Murder She Wrote: Martinis & Mayhem

Martinis & Mayhem by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

 

Review of the novel Martinis & Mayhem by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

Published by Titan Books Ltd. Copyright © 1996 MCA Publishing Rights

First Published: 1st December 1995

Dedication:

Cost: £4.99 (UK Paperback 1996)

ISBN: 1-85286-690-X (Paperback Edition – starts on page 5 - 286 pages)

I must admit that I love the Murder She Wrote television series and when tiding up recently I came across my copy of this book. I stopped reading the current book and started to read it. Those of you that have read my previous reviews, know that I stick closely to the book and do not discuss dramatisations, so you, the reader know what you can expect from the book.

True to the character, the book’s author is defined as Jessica Fletcher and assisted by the ‘ghost author’ Donald Bain.

Martinis & Mayhem is book number four in a series of which there are currently fifty-two books. So, it is still early days for Jessica Fletcher to present herself to her audience.

Each novel is essentially its own story and thus, the books do not need to be read in order.

To give you a little background on Jessica Fletcher (for those of you that need it), most of the mysteries are set in Cabot Cove, where Jessica Fletcher, the amateur sleuth, goes about solving a range of murders. Jessica is a retired English teacher that has become a successful writer of mystery novels. She is widowed and has no children, however, she increasingly finds that her personal life and work overlap.

The story is written in the first person, so the reader immediately understands Jessica’s thoughts and reasons for her actions.

In Cabot Cove, Maine's most famous mystery author, Jessica Fletcher, is excited about promoting her new book in glamorous San Francisco. She can't wait for drinks and dinner on Fisherman's Wharf, a ride on the cable cars, and a romantic rendezvous with Scottish policeman George Sutherland. What she doesn't know, is that solving a murder may be pencilled into her agenda.

As the story opens, we find Jessica in her kitchen talking to two of the Cabot Cove residents about her forthcoming trip to San Francisco. They have arrived at Jessica’s home to sample her renown iced tea.

  “About a week. It’ll be a busy one. I’ve got a full schedule of book signings, cocktail receptions, and publicity meetings. I’ve also committed myself to the Women’s Correctional Facility outside San Francisco.”

  Mort put down his large mug of iced tea and asked. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Writing,” I said. “I’ll be speaking to some of the inmates about writing.”

  Seth winked at me and threw Mort a smile.

  “Makes sense, I suppose,” he said.

  “Apropos,” Seth said. “Can’t think of a better place to be discussin’ how to write murder mysteries.”

  “That’s not what I’ll be talking about exactly,” I said. “Actually, I’m going to focus on journal writing. You know, writing about feelings, drawing from personal events and experiences.”

  “How come?” Mort asked.

  “Because I truly believe in prison reform. Journal writing could be an important part of that reform. Sometimes you never know you have certain feelings about something until you see then in black and white, on paper.”

One week later Jessica is reflecting on her busy week in San Francisco. Her itinerary had been organised by her publicist, Camille Inken, however, Jessica had still managed to make the most of the hotel’s health club each morning before taking breakfast.

When the telephone rings, she answers it to take a call from the publicist who wants to discuss the day’s activities. There is a need to change the day’s schedule, today the requirement is to visit the Women’s Correction Facility. The visit is timed for two-thirty.

The talk goes very well and as the meeting closes Jessica accepts a question from one of the inmates.

“I’ve read most of your books, Mrs Fletcher. At the end, the murderer is always found, convicted, and jailed. But have you ever written a book in which the clues didn’t add up? Where the character you identify as the murderer couldn’t have done it?

Jessica replies.

“I must confess,” I began, “that there are certain times when even I, as the author of a crime novel, question whether the clues add up and support my choice of murderer. What always concerns me is whether the reader will have found a piece of evidence that doesn’t link the murderer to the crime. Or dictates that someone else must have done it. Should have done it.”

Although the conversation ends there, on returning to her hotel, Jessica finds that the inmate has placed a journal of her crime conviction in her bag. As Jessica reads through the writings, she becomes convinced that the crime warrants a little of her time and she begins to do some research.

Aided by a friend who is attending a conference in San Francisco, Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland, Jessica begins to identify that statements from the prosecution’s witnesses don’t tie up. But, while in San Francisco Jessica intends to enjoy the experience and make the most of her time in the city, so much so, she extends her stay for a further week.

Tying to fit two activities in one journey, Jessica decides to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is designed to withstand strong winds that may cause it to sway, particularly noticeable at its centre. Standing at the visitor’s viewpoint, Jessica not only feels the movement of the bridge, but someone attempts to push her off the bridge. Just as soon as it started, it’s all over, leaving Jessica a little distraught. Perhaps someone is trying to stop her investigation into the murder case. Reporting the incident to the local police, she gains little comfort, but is introduced to Detective Walter Josephs – who is more interested in getting Jessica to read his crime fiction manuscript. The following day the local news reports the death of an individual, who lost his life falling from the Golden Gate Bridge at the same time as Jessica was there. It could have been a coincidence, but when she learns of the name of the individual, Jessica realises that it is linked to the murder case she is investigating.

Pulling all her investigation pieces together Jessica and her Scotland Yard friend, gather the likely suspects to a local restaurant and challenge each one to refute her findings. Taken on the hop, the murderer breaks down and revels how the crime was committed and three individuals are taken away by the police.

This may be a quick read, but Donald Bain ensures that the reader goes through the trauma experienced by Jessica Fletcher. He brings the town of San Francisco to life and you can almost breathe the air that flows through the city. As usual, we discover that the local detectives are not always able to solve the murder case presented to them and it’s the private individual that views human nature from a different aspect, they just might find the clue to solving a tragic murder inquiry

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I really enjoyed this story and I‘m going to see if I can add others from the series to add to my library of books. I would recommend this compilation to anyone interested in murder mysteries. Rating, 5 stars

Dr Sheppard

15 June 2020