This is a list of Murder, She Wrote episodes in the order that they originally aired on CBS. Most of the episodes took place either in Jessica Fletcher's fictional hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine, or in New York City, but her travels promoting books or visiting relatives and friends led to cases throughout the United States and around the world.[1]
After the final episode of the television series aired in 1996, Angela Lansbury sporadically reprised the character of Jessica Fletcher in a handful of feature-length Murder, She Wrote specials starting in 1997. The last TV movie aired in May 2003.[2] In February 2007, on the ABC daytime talk show The View, Lansbury announced that she hoped to make another Murder, She Wrote TV movie in the near future but only if her son, director Anthony Shaw, could find a suitable story.[3][4]
Note: This episode features the first appearance of William Windom, who plays a different role in this (Sam Breen) than he did starting in Season 2 (Seth Hazlitt), the latter of whom made recurring appearances.
When preparing to provide a speech for a graduation ceremony at the prestigious Crenshaw College where she is also to receive an honorary degree, Jessica attends a party with the faculty staff that is hosted by Dr. Jocelyn Laird. The party soon becomes animated when Dr. Laird's daughter Daphne Clover and Daphne's drunk boyfriend Nick Fulton gate-crash the scene. The next morning, Jessica is shocked to discover Nick dead at a construction site on the campus grounds. Police reveal that the victim was killed elsewhere, and soon Laird and her daughter come under suspicion. Jessica decides to investigate, discovering both are willing to take the blame, leading her to suspect a third party must have been involved in the murder.
In London, Jessica's identical cousin Emma McGill is the co-owner of a music hall. Emma fears that someone is out to kill her, following a series of apparent accidents. After the most recent attempt, Emma and her lawyer fake her death, and ask Jessica to come over to England to help investigate. Gaining assistance from a Scotland Yard inspector, Jessica is horrified when, keeping watch on Emma's apartment, they witness Emma's assistant being killed in a deliberate hit-and-run. Now with a murder complicating the matter, Jessica finds there are some who find Emma as an obstacle, and that someone must have known she was still alive when she confesses to having called a close friend to ease their worry before the murder occurred.
Francesca Lodge is facing a nervous breakdown when she begins having nightmares and hears noises coming from a disused bedroom, convincing her that her deceased first husband is haunting her home. Jessica comes to visit to help her out, as her second husband Scott tries to cope with the situation. When he later dies in an automobile accident, Francesca's sanity is soon pushed to breaking point, leaving Jessica convinced someone is trying to frightened her badly. When the lead police officer in the case begins to agree with her, the writer decides to uncover the logical answer behind the events that have tormented her friend.
At a lakeside inn near to Cabot Cove, Jessica checks in for a relaxing weekend after being convinced it will provide her a good amount of research for a new book. Upon her arrival, she finds that two guests staying at the inn, Howard Crane and his wife Carolyn, are at odds with each other. When taking a walk around the lake, Jessica witnesses Carolyn fall into the water, apparently pushed in by her husband, whereupon her body is later found along the lake shore. Amos soon suspects the husband of murder, until Seth reveals that Carolyn was killed by a blow to the head. Jessica soon suspects something is not right, and soon finds clues that reveal someone else was involved in the victim's murder.
Brutish horse trainer Mike Gann faces trouble from a shady bookkeeper, Jack Bowen, who is willing to reduce Gann's debt if he fixes an upcoming horserace. When Bowen's main jockey comes down ill, he finds himself forced to use Jessica's niece Tracy Macgill, a young rookie, to ride his horse. Shortly after the race concludes, staff at the racecourse are shocked when Bowen is found murdered in the stall for his racehorse, having been killed with an overdose of tranquilizer. Tracy soon faces accusations of murder, prompting Jessica, who came to see her, to investigate what happened, believing Bowen had angered someone deeply enough to want to kill him.
While Jessica is filling in for a teacher of a writing class at a women's prison, a prison doctor is found dead by the guards. When a shy prisoner is accused of murdering the doctor with a morphine injection, her fellow prisoners refute the allegations and opt to riot to protect her. Jessica soon finds herself caught up in the chaos, with the prison's warden accused of mistreating the prisoners with poor food and medical treatment. When a local grocer trapped in the prison is later murdered, Jessica finds herself attempting to solve the mystery quickly, before matters can escalate further.
As Amos retires and real estate agent Harry Pierce prepares to take over as sheriff, Beverly Gareth is found dead in her bathroom in what seems to be an accident. The next day, a flood of letters containing false accusations are sent out across Cabot Cove, before a friend of Beverly's is found dead in her garden, in an apparent suicide. Jessica investigates when she suspects both deaths were murders, and enlists the aid of Amos and a visiting travel writer to determine the motive for both murders. She soon suspects the fake letters may have been sent to prevent a real accusation from being investigated, concerning an arson that took place the previous year.
Jessica joins Seth in New Mexico as he provides assistance on an archaeological dig site seeking out Native American artifacts, which is being menaced by a mysterious stranger. When a member of the expedition, involved in the hoax, is later found dead after an accidental fall, Seth suspects murder when he discovers the victim actually died from drowned despite being in an arid region. As Jessica investigates the case, she finds that the truth will be hard to uncover, as the expedition's financier is more concerned about tracking down treasure than reporting a murder to the authorities, even if means keeping everyone traped at the dig site.
While visiting New York City on business, Jessica takes some time off to meet with her nephew Grady after he makes plans to join up with a cosmetics company. In the process, she is surprised to discover that a former student from her teaching days, Elizabeth Gordon, is due to marry the brother of the company's owner. Later that evening when preparing to dine with the couple, both Jessica and Elizabeth's fiance become concerned with her absence, and are soon shocked when they find her dead, having been brutally strangled in her apartment. Jessica soon investigates the matter, convinced the key to the killer's identity is finding out what brand of lipstick was used to deface the victim's portrait that lay within the apartment.
Former race driver Mark Lee Reynolds is put on trial for murdering the husband of Becky Anderson. The prosecution argue that Reynolds was having an affair with Becky and plotted to kill her husband, but the defense rebut this, claiming Reynolds was seeking comfort after escaping injury in a traffic accident, which critically injured his wife who later died in hospital. Assigned to jury duty for the case, Jessica is head foreman for the jurors as they debate on their verdict. Convinced that there is more to the case, Jessica convinces the jury to look into the facts, evidence and testimony presented at the trial, and slowly over the course of their discussion, they begin to find themselves uncovering the real truth behind the murder.
While visiting the newly established Joshua Peabody Inn for breakfast, Jessica, Amos and Seth are shocked when several customers suddenly fall ill after eating, in which one of the affected customers dies before an ambulance can arrive. As a health official investigates the Inn on grounds they caused food poisoning, Seth discovers that those who collapsed are showing symptoms of actual poisoning. Jessica soon suspects someone plotted murder, and believes the key to the mystery is tracking down a pot of strawberry preserves that went missing during the chaotic situation.
Jessica accompanies her former teaching colleague Ames Caulfield as he visits a friend who runs an inn in a small redneck town in Roper County. On the night of their arrival, Caulfield visits a local bar to check up on his friend's son, Matthew Burns, only to witness them being humiliated by the local town bully Ed Bonner. Later that night, a scream is heard, and Bonner found dead outside his home. The local sheriff finds himself protecting Matthew, who is arrested for the murder, but several locals seek to lynch him for the crime. Jessica is forced to step in and uncover what really happened, especially as the victim had been earning money from an unknown source.
Carrie McKittrick, a wealthy woman whose fortune was built through the sale of oil, dies from cyanide poisoning while recovering from a heart-attack. Her family is displeased that the head of an evangelist's group, Rev. Willie John Fargo, inherits everything, and soon accuse him of murder. Police soon find a syringe used in the murder, that has Fargo's fingerprints on it. Jessica, who was visiting Carrie before her death, decides to investigate. Not only does she soon prove another will from the family is fake, she soon becomes convinced Fargo has an alibi that prove he is innocent and attempts to uncover it when he will provide it to police himself.
Jessica agrees to help her friend Richard Bennett secure the diary of deceased actress Evangeline, which is up for auction in Boston. She soon finds that there are others wanting the diary, concerned about its contents, but all are shocked when it disappears and Bennett is found dead in another auction lot. Jessica soon comes under suspicion when she finds the diary in a chessboard the auctioneer sold her, who she soon finds stabbed to death. Recruiting help from Harry McGraw, the pair work to find out who was desperate to commit murder to secure the diary. Jessica soon finds the answer when Harry makes a copy, before the original is stolen, allowing her to discover a clue to the killer's identity.
Residents of Cabot Cove attend the funeral of local businessman Henry Vernon, who they had recently invested money with for a major development. When a lover of his claims he is not dead, all are shocked when his casket is accidentally knocked open, revealing the body inside to be that of another man. Jessica and Amos investigate and soon suspect Vernon was embezzling the town's money, when his partner reveals it has gone. But when the mystery corpse disappears and Vernon turns up dead in his lover's home, the pair find themselves attempting to discover where the money went and whether someone else was involved in his embezzlement.
Jessica is shocked that one of her short stories is due to feature in an adult magazine, and goes with Grady to confront the magazine's owner, Christopher Bundy. They soon learn that the man is unscrupulous, harsh, and not well liked amongst his family, and is due to purchase another magazine owned by a close friend of Jessica's. The following day after their arrival, Jessica and Grady find themselves witness to murder when Bundy is shot dead on the upstairs landing of his home. As his family close ranks, Jessica is forced to question who among them is the killer, especially when she learns from an undercover investigator that Bundy was more immoral than they could have imagined.
Jessica meets with her former student Carol McDermott, an assistant at a local tennis grounds who is helping with the arrangements for a charity tennis tournament. Despite problematic players, Carol is looking forward to marrying her fiancé Brian East, another player in the tournament. However, the night after Brian wins an important match, Carol's car is destroyed in an explosion, killing him when he attempts to drive it. Carol soon begins to suffer from her loss, and police begin to question her sanity when the lead detective on the case is later murdered in her home. Concerned for Carol's safety, Jessica investigates and begins to uncover the truth behind both murders.
Jessica travels to New Orleans to meet with her cousin Calhoun 'Cal' Fletcher at a relative's request. She soon finds that Cal is attending a Mardi Gras party hosted by the belligerent Johnny Blaze, and is shocked when Blaze is soon found dead in his study. Police suspect Cal was behind the murder, as Blaze ran an illegal gambling den and was suspected of cheating many of those who played with him, including Cal. Jessica is not convinced her cousin is guilty, believing he is being framed, and so decides to question those whom Blaze posed a threat to, soon discovering evidence that hints towards the real killer.
Jessica travels to Cedar Heights to visit Lloyd Marcus, an old friend of hers who lives in the area. While visiting, she discovers that several people have been robbed and police have found no real clues behind who the culprit is. Soon enough, another robbery is discovered at the home of Lloyd's daughter, though this time murder is involved when his daughter is found dead, leaving her husband facing charges of murder. Jessica decides to investigate when she suspects someone attempted to make the murder look like it was connected to the robbery, and soon discovers a truth that will be hard to accept.
While attending a party for her niece before her upcoming marriage, both are shocked when she receives a gift she believes confirms her grandfather, Neil Fletcher - Jessica's brother-in-law - is still alive. Agreeing to investigate, she soon discovers that Neil is working for a travelling circus owned by the Carmody family, which has just set up outside a small town in Arkansas. Upon her arrival, she discovers the circus has been plagued by accidents. The following day, Hank Sutter, a despised circus worker, is found dead after being killed with a blow to the head. While the town's mayor is more concerned with his re-election than discovering the facts, Jessica is convinced her brother-in-law is covering for someone and is reluctant to prove his innocence.
Jessica continues to prove that her brother-in-law Neil is innocent, as she works to discover who killed Hank Sutter. She soon discovers there may be a link between the murder and the accidents that have plagued the Camordy family circus after it becomes clear someone is sabotaging it. When a rival circus owner is murdered in their motel room, the local sheriff finally refuses to let the mayor interfere in his work any further, allowing Jessica to be able to receive their help in the matter. As Neil is soon freed after it becomes clear he was protecting an innocent person, Jessica soon begins to suspect that Hank was murdered by the person who was sabotaging the circus and who is now desperately trying to cover up their crime.
Police lieutenant, Barney Kale, finally announces that he will soon retire, after one final case. He soon travels to Juniper Lake, near Cabot Cove, to solve the one murder that has yet to be resolved - that of a close friend who was drowned ten years ago. Upon visiting the cabins where the murder took place, Kale invites several people who were connected to the investigation, including Jessica's friend Seth, to meet with him at the lakes. Concerned, Jessica accompanies her friend, and no sooner do the pair arrive when a guest at the cabins is found dead, having been killed with a shotgun. Jessica finds herself investigating alongside Amos to find out whether the current murder is linked to the one Kale is seeking to resolve.
Jessica's night out at a concert in Washington D.C. takes a drastic turn when Michael Haggerty involves her and her escort in helping with the defection of two East German musicians. Taken to the British embassy, Michael reveals that one of the musicians is in serious danger after the Stazi discovered he was helping western intelligence. Before both of them can do anything else a fellow British spy helping Haggarty with the defection is found dead in the embassy's garden. A physician within the embassy grounds confirms the victim was stabbed with a needle that had been coated with poison. Jessica and Haggarty question everyone who was active at the time, but as the planned defection looks set to fall apart, Jessica begins to have an answer behind the motive for the crime.
Jessica reunites with her niece Victoria in San Francisco, following her marriage, and learns that she recently took up a job with a major advertising company. Victoria is now under immense pressure from her lecherous boss, Larry Kinkaid, to secure an important contract with the owner of a major deli brand. When Kinkaid is later found murdered in his office, Jessica investigates when her niece is suspected by police of the crime. She soon finds out that Kinkaid was well disliked by several others, and finds lies covering up bankruptcy, corporate espionage, and deep resentment against the victim, that leave confusion behind who truly wanted the victim dead. Her only clue soon comes down to a sandwich the victim had ordered.
David Everett, a former boyfriend of Jessica, arrives in Cabot Cove to work with a group seeking out 18th century treasure that was lost off the coast. Jessica learns that the group are involved in a tontine regarding the treasure, which allows each member to have a bigger share of the reward if one of them dies. She soon becomes concerned behind the arrangements when one of the group is nearly killed in a serious accident, but then the matter turns grim when another member is murdered in what appears to be a hit-and-run. As Everett faces suspicion, after he is found to be deep in debt, Seth soon discovers the victim died via a different method. Jessica eventually becomes convinced that treasure may not be the motive behind the murder.
After a reporter, Haskell Drake, suffers a heart attack after accusing a newspaper tycoon, Lamar Bennett, of publishing a slanderous story against Jessica, the mystery writer decides to confront him herself. She soon learns that the tycoon is disliked by many who work for him and the former owner of the newspaper he took over. When Bennett dies during a drinks party all of a sudden, police soon confirm her suspicions that he died form an induced cerebral haemorrhage caused by a combination of alcohol and a specific drug. Jessica soon decides to investigate the matter, with help from Drake while in hospital, and discovers the key involves learning when Bennett was given the drug that eventually killed him.
Private investigator Thomas Magnum is arrested by police for killing a man he claims was hired to target one of the guests from a party he attended. Jessica finds herself forced to investigate his claims, after witnessing Magnum pursue the victim, and soon finds evidence proving his story, though is surprised when police found two casings that match the caliber of his own gun. Convinced there is more to the matter, Jessica meets with those connected to the case, but is soon shocked when a possible suspect is later found dead at his home and Magnum now wanted for murder. Believing he is innocent, Jessica suspects someone is lying, and that Magnum is being framed for their crimes.
TV personality Kevin Keats is forced to drop an investigation against an art collector suspected of drug dealing, in order to cover a piece in Cabot Cove. Unknown to many, Keats is actually secretly meeting a witness, and using the assignment to cover his actions. However, when the boat he rents out for the plan is blown up, shortly after he departs, many fear him dead. As his colleagues and the press descend on the town, it soon transpires that Keats is still alive, and that it was his program's producer, Doug Helman, who was killed. Amos soon believes Keats is guilty, as the producer had been making plans to change his program, but Jessica is not so sure, suspecting someone else was behind the explosion.
Jessica attends the revival of a play she performed in with her late husband, in which she became friends with the two leading stars, Julian Lord and Maggie Tarrow, who are due to perform in it once again. When Tarrow is frightened out of her part, her understudy Barbara Bennington takes over her role. Bennington is much delighted for this, even though others are not, but soon her debut performance ends in tragedy when she dies on stage during the next performance, after unknowingly ingesting cyanide. Jessica is forced to help the local chief of police, who is performing in the play, to investigate the matter, and soon discovers the motive is linked to a dark secret connected with one of the cast.
Jessica meets up with Dorian Beecher, a friend who teaches at a private school in the town of Wenton, Vermont. Upon her arrival, she discovers that Dorian dislikes the school's obnoxious riding instructor, Nate Findley, for ridiculing him in public. The night after fighting with him in a pub, Dorian is arrested for murdering Nate after he is found beheaded outside the school. Jessica is not convinced he is guilty as he cannot recall much about his movements that night, and so investigates the murder herself. As she seeks out clues, she finds that Nate had other enemies besides Dorian, and slowly discovers secret societies and embezzlement in her investigation.
On a flight to London, Jessica is shocked when the bodyguard of an actress on the plane is found dead and a $2 million necklace he was protecting has gone missing. Working alongside a British police detective travelling on the flight, she soon discovers that a flight attendant was framed for the murder and was in possession of a replica of the necklace. The pair soon have to check among the passengers, when one of the passengers eventually admits to the necklace's theft and claims responsibility for the murder. Jessica soon discovers something is wrong, and realizes that two crimes took place, in which each culprit has been effectively comprised by the other's plan.
While Jessica finds herself confined to her bed at home by Seth due to her bad back, she inadvertently is connected to another phone conversation during a bad storm, and overhears a plot for murder by one of the callers. Neither Seth nor her nephew Grady, helping her out during her convalescence, believe her story, until a lumber millionaire is found dead in his home after apparently falling down his stairs. Grady agrees to help Jessica investigate the matter as Amos soon learns the truth behind the millionaire's death, and both soon determine who amongst the victim's family would want him dead. But then another murder complicates matters when a former employee of the victim is found shot dead.
Jessica narrates a tale to the viewers about the investigation of a law student, Chad Singer, who was inspired by her own work. The story begins with Chad's friend Michael Prentice, a music student, accusing his arrogant professor of plagiarising his own work. When his professor is later murdered, Michael is arrested after he was found snooping around the victim's office. Chad decides to prove his friend's innocence, and with the help of a fellow student, soon learns there were other who hated the victim. When it becomes clear that the key to solving the murder involves Michael's work, Chad soon sets up an elaborate trap for the killer.
In Denver, Jessica meets with her friend Steve Honig, who is the producer for a local consumer program. Its host, the arrogant and ruthless TV presenter Kenneth Chambers, is well disliked by several members of staff, including Honig, as well as the owner of a toy company he recently claimed was producing poor quality products. When Chambers is found dead by the janitor after his recent episode, shot twice in the head, Honig is accused of the murder when the weapon is found in his car. Jessica investigates to prove he was framed, but while she learns that many benefitted from the victim's death, she begins to realizes that Kenneth was not the intended target of the killer.
Harry McGraw finds himself becoming the manager of a boxer who he hopes will win his first big fight. However, he soon argues with Wade Talmadge, the manager of the opponent, regarding the nature of the match. When Talmadge is later found murdered, Harry is arrested when his gun is linked to the crime. Jessica, who reluctantly found herself agreeing to provide financial assistance for his situation, not only takes over managing his boxer, but investigates who wanted the victim dead. In trying to prove Harry innocent, she soon learns that Talmadge was truly dishonest in and out of the sport of boxing.
When famous artist Simon Thane spends the summer in Cabot Cove, Jessica attends a dinner party hosted by him alongside his wife, art dealer, and his lawyer and their wife. The day after announcing plans for a second honeymoon, Thane is found stabbed to death and a new painting he was working on missing. Amos soon arrests Thane's housekeeper for the crime, as she was struggling financially, but Jessica is not convinced. She soon suspects the killer may have been one of the guests at the party, and is convinced that the motive may have something to do with the subject of his missing work.
Jessica is invited to a dinner hosted by two estranged comedians who fell out years ago over a dispute about royalties, and whose children are due to be married. Their feud soon spills over into their dinner conversation between the attendees, as they continue to argue over the royalties. Soon afterwards, one of the pair is assaulted, before one of the guests, talent agent Phil Rinker, is found dead after seemingly hanging himself. Jessica soon works to end the feud between the comedians, as she helps a rookie police officer tackle his first case, and believes that Rinker may have been killed because he had begun to suspect something was not right regarding the subject of the feud.
Grady earns himself a new job in New York, serving as an accountant for a major investment firm, much to Jessica's delight. However, when he returns to his office one night, he is shocked to find his boss, Ralph Whitman, murdered after a heated meeting with an IRS agent. Jessica finds herself asked by the lead detective in the case, Lt. Timothy Hanratty, to help in the matter, as the investigation soon opens up a can of suspects who had their own reasons for potentially wanting harm on Whitman. The pair soon find there are plenty of lies to untangle, but Jessica soon finds a key clue will be in finding a hidden witness believed to be in hiding within the firm's building.
Jessica provides emotional support for Linda Stevens, after her husband, the mayor of the town of Comstock, Idaho, is killed in a car crash in the run-up to a major election. However, Linda's father-in-law, Harry Stevens, is convinced his son was murdered as he was seeking to clamp down on illegal activity in the town and was distrusting of the local sheriff. When Harry is murdered when seeking evidence to prove his case, Jessica works alongside a state police detective to get to the bottom of the matter. The investigation soon reveals that the murders may be connected to raids on a suspected illegal gambling den, whose owner is attempting to influence the election.
Sam Wilson is paroled after serving 30 years in prison for murder, but his wife believes he is innocent. She soon urges Jessica to investigate the crime and discover what truly occurred, leading her to work alongside Wilson's son Rod, a local cop. While the original investigation claimed Wilson was involved after taking $10,000 from the victim, Jessica finds that the people who were involved in the matter are unwilling to reveal any further details. When someone attempts to shoot Jessica, she soon suspects someone is eager to conceal the truth, prompting her to dig deeper into the matter.
Note: This episode is a partial sequel/reinterpretation of the 1949 film Strange Bargain, although with its ending changed to reflect the episode's plot. Footage from the film was used in the episode, with several of the main actors reprising their role for the plot.
At Red River Studios, Jessica is recording an audio book for the blind during a late-night session, when the lights suddenly go out during a blackout. A short time after they come back on, the studio's director, Randy Witworth, is found dying after being stabbed in the back. The police soon suspect the studio's blind producer, Greg Dalton, committed the crime as revenge for the accident that Witworth caused, resulting in Dalton's blindness. However, Jessica is convinced that Dalton is innocent, and decides to investigate further, finding others had their own reasons for potentially wanting Witworth dead.
Jessica heads to Paris to see her friend Eva Taylor, a fashion designer who is about to have her first major fashion show. Behind the scenes, however, Eva is facing trouble from loan shark Max Soury, who now has control on half her fashion business in exchange for the money she needed to deal with financial problems. After the fashion show has concluded, Soury is found dead in his hotel room after being shot, and Eva becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Jessica is not convinced by the police's assumption, and soon discovers that the victim was an adulterer and an extortionist, but discovers the key to the mystery is the statement of two maids who each heard the shot at different intervals.
Andrew Durbin returns to Cabot Cove, seeking to prove his innocence after spending 20 years in prison for murder. In meeting Jessica, he claims that he had hitched a ride with the victim, a businessman, who was soon run off the road by another driver. The writer has concerns on what Durbin plans to do, and they are soon justified when a local car dealer he was meeting is found murdered one evening. Deciding to uncover what really happened, she learns that the businessman was in possession of $100,000 in bearer bonds that have never been found, and that their murder occurred on the same night as a local high school's prom dance, providing a few leads towards finding the real killer in both murders.
Jessica receives a court summons to travels to Quebec and testify on behalf of a writer friend, Jim Harlan, who is accused of murdering his wife. She learns that Harlan was finding his marriage so difficult that he was beginning to contemplate divorce. The police investigation allows Jessica to learn that the victim was bludgeoned to death in the couple's country home, shortly before it was burnt down in a fire, but is not convinced that the attorney handling Harlan's defence is the right person, when they try to convince the court that the fire is not linked to the murder. Jessica soon attempts to investigate the matter, convinced her friend is innocent, despite the attorney willing to do anything to discredit her findings.
At a convent run by Reverend Mother Claire, an old friend of Jessica's whom she is visiting, the nuns are shocked when one of their members, Sister Emily, is found dead in what looks to have been suicide. While the police decide to close the case, much to the satisfaction of the priest who serves the convent, Claire is convinced something is wrong. Jessica soon discovers someone murdered the nun and made it look like suicide, as Emily had been looking for information requested by a private detective. In doing so, she attempts to find out if there is another way into the convent, after the priest makes clear that all the known entry points are locked tight every night.
Tyrannical tycoon Duncan Barnett invites his top executives from the company board, including Jessica, to a dinner party at his stately home, where he crushes rumours that his company will be taken over or that he will soon resign as chairman of the board. The day after his party, Barnett is found dead in his hot tub, with the police ruling that he died from accidental electrocution from his bathroom's TV. Jessica is not convinced, suspecting murder due to some of his heart medication being missing along with a glass that contained brandy, and soon discovers that there was deep resent by many, against the victim's methods at the company.
Emma McGill, Jessica's identical British cousin, is shocked when she finds herself reuniting with Geoffrey Constable, an old wartime love who now is a viscount. She is further surprised when he reveals that he plans to leave her a house in his will, much to his family's displeasure. The pair go on a picnic, and Constable dies, suddenly, while proposing to her. The police inspector recognizes that Constable was poisoned. Despite the family's attitude, he does not suspect Emma. She helps him with the investigation—as her cousin Jessica would—starting by raising doubts about the recent death of Constable's father. Emma sings “How'd You Like to Spoon With Me?”, a song that Angela Lansbury performed in the 1946 film Till the Clouds Roll By.
Amos recruits Jonathan Martin as his latest deputy for the night shift, as Jessica's friends at the local beauty salon in Cabot Cove make preparations to purchase their usual lottery tickets. The night after their purchase, Jonathon's wife Audrey is found dead, having been shot with the deputy's spare gun. Both Amos and Jessica discount suicide and suspect murder after an examination of the scene, making the new deputy the prime suspect, especially when they learn he helped several women across town who discreetly fancied him. However, Jessica soon discovers that something is being overlooked which soon proves critical in identifying the killer.
While visiting Hollywood, Jessica is horrified when a young writer for a TV mystery series comes forward with news that its director is planning to the plot from one of her novels for an upcoming episode. She soon attempts to speak with the director's boss, TV producer Sid Sharkey, about the situation. Shortly after she leaves, police find themselves investigating a suspicious explosion that kills Sharkey in his office. Securing a position as a writer on the program, Jessica uses her position to investigate what happened and discovers that certain members of the production staff and cast disliked the producer considerably, and begins to suspect Sharkey had a stranglehold over one of them.
Visiting her friend Mary Rose in New York City, Jessica is stunned when a driver deliberately attempts to run her down before dying in a crash seconds later. Mary believes the incident is connected to her sister Charlotte's death, prompting Jessica to agree to visit the hotel she ran in Oregon, accompanied by Mary's lawyer. While both are stunned to discover the type of hotel Charlotte had run, they soon learn from the maid that her death may not have been natural, as her papers, including her will and money, went missing afterwards. Jessica does her best to discover the truth, and finds herself drawn to four men whom Charlotte had been secretly seeing in her room.
George Longbow, a Native American descended from a tribe who lived in the area of Cabot Cove, arrives in town with claims that he legally owns every building per an agreement made with the British centuries ago. his revelations causes heighted tension and anger amongst the town's residents as the document he produces is examined, especially when he makes plans to claim rent from each of them. When a local man is later found murdered in the town hall, everyone is convinced that George is guilty, but Amos and Jessica are soon concerned that people are jumping to conclusions, especially when the victim's home life comes into question.
As his apartment is undergoing fumigation, Grady finds himself securing a room for himself and Jessica at a prestigious New York hotel, owned by his college fraternity brother Garrett Harper and his mature wife Cornelia. During their stay, Grady is surprised to discover his high school crush, Sandra Clemons, is also a guest in the hotel, so is shocked when he later finds her murdered in her room. Jessica is not convinced when police assume he is guilty, even though Harper is forcing him to comply to several odd requests. Investigating the case herself, Jessica soon learns that Sandra could ill-afford to stay at the hotel, prompting her to question how she could afford the price.
Amos is surprised when his sister Winnie turns up in Cabot Cove, revealing she had to get away from her abusive husband, Elmo Banner. As Seth and Winnie bond mutually during her visit, Amos soon finds himself taking in Banner, along with his family, into his home, when they come along looking for her. Jessica decides to calm matters down with a dinner at her home, but shortly after everyone turns up for it, most of her guests pass out after eating her clam chowder. Only Banner fails to regain consciousness, and Seth soon pronounces him dead at hospital. Amos and Jessica soon investigate after it transpires someone spiked the chowder with barbitals, but find Banner was murdered as he was given a fatal overdose of the drug.
Jessica visits an astrophysics institution, where her niece Carrie Palmer resides alongside her husband Leonard, an astronomy researcher. Shortly after arriving, she discovers that the marriage between the pair has problems, and that Leonard dislikes his employers trying to secure an important defense contract. The night after an important party, the assistant of a gossip columnist is murdered at the pair's holiday residence, and Leonard is accused of the crime on the belief that the victim was having an affair with Carrie. Jessica is unconvinced that this is the case, and gains access to the investigation to find out the truth, if it means offering to ghost-write the leads detective's draft manuscript.
Jessica and Seth travel to Maryland to attend a polo-match hosted by Seth's brother, Richard Hazlitt, whom has been estranged from Seth for a long time. During a party at his home, Richard gives his new wife a precious jewel to celebrate their marriage, only for her to nearly be suffocated when she heads to the garage on the couple's estate to retrieve a present. The following morning, after reconciling with him, Seth is shocked to find Richard has been murdered, after he was found in a locked room. While there are stories his death is link to a curse on the jewel, Jessica is not convinced by them nor that a phony government agent is the killer. She sets herself the task of discovering how the murder was committed.
Playwright Eugene McClenden invites his friend Jessica over to his home in Savannah, Georgia, where he claims he is slowly dying and wants her to help him complete his new play. Agreeing to do so, she finds his family is visiting him, alongside his unscrupulous lawyer Jonathan Keeler. That night, a gunshot rings out and Eugene is found holding a gun, looking over the body of Keeler. Police soon investigate the matter, with Jessica learning that the victim had been a source of problems for several of the family. But she soon becomes convinced he may have been investigating Eugene's condition, which might have been the motive for his murder.
While in Connecticut for a convention, Jessica finds herself witnessing a car crash. The driver soon climbs out, dying from a heart attack, and confesses to being a hitman who recently killed someone a short while ago. A wall of secrecy behind the matter soon leads to her discovering that the hitman's victim was the leader of a group of American federal agents currently running a safe house to protect a foreign dignitary. Jessica soon learns that there is an internal investigation against the group, and that the dead agent was likely trying to root out a mole who must have discovered they were about to be exposed, prompting her to dig deeper into the matter to uncover the truth.
Jessica attends the 75th anniversary of vineyard run by Salvatore Gambini, who is hoping his family will take over its operations when he is gone. She soon learns there are deep tensions amongst Salvatore's family, and growing issues from a buyer persistently trying to buy the vineyard. When one of the family is nearly killed in an accident, Jessica is horrified when the day afterwards, the boyfriend of Salvatore's granddaughter is found dead, having been poisoned. In investigating the situation, she discovers the victim was not all they appear to be, and makes a startling conclusion about who the killer is and the motive for the crime.
After an elderly resident in Cabot Cove dies, Jessica finds herself becoming the executor of her will. Following her funeral, Jessica finds there are several individuals eager to profit from the dead woman's house and its contents, including local antique dealer Benny Tibbles and his relatives, the woman's daughter, and her personal housekeeper. When Jessica visits the property with Seth to make an inventory of the contents, both are shocked to find Tibbles dead in the study. The pair question who wanted him dead, and it soon becomes clear that there might have been treasure hidden in the house that belonged to Benedict Arnold, which Jessica believes might be key to solving the murder.
Grady has become engaged with Donna Mayberry, an accountant for a restaurant in New York that Jessica recently invested in. Agreeing to join them to celebrate the occasion, the pair are not delighted with the treatment they get from maitre d' Chaz Crewe, who is certainly not liked by others in the restaurant. The following day, Jessica is shocked when police bring her, Grady and Donna back to the restaurant, revealing that Crewe was found murdered in the freezer. With their weekend plans in jeopardy, Jessica decides to investigate what happened, soon learning that Crewe was cheating his employers and partners out of cash and food, and attempts to unravel his web of deceit.
After Jill Morton runs away to Canada to be with a rodeo cowboy, her mother requests that Jessica follow after her. When she arrives, she finds that Jill appears happy helping one out, but discovers that the rodeo's doctor, Doc Schaeffer, is an unpleasant man with some of the others. The night after arriving, a fire breaks out in his mobile home that nearly kills a rodeo worker resting inside from a broken leg. However, the smoke suffocates Schaeffer, prompting an inspector of the RCMP to suspect murder. Jessica decides to investigate, learning that despite the doctor's behaviour, he may have been killed because he was looking into something that the killer wished to cover up.
A plot from one of Jessica's novels is adapted for a Broadway stage show, but both she and the play's writer, Walter Knapf, are not impressed by the many changes that the producer has made to the original script. Critics Danny O'Mara and Elliot Easterbrook soon give their own opinion on the adaptation, though the latter is shocked when his rival gives a glowing review of the play that ends with an insult against him. Shortly after storming out of the opening night party, Easterbrook is arrested for shooting dead O'Hara in his apartment. Jessica soon discovers someone faked the victim's review to disguise the time of death, and attempts to find out who was responsible when Walter is later suspected of the crime.
Senatorial candidate Kathleen Lane faces a difficult time in the run-up to the primaries, after a TV talk show host claims she is having an affair with her campaign manager Bud Johnson. To assist her friend, Jessica joins her campaign team and discovers a rival candidate is willing to do anything to discredit Kathleen. Tragedy soon strikes when Kathleen is horrified to find Johnson dead in what appears to have been suicide. However, the police suspect murder, leaving Jessica to help her friend by uncovering the truth, which leads her to discover that the victim had been conducting investigations against someone with Kathleen's campaign team.
Jessica is shocked when British agent Michael Haggerty comes back into her life, shortly before she is arrested for the death of a foreign agent. Enlisting Grady's help, Michael reveals that the real killer was an assassin who was being hunted down by MI6, and that certain colleagues of his believe he had connections to the culprit. With Jessica left having to stay behind bars for her own safety, she is left relying on Michael and Grady to provide her with the facts before another killing takes place, and all three soon suspect the murder is directly linked to an unknown payment that the assassin was due to receive.
With her current publisher retiring, Jessica heads to New York where she finds herself courted by the charming Dennis Stanton, unaware he is a British jewel thief planning to rob a valuable necklace from the wife of publisher Axel Weingard. The following day, Jessica is surprised when Weingard is found dead after being strangled, and that a local waiter who asked her advice on writing has been arrested after a disagreement with the victim. Believing he is innocent, Jessica investigates the murder in more detail, discovering that Weingard had several enemies, and soon must convince Stanton to come clean to the police when it transpires he holds the key to solving the case.
A year after Amos' retirement, Cabot Cove's new sheriff, Mort Metzger, is faced with a difficult case when the body of Morris Penroy is found in the flowerbed of the Appletree sisters. Penroy had been a resident in their home for a year, but Metzger cannot understand why he was buried after suffering a heart attack. Several odd characters soon turn up in town, including a priest who later turns up dead in the Appletrees' garden, after being stabbed with a garden fork. Jessica soon decides to help out Metzger, and discovers that the case may be connected to a major robbery that occurred in Boston a while ago, which involved $5 million being stolen from a company that Penroy worked for.
At a ski lodge, Jessica is among several guests who become trapped in the area by a snow blizzard, including a major skiing team. As everyone tries their best to cope with the situation, the womanizing Gunnar Tilstrom, the star member of the skiing team, is murdered on the stormy slopes. The weapon was a crossbow from the lodge that is now missing. Jessica finds herself aided by a police detective trapped alongside her, as they investigate who wanted Tilstrom dead, especially as he was not well liked by others in his team. The case soon becomes complicated when two more deaths occur, but Jessica soon suspects someone is lying when she discovers some crucial information concerning Tilstrom.
Lawyer Molly Connors, a former student of Jessica, returns to her home in a small mining community in West Virginia, to investigate the mining accident at a coal mine that killed her father and a fellow miner. Her work puts her in direct confrontation with the mine's owner, Tyler Morgan, and soon leads her to being arrested for his murder when he is found dead at his private lodge in the woods. Jessica arrives in town soon afterwards to bail her out, and decides to investigate the matter. She soon learns that Morgan was quite dishonest with several people in the community, and begins to suspect that Molly's investigation may have unnerved someone that secretly worked with him.
Jessica visits the store of a reputable jewel dealer in New York hoping to gather research for a new book, only to witness a break-in that leads to the theft of a priceless tiara. Police soon begin investigating the matter, and the case is further complicated when Laszlo Dolby, an employee of the store, is stabbed in his apartment. A local news reporter is soon charged with the crime, prompting Jessica to investigate: She believes he is innocent. Jessica begins to uncover a plot that involves the tiara, Dolby, and a reclusive actress who was once involved with Dolby—and who once owned the tiara. (Jean Peters, in her final acting role.) The two women police detectives, Stacey and Chadwick, are portrayed as a tribute to the lead characters in the then-famous CBS television program Cagney & Lacey.
A missing military plane that had been lost during the Korean War while returning to the United States, is found and brought back by the US Air Force. Jessica, whose husband was a crew member of the plane, joins the surviving crew members and their families as the plane is brought in. However, all are shocked when they learn that the only member who was unaccounted for was found dead aboard, after being shot in the chest. Jessica is appalled when her husband is blamed for the murder, and intends to investigate what really happened. She soon discovers clues that there may have been a stowaway aboard, especially when one of the other crew members is later assaulted outside a restaurant.
Real estate magnate Leo Goddard manages to coax Jessica to visit him at his ranch in Arizona, as he tends to his son Del who recently lost his job. To cheer things up, his son invites professional psychic Franchesco, an idol of his wife Jill, to perform at the ranch, only for him to claim that she is in great danger. When Jill is kidnapped, Leo is surprised when she dies in a car accident shortly after he pays her ransom. Jessica is suspicious about both events, and begins to believe something is deeply wrong, prompting her to investigate whether they may be connected to the recent disappearance of a servant at the ranch.
Following their mishap in New York, Grady prepares himself for his wedding with Donna at her parents' lavish estate. Jessica finds herself among the first guests to arrive before the wedding ceremony, all of whom find the family's housekeeper, Harriet Lundgren, to be somewhat demanding and rude. But on the day of the wedding, as more guests arrive, trouble occurs when the housekeeper is found murdered in the garden, killed with a meat thermometer. With Donna's father panicking about the ceremony being stalled, Jessica eases his mind by working alongside the deputy chief of police to uncover what happened, and is convinced that Harriet may have known something that warranted her murder.
Vivian Proctor, a married Cabot Cover woman with two step children, is being blackmailed by Eric Bowman, a local gambler and womanizer who has found out she is also married to a man in New York. The morning after a recent meeting between the two, Bowman is found stabbed to death in a hotel room, with Vivian's car keys lying nearby. Sheriff Metzger learns that Bowman was facing divorce for his womanizing and financial problems, Jessica soon must help Vivian who feels trapped by the decisions of her life and the lies she has made, after her husband in Cabot Cove is charged with murder. Jessica soon suspects the crime has a simple motive behind it, when she considers what Vivian was doing with Bowman on the day of his murder.
An elderly multi-millionaire desperately seeks to find his missing grandson, Peter Kerry, who disappeared over twenty years ago. Jessica soon wonders if he may have been found, when Peter's college friend Danny Schubert thinks that restaurant pianist, Rick Barton, is the spitting image of Peter. Jessica soon accompanies the pair, along with Danny's ex, to meet with the millionaire on a weekend trip, but soon questions if Rick really is Peter after learning others have tried to deceive the grandfather for his finder's fee. Then the matter is complicated when Danny is murdered in the millionaire's garage, stabbed in the chest.
Jessica reunites with her friend Lt. Timothy Hanratty in New York, as both become involved in investigating the suspicious death of a man who was found by local tramps. They soon discover the man was Elliot Winston, an accountant for a prestigious private hospital, who died from alcohol poisoning. However, Winston's neighbor claims he was a recovering alcoholic and hadn't touched a drop recently, and that he had papers regarding a private investigation that have gone missing. Jessica decides to go undercover to investigate further, as Hanratty attempts to convince his superiors they are dealing with a murder, despite them being convinced there is no case to solve.
Cabot Cove residents are anxious following of sightings of a person dressed as a witch who was burned at the stake 300 years ago, which a visiting author has made a book about and plans to launch. At the same time, local librarian Mildred Terhune is shocked when her sister Irene, who was presumed dead, returns back into her life. When another sighting is made at a barn, which goes up shortly afterwards, Jessica and Metzger find themselves dealing with murder when Irene's body is found in the barn's cellar after the flames are put out. Both soon find themselves dealing with a cloud of deception, fear, and confusion, as they attempt to uncover when Irene was murdered and for what reason.
While attending a reception in Moscow that is part of an international writer's conference, Jessica does not notice Russian writer Sergei Chaloff slipping a canister of microfilm into her purse. Moments later, a waiter steals it and attempts to escape. He is soon pursued by security and presumed to be shot dead by them in a gun battle. Deprived of her passport by police who suspect she was involved in the matter, Jessica discovers the waiter was killed by another party, and soon must prove Chaloff's innocence when he is charged for the crime. She soon discovers the microfilm in her possession, and believes it may hold a crucial clue behind what was behind the incident.
Jessica returns to her former university when her old sorority sister, Emily Dyers, calls to reveal that their much loved professor, Leon Walker, has confessed to murdering female student Rhonda Sykes. In arriving, she learns that Rhonda was much disliked for her disrespectable and dishonest behavior, especially after she survived a car crash that killed another student she had been with. Working alongside the district attorney, a fellow classmate from her college days, Jessica suspects Leon is covering for someone and that Rhonda may have been blackmailing someone after being in possession of several expensive items in her student home that would be difficult for a student to afford.
On her way to Los Angeles with writer Walter Murray, Jessica finds that the pair must pull-in for the night at truck stop in small town in California. Upon arriving, the pair find that the stop's diner is run by Pete Gerakaris, who bullies both his wife and his daughter. Walter, who was sweet on Pete's wife years ago, is not happy with the situation. That night, Pete and a local mechanic are murdered. Jessica is shocked to find Walter left a recorded message, confessing to both killings, the mechanic having died immediately during a shootout between himself and Walter who later dies from his gunshot wound back in his hotel room. Although the sheriff assumes the case is closed, Jessica is convinced something is not right about Walter's confession.
Jessica's former student, Sybil Reed, releases her debut novel based on the town of Cabot Cove. However, the residents ecstatic delight to read it is soon turned into horror when the novel paints many of them in a different light, including Jessica's beauty parlor friends. When Sybil returns home to gauge reactions while staying with Jessica, neither expect to hear news later that night that Miriam Harwood, a woman who had an impact on Sybil's life, has been found murdered in her home. Metzger is divided between accusing her deadbeat husband or the local butcher she was in love with, but Jessica soon suspects there was another who loved Miriam but who never realized she didn't care about them in the same way.
Young editor Robert Jarrett is torn apart over publishing the last work made by deceased writer Trevor Hudson. Calling in Jessica for help, he reveals he had to ghost-write it because he found evidence that Hudson never wrote anything in his life, but Hudson's family refuse to let him reveal the truth as it will humiliate and financially ruin them. The day after she arrives, Jarret is found dead and the notes he was using missing. Everyone is soon attempting to prove their innocence, making it hard to discern the truth, while leaving a visiting drifter to be arrested for the crime. Jessica becomes convinced the prime suspect is actually being framed, and attempts to work out who was desperate enough to prevent Jarret exposing the truth.
Jessica is surprised when in Boston she encounters John Winslow, an old acquaintance of hers, only for him to deny knowing her. When Winslow's wife claims he died of a heart attack in Chicago, Jessica suspects they are lying and recruits Harry McGraw to investigate. He soon learns that Winslow is living under an alias for unknown reasons, but neither are prepared when they find him dead in the apartment he was renting. Jessica and Harry soon learn that Winslow was in hiding after testifying against his employers over accusations of fraud, and attempt to identify his killer as they face problems from the detectives handling the investigation.
Jessica visits Scottsdale, Arizona, to cheer on her nephew Johnny Eaton, who recently joined the town's minor league baseball team alongside a fellow player as part of trade. However, the day after their arrival, local sports reporter Loretta Lee is found murdered in her hotel room. The local police initially believe she was a victim of a robbery, but soon suspect Johnny's friend when it transpires his identity was false. Jessica is convinced the police have the wrong person, and soon digs in deeper behind Loretta's relationship with the team and whether there was another with motive to kill.
Mystery writer Eudora McVeigh is facing problems at home with her marriage, when she learns from her publisher that her work is no longer popular as that of Jessica's. Unable to cope, Eudora travels to Cabot Cove, planning to steal whatever manuscript Jessica is working on, as the writer herself is question by Seth over her hectic workload. Shortly after Eudora arrives with a gift - a basket of apples - both overhear news that the body of a private detective has just been found by locals. At the same time, Eudora's personal assistant, her husband and his step-son, arrive in town after following her. As Metzger discovers the detective had been murdered, Jessica is shocked to find Seth collapsed in her kitchen and close to death.
Jessica is shocked when she learns that Seth collapsed because he had been poisoned. Both she and Metzger find it came from the apples that Eudora brought, and soon she is arrested on attempted murder after being caught in possession of Jessica's latest work. Realizing her life has become a mess, Eudora pleads her innocence and begs for help. Jessica begins to suspect that she was meant to be poisoned, and believes that this could be linked to the recent murder in town. As she questions Eudora's associates who are still in Cabot Cove and seeks the truth, Jessica soon finds herself questioning her own life's path after witnessing the situation that Eudora's life has fallen into.
Jessica is all set to head to Egypt for a book tour, when she is surprised to finds herself entangled with Michael Haggerty once more. Without warning, he diverts her to a flight to Athens, revealing that he needs her assistance for an important assignment concerning the kidnapping of a fellow British agent. Upon arrival, the pair are surprised when a woman approaches them with intentions of becoming Michael's cover story in place of Jessica, but are shocked when she is later found murdered in their hotel room. As police question their motives, the pair swiftly work to determine who was responsible, and whether it is linked to the kidnapping.
Father Donald Barnes is temporarily assigned to Cabot Cove in place of another priest who is visiting family, and is surprised when the young Kelly Barrett confess to killing her stepfather Evan West. Sworn to uphold the sacrament of confession, but torn apart by what he knows, Barnes turns to Jessica for help when Evan's body is found on the shoreline near town. As Metzger arrests a young man who came into possession of Evan's knife and is assumed to be the killer, Jessica finds that the only way to uncover the truth is to discover what truly happened between Kelly and Evan on the day of the murder, especially when the victim's relationship to his step-daughter soon comes to light.
Jessica invites viewers to hear the tale of recently deceased mystery writer Lady Abigail Austin, who encountered a real-life murder when travelling to the United States in 1947. Aboard the Queen Mary liner, Austin is shocked when a passenger, the wine merchant Peter Daniken, staggers into the first-class lounge and dies from a stab wound. Aided by an aspiring journalist and amateur journalist, Christy McGinn, she decided to investigate to see who among the possible suspects was responsible, especially when Daniken's background turns out to be a mystery and there is evidence he was in possession of plates for counterfeiting dollar bills.
In Palm Springs, California, real estate developer Clark Randall is murdered and his wife arrested for the crime, after Jessica helps the police detective in charge with their investigation. At the same time, the mystery writer is shocked when she and several others learn that Clark was embezzling their investment funds from a development he was handling. As the project falls apart, Marian is later given bail when her sister seeks to prove her innocence, only to wind up murdered herself in her own home. Believing someone else may have been involved in Clark's murder, Jessica attempts to redeem herself, in order to find the real killer behind the two deaths.
Jessica invites viewers to hear the tale of former football star Bill Boyle, who was thrown into a bizarre case when he became a private investigator. Struggling with his new occupation and declared bankrupt, Boyle is asked by his friend Johnny Wheeler to look after his dog Jack for a short while. No sooner has he accepted the request, when someone attempts to steal Jack. When Boyle learns that Wheeler died in hospital after being stabbed to death, he soon suspects a connection between both events, and soon becomes caught up in a complicated plot that Jack proves to be a big help in solving.
Following a rummage sale in Cabot Cove, Jessica finds a letter jammed into a dresser she purchased, and hands it over to Bud Fricksey, one of the town's volunteer firefighters. Later that evening, a local furniture goes up in flames, and Bud is found dead after the fire is put out. When it transpires he was murdered when trying to tackle the flames, there are plenty of suspects and theories. Jessica and Metzger soon have several to deal with, from arson and insurance fraud, to an affair involving the victim's wife and a local mechanic, and a disagreement between Bud and another firefighter over a business deal he entered into.
In Jamaica, Jessica attends a surprise birthday party arranged by her friend Olivia Waverly for her son Adam at her family's plantation, won by her late husband in a card game. While Adam is set to inherit the plantation, his family are shocked to find their plans to marry him are fruitless as he already has a wife, despite his new father-in-law opposing the union fiercely. Shortly after the party, his uncle is found murdered in his room, while Adam is nearly killed with rat poison. Jessica is not convinced a voodoo curse is behind the events, and investigates what truly is happening, discovering hidden secrets in the plantation and the motive behind the crimes.
Reformed thief Dennis Stanton reunites with Jessica in San Francisco, and invites her to opera with him. When the performance comes to its end, its lead singer, Rosanno Bertolucci, is found unconscious in a back alley, after seemingly shooting dead a young man that had attacked the opera company's new attractive soprano. While police suspect he murdered the victim, Jessica is not convinced, especially as she had witnessed the altercation between the two and suspects something is amiss. The matter is soon complicated when Dennis is tailed by federal agents who are hot on the trail of a cache of stolen gems that had been smuggled into the country, and a young journalist involved with the opera is later murdered.
Millionaire Henry Reynard (Gene Barry) invites Jessica to his remote island home, where he offers her a hefty cheque for her services, believing that one of his family has plans to murder him for his money. The mystery writer is not receptive to the idea, as while his son and daughter and their spouses are problematic and greedy, his granddaughter Kim is not. Henry soon fakes his murder, but no-one expects a real death in his absence when Kim's fiancé is found shot dead in the millionaire's pool house. Jessica agrees to help the local sheriff prove who was responsible when it transpires the victim had been the subject of a private investigation into their background.
Jessica invites viewers to hear the tale of Jake Ballinger, a police lieutenant assigned to teach a criminology class at a local university. Attempting to have no students for his class, his efforts only lead to him finding two students willing to remain. Intrigued, he decides to put them to work on reinvestigating a murder case he has doubts about. Several months ago, Ballinger was investigating the death of Janet Carr, a young woman who was found dead by a drifter that was later charged with the crime. Believing there was more behind the case, especially as his teaching assignment was punishment for not letting the case be closed, Ballinger and his two students discover a connection between the victim and state senator who forced the investigation's closure.
Cabot Cove's local mayor Sam Booth is running for re-election as others seek to claim his job in hopes of pushing for change within town, including new property developments. When a young woman, Annie Mae Chapman, arrives in town with claims he is the father of her children, Sam refutes the claims as the news hits his reputation badly. Jessica suspects there is more to the matter when she begins doubting the woman's story and the reason for her appearance in town. When Chapman is later found murdered in her motel room, Metzger is forced to investigate, especially when Jessica soon discovers the victim was a set-up and that one of Sam's opponents may have been trying to influence the election.
Jessica invites viewers to visit the plot of her latest novels concerning an unsuccessful private investigator, Frank Albertson, and his wife. The couple, facing eviction due to money troubles, discovers that Frank's uncle recently received an inheritance, and attempt to claim it by faking the uncle's death. Attempting to claim an unidentified body in Huckabee, Nevada, the pair find their plans jeopardized when two additional claims are made on the body. With the sheriff uncertain of who's is true, Frank tries to be sneaky in getting his scheme to succeed, but soon discovers the other claims are just as faked, especially when one of them is being made to conceal a murder.
Kevin Bryce is eager to do odd jobs around Cabot Cove for anyone, including Jessica, to help his struggling single mother Marla with her financial troubles. The Bryces are one of several people who resent the fees imposed on them by sleazy landlord Jack Franzen. A few days later, Jessica becomes concerned when Marla has disappeared, leaving Kevin on his own. After they file a missing person report with Metzger, both are shocked to find Franzen's body a mile from Kevin's home. Metzger suspects Marla of murdering the victim - they had disappeared the same day as she did, and the murder weapon, a shovel, belonged to her. Jessica is not convinced, especially as Kevin suspects someone else was involved.
Playboy stockbroker Philip Royce is more interested in golf and women than handling his clients, including Jessica, leaving his work to be done by his secretary Norma Pulaski. Royce's behaviour does little to help with the investment firm he co-owns, as others fear a takeover bid may succeed against their wishes. When Royce is found murdered in his apartment, Norma is suspected of the crime due to her handling of his business affairs. Jessica is not convinced that this is the case, especially as the victim had slowly made enemies with others, and decides to help Norma out of her situation, especially when her boyfriend is later accused of murdering Royce out of jealously.
Jessica's niece Victoria Griffin is now working as a realtor agent after her husband's TV series is cancelled, and her first commission resides with the sale of an estate in Beverly Hills. The owner, Deborah Tarkington, is unwilling to sell to a buyer who seeks the property for a major development, leaving Victoria in a difficult position. But when Tarkington is found dead in her home, the police arrest Jessica's niece for the crime as the murder weapon bore her fingerprints. The mystery writer is convinced the police are mistaken, and works to prove Victoria's innocence, believing the real killer is among the parties who were interested in the victim's mansion.
Taping for the anniversary edition of Barry Barnes' variety television show, sees Jessica invited to watch rehearsals with the same list of guests who performed on the program in 1965. The mystery writer's invite included a request that she investigate the unsolved murder of singer Ricky King, who was killed backstage in his changing room. No sooner does she become involved, another murder occurs, this time with the show's writer Art Sommers. Aided by a retired NYPD detective who handled the investigation into King's death, she soon begins to suspect a link between the two murders, and that everything hinges on the events surrounding the Haley Sisters after 1965.
Jessica invites viewers to hear the tale of one of her former students, Maggie McCauley, who went on to become the producer and writer for a hit television program. Despite the show's success, the network executive Keith Carmody threatened to cancel it, until he was later found shot dead in the screening room for the show's studio. Maggie decides to find out what happened, and, aided by a police lieutenant friend investigating the murder, learns that Carmody had plenty of enemies, many of whom resented the way he behaved and worked, along with the decisions he undertook in his job. Both soon suspect the murder may have been linked to something the victim did against the killer.
Jessica invites viewers to hear the tale of NYPD detective, Lt. James O'Malley, who became involved in investigating the suspicious death of Gretchen Trent. Her husband Richard, a property developer, is convinced she committed suicide, but neither O'Malley nor his niece, recruited by him to join as a detective, are convinced of this. Richard attempts to side-line further investigation by the police, attempting to use the detective's reputation against him, but this only fuels suspicions that his wife's death may have been murder. As both look further into the matter, O'Malley begins to suspect that the victim may have been killed by someone else, despite Richard's actions in the matter.
Jessica's friend, Dennis Stanton, sends a cassette tape to her in Cabot Cove, revealing how he now works as an investigator for an insurance company in San Francisco. In his recording, he relate how he became involved in solving a murder during his first case - the theft of a valuable coin. The crime led to the murder of the owner's gardener, and eventually suspicion fell on businessman Langston Douglas, the owner's son, who was facing serious financial debt. However, Langston was later found murdered during the police investigation and coin not in his possession, prompting Dennis to determine what really happened after the theft.
Jessica travels to Fairville, Texas, to attend the upcoming wedding of her cousin Ann Owens Arden to Bill Spenser, a former town rebel who made a fortune in Alaska. During a reception before the ceremony, Ann is surprised when her brother George turns up out of the blue, having been in a mental institution. No sooner after his arrival, Bill is murdered with George accused of the crime after he goes missing. Jessica is shocked to discover the crime mirrors the same sequence of events that led to the murder of Ann's first fiancé 15 years ago, which her brother was accused of committing. When George is later found, Jessica questions him and soon begins to have doubts that he is the real killer.
Grady Fletcher and his wife Donna, now pregnant with their first child, arrive in Cabot Cove to house-sitting for Jessica while she is away in London. The day after they arrive, both are shocked to find the body of a dead sailor in the living room. Metzger investigates for them, hoping to not bother the mystery writer in her absence, and soon links the crime to the recent arrival of three strangers and an odd Oriental ornament in Jessica's possession that each seem to seek. Grady and Donna find themselves soon embroiled in the mystery further, but as things begin to heat up, they soon discover that the murder may have been committed for a different reason.
Note: While this episode takes place in Cabot Cove and features Doctor Seth Hazlet, Sheriff Metzger, and Deputy Sheriff Floyd, Jessica Fletcher only appears briefly in a phone conversation.
Jessica receives a letter from her British agent friend Michael Haggerty, who recalls an intriguing assignment that led to him dealing with a mysterious murder. In Italy, Haggerty was assigned to pose as a priest in order to secure a black book containing valuable information. The book itself was placed into a vault in Switzerland by a member of an Italian mafia family, prompting the agent to become involved in a sudden marriage between the widow and a local shyster seeking to secure her late husband's money. The matter soon came to a head when an imposter was murdered for posing as a member of the family, prompting Haggerty to abscond with the couple, where he soon learnt the book was sought out by another party.
In New York, Jessica is surprised when her lawyer reveals she is being sued by Geraldine Stone for the wrongful arrest of her father, who recently died when trying to escape from prison. The mystery writer is later shocked when a witness, a taxi driver who is terminally ill, claims that they gave a false statement that helped put Geraldine's father away. When the witness is later found dead in their home, questions are raised behind what happened by both the police detective and the district attorney who handled the Stone case. Jessica is convinced something is not right when she discovers that Geraldine's lawyer has an unsavoury reputation, and soon questions if the police are dealing with something other than murder.
Following a bicycle accident in Cabot Cove that breaks her arm, Jessica hires Melissa Maddox to help type up her latest manuscript while she recovers. Her new assistant has a secret admirer in local writer Jeff Ogden, who works for the local paper, and an unhappy marriage with her husband Ralph, who is disliked by several other residents. When Melissa returns home one evening, she finds Ralph dead, having been stabbed in the chest with scissors. Frightened, she convinces Jeff to help move the body so it appeared he was killed at his lumbar yard. When Metzger is not convinced and suspects both of the murder, Jessica decides to find out what happened, believing another was involved in the murder.
Jessica recounts to the viewers a recent case that Dennis Stanton handled in San Francisco, concerning the arrest of Ed Kriegler for the murder of ruthless divorce attorney Truman Calloway. The victim had received verbal threats from Kriegler after Calloway used unethical methods to convince his wife to divorce them. Although the police are convinced they have their man, Dennis learns that the attorney had other enemies, including ex-husbands who hated him for his work, ex-wives who struggled with the way he treated them, and a lawyer who sought to beat him no matter what. He soon discovers someone has lied, after the police arrest a second person for the murder.
Jessica is saddened to learn that her old friend Daniel Hannigan, a journalist and writer, is dying, and agrees to take finish a book he was writing that would reopen the investigation of a murder that took place 16 years ago. The victim, Lydia Grant Thurlow, was found dead in her home after a struggle, and her husband Martin was convicted of the crime. Hannigan was asked to look into the matter by Martin's sister, and became convinced with the evidence he could access that Martin was innocent of the crime. When Jessica picks up where he left off, she finds herself interviewing all those involved to determine who else had a motive for the crime, and soon uncovers a cover-up with the murder.
While in a jewellers in New York to get her watch fixed, Jessica is surprised when the manager refuses to pursues charges against wealthy Sheila Finley when she steals an expensive necklace from the store. When she visits a fund-raiser for an old friend being held in Finley's home, Jessica is shocked when the woman's chauffeur, Rocco Pastolino, is found murdered in her garage. Police assume Finley was responsible for the murder, as she had been in a relationship with the victim, but Jessica is not certain that is correct when the police's suspect is later attacked. The mystery writer is convinced Pastolino may have been causing problems for others, and potentially blackmailing his killer.
A new health club is opened in Cabot Cove and proves a big hit with many of the women in town. Many of the men resent this, due to the fact that the women are attracted to its owner, fitness instructor Wayne Bennett, including Jessica's friend Eve Simpson. However, he soon becomes a suspect in a murder when a former friend of his, Fred Keppard, is found shot dead in Simpson's home. Metzger soon discover the pair were former associates who conducted several scams in the past, and that Keppard was in town to conduct fraud on local residents. As secrets are exposed about Bennett that shock the women, Jessica investigates and soon discovers that the victim was not the intended target of the killer.
Jessica is shocked to reunite with Preston Giles, her first publisher whom she later found to have been involved in a murder. Having been paroled from prison, Giles is now helping out his former publishing company out of financial troubles, as part of his parole conditions. However, he is not happy to find his old partner Martin Bergman still works there, and is concerned that the new vice-president wants him to bring Jessica back to the company. When Bergman is found murdered, Giles becomes the prime suspect in the case. Even though she is uncomfortable about his return, Jessica begins to doubt he could be responsible, and feels that someone else was involved, especially when Giles takes a fatal risk to expose them.
During a book signing in San Francisco, Jessica runs into Dennis Stanton, who delightfully regales her with his latest investigation. His insurance company recently offered to insure a rare Mark Twain manuscript that had recently surfaced for $5 million, after it was authenticated. However, Dennis felt something was wrong about the manuscript, and soon suspected foul play when the document is destroyed in a fire, shortly before his close friend, document expert Constantin Stavros, was murdered after discovering something about its origins. The only thing the victim left him was a cryptic literary clue. As police investigate the matter, Dennis soon realizes the meaning of the clue, shortly after a second murder occurred.
Patti Sue Diamond, a famed country singer, is married to her husband Bobby, another country star, and lives a good life in Nashville, Tennessee, with his daughter Alice from a previous marriage. Inviting her friend Jessica, Patti reveals she is concerned about her husband, especially as he is quite stubborn with the company he serves a contract with. The night after her arrival, Jessica and Alice are shocked when Bobby is murdered and Patti is taken to hospital after being poisoned. Police question who wanted the Diamonds dead, and soon arrest Alice when she is caught trying to murder her step-mother. The mystery writer is not convinced she would kill her father, and suspects a missing recording is a crucial clue in the investigation.
Jessica narrates a new tale concerning Dennis Stanton in San Francisco, who recently was instructed to investigate a matter for his insurance company. The case concerned classical pianist Vaclav Maryska, who had insured his hands against damages which were recently burned in a fire in his apartment. During the investigation, Dennis discovered that Maryska's wife Milena was struggling with their marriage and was becoming alienated with her son from a previous marriage. When Milena is later discovered murdered, her son is swiftly accused of her murder and arrested soon afterwards. Dennis suspects something is not right, and believes his own insurance investigation is linked to the matter.
While dining in Boston with Jessica, Seth finds himself requested to help discreetly treat the patriarch of a mafia family, Carmine Abruzzi, after he survives an attempt on his life. After the FBI question them over the matter, as local police were investigating the shooting, Seth and Jessica are soon kidnapped by the family's lawyer, where they learn that Carmine died after being treated and the doctor is accused of assassinating him. Jessica is not convinced, as her friend reveals someone gave his unexpected patient a fatal overdose of one of his drugs. Seeking answers, Jessica discover Carmine was making plans to retire that would have brought unwanted changes for the Abruzzi's way of life.
Jessica narrates a new tale she received from Dennis Stanton in San Francisco, where he investigated a murder that he was prime suspect in. Dennis had been attending a cocktail party when he ran into Christina Hellinger, an old acquaintance, who is wishing to divorce her brutish husband Danny. When Christina later meets Dennis with a bruise on her face, following a day out, Dennis went to confront Danny at the couple's hotel, only to find him dead. Evading the police, who suspect him of murdering Danny, Dennis was forced to investigate the matter, especially as the victim's death left a hefty inheritance for his two sons. However, it soon becomes clear the murder was conducted by someone he least expected to suspect.
On the roads outside Cabot Cove, Metzger arrests Bradley Hellman, visiting the area, for speeding and attempting to bribe him. While he learns that Bradley has a dark past known by the NYPD, he is forced to release him when his father, a prominent US ambassador, makes trouble for the sheriff. Shortly after doing so, Bradley is found murdered and Metzger resigns in disgust when he becomes a subject of political games. Knowing the sheriff to be a good man, Jessica decides to investigate and prove his innocence. In the course of her investigation, she discovers that the victim was a serious troublemaker, but begins to question why he had been coming to town in the first place.
While in Texas on a book tour, Jessica is horrified when news reports claim she was arrested in the town of Bremerton. Seeking to clear up the matter with the local sheriff, she soon discovers that a local woman, Marge Allen, posed as her to investigate kennel owner Simon McCauley. Meeting with Allen's friends, who run a fan club for Jessica's work, she soon becomes embroiled in a new murder mystery when Allen is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Discovering she was last seen heading to confront McCauley, who has also died in a suspected shooting accident, the mystery writer calls on the club to help her out. She soon suspects Allen may have stumbled onto a murder and had to be silenced.
On a book tour in Missouri, Jessica visits her old friend Edna Hayes, who owns and runs a successful bakery company. Despite the success, Haynes is facing problems that place her company under financial pressure, as the IRS claims she failed to employee tax deductions for the last two quarters. Her ex-husband Nolan is facing similar troubles from them, but shortly after meeting her to discuss his problems, he is later found murdered apparently tending to a flat tire. Jessica is not convinced when the police arrest Edna for the crime, believing someone is framing her. Investigating herself, the mystery writer discovers the company's problems may be linked to Nolan's death, and turns to the IRS for assistance.
Jessica travels to Kentucky to visit her old friend Lamar Morgan and his daughter Christie, a local veterinarian, as they face problems in a neighbourly dispute. Morgan is facing a lawsuit regarding two foals he now has that were sired by a stallion belonging to horse breeder Randolph Sterling. The dispute leads to Jessica hiring Harry McGraw to investigate what happened. However, the matter becomes complicated when Sterling is found dead in his office, having received a blow to the head. With Morgan arrested on suspicion of the murder, Jessica and Harry find there are others who may have had reason to kill, especially as the dispute was causing issues within Sterling's family.
Ned Jenks returns to Cabot Cove after disappearing twenty years ago following a bank robbery he committed, having been in prison for another crime. While he intends to reunite with his estranged daughter Bonnie and her family, her husband and several other people who were victims of his crime are not happy to see him. His return soon brings unwanted tension around town, which soon culminates with Jenks being straggled in his motel room. Suspicion falls on Bonnie's husband who was fired from his job due to problems with the victim, whereupon they are later arrested by Metzger for the crime. Jessica is not convinced, as she believes Jenks' return to town may have been down to something concerning the bank robbery he committed.
Dennis Stanton visits Jessica in hopes of regaling her with his latest investigation in San Francisco concerning a missing ventriloquist dummy that led to murder. The case concerned the shy ventriloquist Elwood Perkins, who spoke better through his puppet and was a popular act for Kate Kelley, the owner of a club he performed at. When the puppet disappeared, Dennis began a search for it, but when he deduced it was hidden in the basement, he was not expecting to find Kelley's body in the process. The local police suspect Perkins murdered her, as the victim was unwilling to let him out of his contract for a gig in Las Vegas, but Dennis believes he was innocent, as Kelley was brutal with others at the club.
While away in the north-west of the country, Jessica finds herself approached by Nancy Landon requesting her help. The writer is shocked when the woman claims that her son Steve, a local architect, is being accused of setting alight a construction site belonging to local contractor Ben Olston. Jessica is shocked when Nancy claims that her son is the illegitimate child of the writer's late husband, but agrees to investigate regardless. Although she learns that Steve was refusing to take bribes from Olston to conceal the shoddy construction of the school, Jessica is convinced someone else was involved. But when Olston is murdered, she soon has to come to Nancy's aid when she is arrested for the crime.
In Pennsylvania, Jessica travels to an Amish country to find a present for her nephew, accompanied by her publisher's liaison Reuben Stoltz. Upon their arrival, the pair find themselves stranded after a minor car accident, whereupon the writer is surprised to learn Stoltz was part of the Amish community but had left due to his deep animosity against one of the Amish elders, Jacob Beiler. The day after their arrival, Beiler is found murdered in a field, having been made up to look like a scarecrow. Stoltz becomes accused for the crime, though Jessica is not certain of the local sheriff's theory. She soon learns that the victim was killed in a nearby barn with a pitchfork, and question his reasons for being there in the first place.
Ellen Wicker returns to old hometown of Dry Wells, California, to operate a new diner, but soon faces problems when two of her regulars die suddenly. When the local sheriff, whom she despises for his lecherous behaviour with her before, arrests her for poisoning the men, Ellen finds herself facing abuse from distrusting locals. Jessica soon arrives in town to help out, having previous proved her innocence in a murder investigation in Boston. The mystery writer questions the two deaths, believing there is more behind them, but then the matter is complicated when another of Ellen's regulars dies after visiting her, having been poisoned themselves. With her friend facing trouble, Jessica swiftly works to get to the bottom of things.
Struggling author Nick Cullhane is facing problems in Boston, but arrives in Cabot Cove to see Jessica, desperately seeking to reclaim a manuscript he wrote and sent to her, as both parties want it. The mystery writer is puzzled about this, since she doesn't have it, until Harry McGraw turns up with instructions to track both Cullhane and the manuscript. When the writer himself is murdered, Jessica and Harry suspect he was killed because of what he wrote, and have to bring Metzger up to date on the situation. The group soon discover that Cullhane's manuscript concerned a faked kidnapping several years ago by three men from the brewery, who are now desperate to conceal their actions from being exposed.
Jessica receives a teaching position in New York, and so acquires herself an apartment to save her the trouble of travelling back and forth from Cabot Cove. Her purchase soon brings her into a new mystery when its former tenant, Mike Freelander, is murdered and the apartment ransacked after she moves in. Joined by Seth, who came to check in on her, she soon learns that the victim acted strangely on the day of his death, and soon learns he may have been involved in smuggling contraband. While the lead detective on the case is not willing to let investigate, Jessica is determined to discover what happened, especially when Freelander's brother and business partner is later murdered, and she discovers the motive behind the crime.
Preparing to teach a course on criminology at Manhattan University, Jessica is annoyed when the course's previous teacher challenges her to identify the mugger behind a spate of muggings around campus. However, she is forced to investigate when the latest target is fatally shot, shortly after learning she was hired as part of a recruiting stunt. Teaming up with Officer Kevin Bryce, a student who aspires to follow after his late father, Jessica is soon puzzled when bizarre messages turn up around campus, making it seem like the mugger is mentally unsound. But beneath the complexities that begin emerging, both she and Bryce soon discover there is a simple solution behind the situation, when they discover something off with a piece of evidence.
Biographer Jane Dawson has a reputation for publishing books that cause scandals for the subjects she researches about, something that Jessica dislikes. Both she and her friend Arthur Brent are unhappy that Dawson intends to write a new book about Brent's wife, a movie actress who has become reclusive due to health issues. When the biographer is found dead in her tub, having been electrocuted, Brent finds himself under suspicion as both the victim's husband and sister saw him within the house before the body was found. Jessica decides to investigate, believing something is not right and that her friend is being framed. She soon learns that Dawson was a woman with a mysterious past, and that she was making big plans for the future.
Metzger is shocked when his brother Wayne turns up in Cabot Cove without warning, after the pair became estranged following their father's death. Reluctant to help him, Metzger secures him work with local fisherman Zach Franklin who needs a deckhand for his fishing vessel. Wayne discovers that his new employer has problems, but soon finds himself in trouble when Franklin disappears while they were out at sea. All signs point to a struggle aboard the vessel, with Metzger fearing his brother was involved, though Jessica is not convinced. When the vessel's co-owner is later murdered, Wayne is in the frame for the crime, but Jessica believes there is more behind the two separate events, and questions the relationship between the two victims.
Michael Rossari, an intelligent young man, offers to help Jessica find a new computer with a local firm he works for, after her typewriter breaks. The mystery writer soon finds herself drawn into a murder when Michael's boss, Alan Miller, is found dead moments before a class on computers is set to take place in the firm. Michael becomes the prime suspect when it transpires he had supplied the firm with stolen stock, but Jessica is convinced someone is framing him when a meeting she plans with him is somehow picked up by the police.
Visiting New Orleans to attend the funeral of John 'Daddy' Coop, a legendary blues musician, Jessica is shocked when she and Coop's widow come across the body of Coop's closest friend. Although the late musician's son, a police detective, advises her against investigating, Jessica decides to determine what happened when the widow receives threatening calls. She soon begins to suspect that it may be linked to a murder twenty years ago, involving Coop's former mistress, and soon begins to unravel a conspiracy behind the deaths.
Novelist Ginny Blanchard is preparing for her fifth wedding anniversary with husband Clark, a prominent businessman. Jessica, visiting her old friend, finds herself coming to Ginny's aid when Clark is later found murdered near the couple's beachfront property. Police soon suspect Ginny was involved, as she was abused by her husband whenever he was drunk. However, Jessica is not convinced she is guilty as she attempts to piece together what happened, learning that Clark had several enemies, some of whom hated him deeply for the way he treated them.
A member of a prestigious committee faces disciplinary action for alleged misconduct, but is murdered before his punishment can be enforced, and Jessica must step in when the other members' suspicions pit them against one another.
Jessica attends a ballet rehearsal, but all the dancers are in grave danger when someone cuts a rope with a stage decoration and the lead ballerina is later murdered.
A newcomer (Mary Crosby) to Cabot Cove gets the lead role in the community play, as a woman accused of witchcraft in the 1600s. But the aspiring actress is subsequently suspected of being the real thing, and is eventually framed for murdering a judge, who was also the magistrate in the play.
Seth is accused of malpractice when the CEO of Cabot Cove's computer company checks in for a blood transfusion but dies after receiving the wrong type, an outcome Jessica suspects is exactly what someone wanted.
Jessica travels to Mexico for an archaeological dig and to investigate the theft of a historic mask from a local museum. Things take a turn during a Day of the Dead celebration when the mask is found on the corpse of a murdered drug lord.
Seth invites one of his old Army buddies (Gerald S. O'Loughlin) to visit Cabot Cove, but the ex-soldier is subsequently accused of murdering a yacht dealer (Cliff DeYoung).
Jessica discovers a true-crime writer, investigating a 20-year-old murder in Cabot Cove for his next book, is one of her former students. But when he is murdered, Jessica must find out what it was he uncovered, and who would kill to keep it quiet.
Jessica is kidnapped by a rogue CIA agent who mistook her for a spy in a smuggling ring, and his real target is murdered by the time he realizes his mistake.
Jessica has a bone to pick with a cartoonist (Harvey Fierstein) who used her as inspiration for the lead character in a scandalous cartoon strip. But the murder of one of his staff causes Jessica to wonder if she put the blame on the wrong person.
In New Mexico, Jessica investigates a long ago stagecoach robbery, that may be connected to the murder of the owner (Steve Forrest) of an Old West tourist attraction.
Christmas in Cabot Cove is even more holly-jolly when a hardware tycoon's daughter gets engaged, but when the groom (Sean O'Bryan) is accused of attempted murder, several other things from his past come to light.
An actor friend (Peter Donat) of Seth's comes out of retirement to star in a new play, but the murder of his former manager (Bradford Dillman) puts the production on hold.
One of Jessica's writing students is framed for murdering a crime boss, whom the police had just found evidence proving he killed the student's father - after he was tried and acquitted.
One of Jessica's friends is attacked after witnessing the murder of her boyfriend, a rookie undercover police officer, and Jessica teams up with the victim's hard-boiled superior (Stan Shaw) to uncover the truth.
Jessica travels to Hong Kong to visit her friend, a Chinese ceramic artist, and the wife of an American businessman negotiating a merger. However, Jessica's friend is briefly kidnapped, and although she returns safe and sound, she ends up the prime suspect when her husband is fatally poisoned during a party.
An occultist/author is in Cabot Cove to research an infamous house and its history for a book. He also believes the house's current inhabitant, a mysterious man, is a vampire, which works against him when the home owner is later murdered with a stake in his heart. However, the murder may be related to a local woman who has been missing for months.
The successful release of a virtual reality game based on one of Jessica's books is short-lived when it coincides with the murder of the lead designer.
Jessica's latest novel causes uproar when it resembles a case where a video store owner (George Segal) was accused of murdering his wife 5 years earlier. As a result, the man sues Jessica, only to end up murdered as well.
Jessica guest stars on a TV cooking show hosted by a famous chef (John Saxon) who is murdered shortly after opening his new restaurant, and one of Jessica's friends is accused of the crime.
Jessica's recently widowed editor (Robert Desiderio) who apparently committed suicide, leaves behind some things that cause Jessica to suspect foul play.
Jessica's teen writing class has two promising students, Alida and Chris. But when Chris' loan-shark stepfather turns up dead after pursuing Alida and fleeing a hit-and-run, Chris is the prime suspect.
Jessica visits the owner (Earl Holliman) of a failing trucking company, whose son (Patrick Cassidy) is accused of the vehicular homicide of his girlfriend's (Melora Hardin) blackmailing ex-husband.
A carnival comes to Cabot Cove in the midst of several burglaries, but doesn't seem to make very much money. Things only get worse when a married couple employed by the carnival are accused of murdering the troupe leader (Bradford Dillman), and the woman turns out to be Sheriff Metzger's ex-girlfriend.
Jessica is for a wild time when she visits the Los Angeles Animal Park to do research for her new book and ends up investigating the murder of a self-proclaimed anti-zoo activist who was bitten by a large poisonous snake.
The best-laid travel plans go seriously awry when Jessica puts her holiday in Amsterdam on hold in order to look into the disappearance of a friend and, shockingly, becomes the main suspect in an even more serious crime.
A documentary film about a Cabot Cove Legend becomes more of a suspense-thriller when the director is killed and Jessica is forced to seek clues frame by frame.
Jessica's Hawaiian vacation to visit a power broker friend (Ken Howard) is interrupted when there's trouble in paradise as his family becomes involved in a political feud, which escalates into accusations of money laundering and, ultimately, the murder of his gardener.
Nothing's black-and-white when Jessica investigates the sudden death of a San Francisco Union love and marriage columnist who met an abrupt ending none of her readers could have predicted.
A birthday present of free cable TV ends up being more trouble than it's worth when Jessica's neighbor witnesses an on-camera murder of a jeweler's wife (Jessica Walter), and Jessica's investigation of the crime leads to a potential diamond robbery.
During a break in Martinique, Jessica graciously comes to the aid of a private investigator who is accused of killing the woman (Cassie Yates) he was tracking on the tropical island.
With the fate of a struggling winery handing in the balance, Jessica looks into two brutal deaths in beautiful Sonoma and finds help in the form of a telepathic dog and an unusual cellarman.
Secrets and lies are exposed when Cabot Cove's bullying town barber is found electrocuted in his garage and the high school teacher who was his clandestine lover appears to subsequently commit suicide.
It's a case of publish or perish when Jessica must prove that a hard-drinking fellow mystery writer, who hasn't produced a book in years, is not responsible for a brutal crime.
A book fair in Florida becomes the backdrop for a case of international intrigue when Jessica and a mysterious Russian detective (David Ogden Stiers) investigate the strange link between a stolen Faberge egg and the murder of a family member (Andrew Robinson) of one of the show attendees.
Jessica's friend Dr. Seth Hazlitt takes her to visit his wealthy cousin's plantation, but the trip takes an unexpected turn when their host is killed and the doctor becomes co-owner of the estate with the victim's young fiancee.
A trip to Cairo with a museum curator begins badly when Jessica's bag is stolen, and then takes a turn for the worse when a priceless relic also goes missing and the hard-boiled thief is murdered.
The passionate - and sometimes bizarre - world of Italian opera envelops Jessica when she works with an eccentric police inspector in Genoa, Italy, to catch the murderer of an opera company's manager.
The world believes that Jessica's scientist friend took his own life, but she knows that he really faked his death. When he actually does die at the hands of a killer, she works to set the record straight.
There's no business like show business, as Jessica learns when she travels to Hollywood to discuss a screen adaptation, but ends up on a case involving the deaths both of a movie memorabilia fanatic (John Astin) and a legendary director.
Jessica meets some lowlifes in the world of high fashion when she visits Paris to help launch her novel and learns about a plot to assassinate the ruthless owner of slave-labor sweatshops.
Plans for a huge marina between Cabot Cove and neighboring town Craggy Neck turn deadly when the jilted wife of one of the developers drowns in her car off the waterfront.
Beneath the serene surface of academia, Jessica discovers jealousy, bitterness and even murder when she delivers a creative-writing lecture at an exclusive Ivy League Prep school.
Jessica needs some luck o' the Irish when she visits the Emerald Isle and fights to stop a destructive mining conglomerate headed by a councilman who controls local politicians through bribery or even murder.
Beauty is only skin deep when a business entrepreneur (John O'Hurley) is stabbed to death with a famous hair stylist's scissors, and Jessica finds the culprit by following a string of ugly break-ins.
While helping a friend launch a new TV show in Aspen, Jessica and investigator Charlie Garrett look into a mysterious death with a multi-million dollar payout.
Jessica finds that there's more than one secret buried in the desert sands surrounding the town of Gila Junction when the discovery of a strongbox filled with cash leads to murder.
Jessica gets wrapped up in the deadly world of New Orleans black magic when a voodoo doll is linked to a local turf war between rival supper-club owners. Guest stars: Elizabeth Ashley, Robert Forster.
Murder strikes close to home when a young nurse under suspicion of performing mercy killings becomes the primary care provider for Jessica's best friend, Maggie. Guest star: Audra Lindley.
A terrifying ghost story threatens to become all too real when Jessica investigates the killing of a healthy American in Ireland and his connections to a haunted castle.
After narrowly escaping a harrowing demise in the castle dungeon, Jessica sets a trap to catch the perpetrators of a hoax who will stop at nothing to scare their victims to death.
Script rewrites on a film adaptation take a back seat when Jessica witnesses the fiery end of a stuntman during what should have been a routine car crash.
Jessica enters the high-stakes world of art smuggling when a stolen Degas shows up beneath a recently auctioned painting and an obscure painter is murdered that very night.
Some people do get their just desserts, as Jessica discovers when she investigates an unpleasant ice cream company co-owner found on ice in the corporate freezer.
It's Jessica versus a federal grand jury when she's subpoenaed in the case of a corrupt investment firm and the only person who can clear her name turns up dead.
When a traditional Japanese marriage contract is broken after the fiance is killed by a masked assailant, Jessica must decipher a politically charged love triangle in order to find the culprit. Guest stars: Pat Morita, Tom Wopat.
Jessica works to help an up-and-coming band land a recording deal, but the bass guitarist (Tony Plana) finds himself singing the blues when his sister is implicated in a murder.
A benefit concert to save Cabot Cove's Maine Woods from development goes distinctly off-key when a sniper takes aim at a celebrated young singer who is later electrocuted.
Jessica finds herself working on an 11-year-old case when a young editor (Tracy Middendorf) wants to throw the book at the celebrated novelist who, she believes, kidnapped her when she was a child, only to become the prime suspect when he is found murdered.
It's lights, camera, murder when a powerful producer is killed the night before announcing which of the six stars of a hit series is going to be fired.
A child's toy becomes the murder weapon used to kill a security guard at a children's TV studio, and the only "suspect" is a puppet based on the character of a french poodle detective, whom Jessica created in a short story that became a TV show.
Jessica's visit with a friend running for senator is disrupted by the arrival of a man who threatens to reveal some scandalous...and later is found knifed to death.
When she learns that she may inherit land in Australia, Jessica ventures down under and finds herself involved in a deadly clash between sheep owners and miners that ends in the murder of the mayor's son. Guest stars: Briony Behets, Alastair Duncan.
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21
"Race to Death"
Vincent McEveety
Story by : Peter Barwood and Laurence Heath Teleplay by : Laurence Heath
A young skipper on a quest for the World Cup finds herself in hot water when her main competitor is found murdered, and Cabot Cove's Honorary Commodore Jessica works to solve the killing. Guest stars: Steve Forrest, Martin Milner.
The teenage landscape gardener redesigning Jessica's yard is killed when his motorcycle goes off the road, and his fiancee is convinced that his death was no accident.
Jessica's trip to Georgia is anything but peachy when a hotel room mix-up gets her involved with a weapons broker looking to buy a vial of a deadly virus.
This year's annual visit to San Francisco to participate in a "book-talk" radio show is very different for Jessica: the station has made drastic changes in its effort to reach more listeners...and the shock jock's manipulative manager has been killed.
Jessica travels to Ireland to attend the reading of an old friend's will and realizes that the will contains clues to the whereabouts of a secret treasure, as well as pointing to the real killer responsible for a series of murders.
