. There is no clear reason as to the jealousy that Seth feels towards George-Jessica’s relationship. Since Jessica and Seth have been friends for a very long time, I suppose he might feel jealous a bit.
2. Sub Plots:
   1. Friends of Jessica Fletcher: 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 /  Maureen?; Eve Simpson, realtor friend working at Cabot Cove Realty; Sam Booth, mayor of Cabot Cove; Ethan Cragg, Cabot Cove’s chief town elder;
   2. Literary contacts and friends: her publisher Vaughan Buckley of Buckley House, his fashion model wife Olga Buckley and their dogs Sadie and Rose; Harry McGraw, her private eye friend; Matt Miller, her literary agent & his wife Susan; Paulette, Matt’s assistant;
   3. Other Characters appear frequently: Josh, the mailman; Jed Richardson, only bush pilot for Cabot Cove and owner of Jed’s Flying Service, and his wife Alicia / Barbara?; Mara, restaurant owner of Mara’s Luncheonette; Hank Weathers, a homeless war vet; Seamus McGilray, manager of Hill House Hotel; Richard “Dick” Mann, Fire Chief; Charlene Sassi, a baker; Susan Shevlin, travel agent and her husband Jim, Mayor of Cabot Cove; Professor Donskoy; Roberta Dougherty, bookstore owner; Richard Koser, photographer, and his wife MaryJane; Barbara DePaoli, Chamber of Commerce’s secretary; Anthon Colarusso, dentist; Beth and Peter Mullin, owners of flower shop Old Tyme Floral; Sam Davis, investment advisor; Jack Decker, publisher of Cabot Cove’s monthly magazine; Peter Eder, Cabot Cove’s symphony orchestra; Bob Daros, owns Heritage Fuel; Tim Purdy, treasurer of chamber of commerce and historian and president of  Cabot Cove’s historical society, also an investment advisor; Pat Hitchcock, Cabot Cove’s popular nurse and teacher?; Gloria Watson, Wendell’s mother; Joseph “Joe” Turco, an attorney; Marcia Davis, costume designer; David and Jim Raneri, owners of Charles Department Store; Ralph Mackin, town attorney; Ed and Joan Lerner, retirees; Brenda Brody, copy editor of Cabot Cove Insider; Doug Treyz, dentist, and his wife Tina; Jack and Marilou Decker, publishers of Cabot Cove Insider; Peter and Roberta Walters, owners of the radio station; Horace Teller, publisher of Cabot Cove News; Doris Sitar, assistant manager at Cabot Cove Savings Bank; Dmitri, owner of local taxi company; Phil Wick, field manager of the phone company; John St. Clair, professor of business law at Cabot Cove Community College; Dr. Jennifer “Jenny” Countryman, Seth’s partner; Reginald “Reggie” Weems, insurance agent; Richard Jenkins & Sal Marterella, city council members;
   4. Sheriff Metzger’s office staff & other law enforcement: Deputy Andy Jenks; Deputy Jack; Rookie Wendell Watson; Deputy Harold; Deputy Jerry; Alfred Gillo, medical examiner; Judge Kaplan; Marie Poutre, dispatcher;
   5. Jessica Fletcher’s family: Grady Fletcher, nephew that she and her late-husband Frank raise, his wife Donna and child Frank;
   6. We continue to see Mort Metzger’s wife being called as Maureen. But she was named Adele in the TV show…and also in the 50th book, A Time for Murder, she was back to Adele. Not sure when Bain changed it back to Adele since I have a few more books to go before I reach the 50th book, but perhaps the readers made him change it back.
   7. I remember reading one of the later books (and couldn’t figure out which one was that) where we see Sam Booth as the mayor of Cabot Cove. However, since I started reading the series from the beginning, looks like the mayor of Cabot Cove is Jim Shevlin. I wonder if Sam Booth surfaces as I remember from way back read.
   8. From the 9th book, Murder on the QE2: Mary Ward has been a prominent character in this book. Will she resurface again?
   9. From the 10th book, Murder in Moscow:
      1. There is still no resolution as to who or how Ward Wenington was killed in D.C. and why Vladislav “Vlady” Staritova was killed in Russia. What was the connection?
      2. Alexandra Kozhina disappears at the end of the plot. And will she surface in another book?
   10. 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.
   11. 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.
3. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
   1. Jed’s wife was named Alicia all along till now. In this book she is named Barbara. Is she Alicia? Or Barbara?