I found Angela’s handprints on a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. She made them during a 1991 promotional tour for Beauty and the Beast, in which she lends her voice to the character of Mrs. Potts and sings the classic titular song.

Mr. Penroy's Vacation aired on November 6, 1988. Two spinster sisters get mixed up in murder after their tenant and another man are found buried in their garden. When links to a robbery of Mr. Penroy's former employer are unearthed, the mystery becomes more complicated.

This episode saw the introduction of the character of Sheriff Mort Metzger, played by Ron Masak. However, this was not his first--or even second--role on the series.

Masak debuted as Lt. Meyer in the season one episode, Footnote to Murder.

His second appearance came when he played Marty Giles, a constantly Going-Out-of-Business proprietor, in season three's No Accounting for Murder.

Masak would continue to reprise his role of Sheriff Metzger from season five through the remainder of the series.

Early in this episode, we see an additional reprisal: another callback to Jessica's first novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight. Jessica and Seth are wrapping presents for the titular character, Morris Penroy, with Jessica poised to gift a copy of her book.

Too bad he, and we, will never get to read it.

A Virtual Murder aired on October 31, 1993. It was the only year during the original series run (1984-1996) that Halloween fell on a Sunday, the typical weekday block for most of the series.

Jessica has agreed to write a mystery story that will be used to develop an interactive virtual reality game, but the mystery worms its way outside of the computer when a developer ends up murdered. This episode introduced the extremely meme-worthy clip of Jess swimming through the virtual setting on her headset.

This is yet another episode in which we see J.B. willing to lean into new technology--which when introduced is often both a plot device and a tool for solving the episode's murder--rather than shying away from it. The computers were no match for her.

Hooray for Homicide aired on October 28, 1984. Jessica’s debut novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight, which would be mentioned at other times in the series, is being made into a major motion picture. To Jessica’s disappointment, the studio has taken extreme creative liberties with her source material, and Jess becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the film’s director, played by actor John Saxon.

In an early scene, the film is described as “a combination of Halloween, Porky’s, and Flashdance.” John Saxon had played the part of Donald Thompson, the father of final girl Nancy Thompson, in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). He was also in Black Christmas (1974), which was directed by Bob Clark—who later directed Porky’s (1981).

Saxon would be murdered yet again nearly ten years later in the series. Sometimes they don’t stay dead.

I just finished reading MSW #5–Martinis & Mayhem. All the novels up to this point have followed a similar convention for the title, but that changes going forward.

This book takes place during a visit Jessica is making to San Francisco. Many of the Dennis Stanton episodes of the television series took place there. I usually find Stanton to be a bit intolerable and skip his episodes. Do you feel differently?

I was surprised to read that the City by the Bay features in at least 10 episodes of the series, including the finale!

Next up for jet-setting Jessica? Boston, Massachusetts, in MSW #6–A Deadly Judgment.

I started Murder, She Wrote #4: Brandy & Bullets! Has anyone else read the books? I’m going in order, as best I can.

Happy new year, MSW fans! The threshold of a new year is a time of reflection for what has passed and of hope for what may come. I wish all of you a bright and prosperous 2024.

I offer you a timely entry in Murder, She Wrote fandom--book #42 of the eponymous novel series "co-written" by Donald Bain, Murder, She Wrote: Death of a Blue Blood. In this mystery, we see Jessica whisked away to an English castle to celebrate the New Year, only to find that bodies are dropping as quickly as the countdown ball, and with seemingly as little time to figure out the culprit!

I haven't personally read this book, but I'll be starting on the fourth book in this ongoing series soon and look forward to more as the year goes on. Happy sleuthing to you all!

Welcome to the Murder, She Wrote community! It’s a place to discuss all things MSW—the books, the tie-in jigsaw puzzles, the video games, the board game, the collectibles, the films, and of course the 12 season series starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury. Not to mention all the Jessica Fletcher memes.

Our own slice of Cabot Cove, right here… but hopefully with far fewer murders among us!