A Little Yuletide Murder: A Murder, She Wrote Mystery: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Cute cozy
Review: For the past twelve years, the residents of Cabot Cove, Maine celebrate Christmas with a festival that started with a few carolers. Over the years, the gala event has evolved into a week long happening filled with tourists and guests, who want to partake in "America's most traditional Christmas celebration". Resident Jessica Fletcher is especially looking forward to her hometown's holiday celebration after spending the last few seasons away from home.

However, Jessica's idyll time is abruptly over when her neighbor Rory Brent, who always plays Santa Claus, is found murdered. With one noted exception, the immediate suspect in everyone's mind is Maine's year round Scrooge, Jake Walther, a lunatic with a temper, who was known to loathe the victim. However, there is one person who thinks that maybe the wrong individual has been falsely accused of murder. Jake is in luck for that person is Jessica, who begins to seek the underlying reason that Santa was killed.

The tenth novel in the ever popular "Murder She Wrote" series, A LITTLE YULETIDE MURDER, is a well written New England cozy in which readers know exactly what they are going to get since there are no surprise twists. It is sort of like going to McDonalds where the customer knows what the burger will taste like regardless of location. Still, the charm of this novel and its predecessors is that the characters and story lines remain true to the TV series. Though several TV movies are expected over the next couple of years, fans of Ms. Fletcher will find the novels are a superb replacement for the canceled weekly show.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: I have read several of the other "Murder She Wrote" books by Donald Bain, and I must say that this was the worst. There are so many inaccuracies in descriptions. For instance the so-called Indian food that Jessica's friends prepared is actually Middle eastern/Moroccan/Greek. Information like this is very easy to verify. Just go to an Indian restaurant and look at a menu or do a Google search.

Jessica is also a big busybody in this one. She sticks her nose where it has no business being. The murderer makes no sense or at least how Jessica arrives to that conclusion is implausible.

I loved the television series. It was one hour of relaxation after a hard day of studying. The books, on the other hand, disappoint. Give me Miss Marple any day. I realize that these books cannot be compared to real mystery novels, but a little more attention to detail would be appreciated.

Rating:
Summary: The Spirit Of Christmas And Murder
Review: Jessica Fletcher is back in Cabot Cove, Maine to celebrate Christmas. But when farmer Rory Brent is shot dead, her Christmas celebrations are thrown into turmoil as she follows a set of clues to the real murderer.

This is a book that is extremely easy to read; like watching an episode of the TV show, it is uncomplicated and unpretentious. My only problem with this book is the small number of suspects which makes coming to your own conclusion that much easier.

For fans of 'Murder, She Wrote', this is probably one of the best of the series to start with. For crime novel fans, it's not exactly Agatha Christie, but it's an enjoyable read all the same.

Rating:
Summary: A Slay Ride For Santa
Review: Jessica Fletcher unwraps a deadly puzzle when she sets out to discover who killed "Santa Claus" -- a.k.a. her neighbor Rory Brent, who played St. Nick at the town's yearly Christmas Eve Celebration.

Rating:
Summary: Okay.
Review: Jessica is finally back in Cabot Cove for Christmas. Every year an annual Christmas festival is held, and the santa clause is played a local called Rory Brent.
But when Rory is found murdered, the whole town goes into a state of shock. Who could do this to such a sweet man? But when Jessica does some investigating of her own, some of Rory's dark secrets are revealed. Will Jessica solve the murder before Christmas?
While this is an okay book, the plot can move some-what slow. You do not want to read this if you are new to the series. But to a old fan, I can reccomend this.

Rating:
Summary: Okay.
Review: Jessica is finally back in Cabot Cove for Christmas. Every year an annual Christmas festival is held, and the santa clause is played a local called Rory Brent.
But when Rory is found murdered, the whole town goes into a state of shock. Who could do this to such a sweet man? But when Jessica does some investigating of her own, some of Rory's dark secrets are revealed. Will Jessica solve the murder before Christmas?
While this is an okay book, the plot can move some-what slow. You do not want to read this if you are new to the series. But to a old fan, I can reccomend this.

Rating:
Summary: An OK Book
Review: This is one of the better Murder, She Wrote mysteries I've read since "Rum and Razors" back in 1995. I enjoy the setting of small, snowy towns, and Donald Bain captures that in "A Little Yuletide Murder." Suspense is evident in this book, as is a handful of twists and turns with 3-Dimensional characters. Each page is intriguing, which keeps readers wanting more. The reason I recommend this book so highly is because of the quality of writing each page exemplifies. Good writing is hard to find today, but I can say Donald Bain has "it."