Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Book Review: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early (Murder She Wrote #63)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Familiar faces in a fun mystery
Cons: Pacing a little off early on
The Bottom Line:
Filming a game show
Hunting a killer on set
Characters we love




Can Jessica Answer the Killer Question Correctly?

My favorite episodes of Murder, She Wrote were always the ones set in Cabot Cove because I enjoyed the relationships that Jessica Fletcher had with her friends, but especially Seth Hazlitt and Mort Metzger. So, seeing that they were going to play a starring role in Murder Most Trivial, even if the book takes our characters to Los Angeles, made me anxious to read it.

When Jessica, Seth, Mort, and Mort’s wife, Maureen, take part in a trivia contest at the grand opening of an Irish themed pub in Cabot Cove, they never expect to win, much less that the prize will be a trip to Los Angeles to be contestants on Trivia Pub Live, a new live trivia game show. However, things take a deadly turn when one of the crew is found dead after the first day of tapping. Will the team be able to find a killer and stay in the competition?

The main mystery takes a little while to get going, but the time is spent on a few subplots and setting up the main mystery. Once the mystery gets going, the book kicks into high gear, and I was never disappointed. There are plenty of suspects and lots going on, which means everyone has to sort through what is and isn’t important to solving the mystery. I was satisfied with the resolution to the mystery. And I liked how the subplots played out as well. 

We really do get lots of the other Cabot Cove characters in this book, and I enjoyed getting to see Seth and Mort off the clock. Well, mostly off the clock since they were unofficially getting involved in the case. I even laughed a couple of times at their interactions. 

And those aren’t the only familiar faces we see. We also get one of Jessica’s nieces and her husband. I immediately remember who they were, too, which made it extra fun. 

There are a lot of suspects here, but I was able to keep them straight. Some come alive more than others, but that’s mostly a factor of how much page time they get. 

We also get a tour of Los Angeles via filming locations for various mystery TV shows. I’ve got to admit, I haven’t sought many of these places out, so I enjoyed this tourism via the page in my local area. Don’t worry, these scenes lead into discussions of the happenings in the mystery so they don’t slow things down. 

Once again, we are treated to a fun mystery with a fantastic sleuth. Fans of the show or the books will enjoy Murder Most Trivial

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

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