Can you hear it? It’s the Murder, She Wrote jingle from the television series starring Angela Lansbury as the mystery writer and crime solver, Jessica (JB) Fletcher. Murder, She Wrote: Debonair in Death is the 54th installment of the famous series started by ghost writer, Donald Bain. Now Terrie Farley-Moran is carrying forth the torch to continue Jessica’s crime solving adventures.

In the book, Debonair in Death, Jessica’s friend, Coreen Wilson is taken into custody by Sheriff Metzger as a suspect in the murder of Nelson Penzell, a dockside shopkeeper known for his womanizing.

Determined to prove Coreen’s innocence, Jessica embarks on a quest to uncover clues that will lead to Coreen’s exoneration. Along the way, Jessica uncovers more than she bargained for as MI6 agent Michael Hagerty arrives on the scene with his own agenda that seemingly dovetails with Jessica’s discoveries.

Debonair in Death, the 54th book in the Murder, She Wrote series continues along the same vein and locale as the prior novels. The characters remain the same, with the staples being Jessica Fletcher, Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Eve Simpson, and Loretta Speigel. That being said, Debonair in Death should not be the first read in the Murder, She Wrote series. This reader had to Google the cast of characters to re-aquaint myself with them.

The plot is a simple whodunnit but at a slower place. It is a cozy mystery, afterall. As such, there is a lot of atmosphere that may or may not appeal to readers of this novel.

If you are a fan of the television series, you won’t be disappointed by the books. Five fabulous stars.

I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing Group. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.