MURDER, SHE WROTE, THE MURDER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES – James Anderson

I can recall, many many years ago. I was very small, a toddler, or maybe just a small kid. I don’t remember much, but I can clearly recall my father settling in in front of the telly, for another episode of the world famous series MURDER, SHE WROTE. While I cannot really remember much, the little that I recall is sweet memories. Obviously my father loved the show – as it goes, crime fiction is generally a favourite in our family, but I suppose it goes much deeper than that. It is remembering the simple joys of being a child in a situation where you are loved and secure. I am not a very sentimental person though, and this discussion is not about me. I just wanted to express how charmed I felt at holding this title in my hands, and experiencing all the memories it evoked...

So enough about me and my dad, as I said, don’t remember much, certainly not this specific episode, but at the very least I have strong memories of the character Jessica Fletcher. Fletcher was acted out by the famous Angela Lansbury, this I learned from the cover of the book. The book is thus an adaptation of one of the episodes of the famous television show MURDER, SHE WROTE. For solely not spoiling the nostalgia and, should I say romance that goes with it (romance in the sense of remembering things in a certain way), I wanted to resist the temptation to do a typical 21st century thing, and that is to WIKI-it. I fought the temptation, but in the end, couldn’t help myself. On to Wikipedia, read up on all about MURDER, SHE WROTE and Angela Lansbury, who, apparently, is still alive and acted in a film as recently as 2011 (well, it’s relatively recent).

Now, about MURDER, SHE WROTE: THE MURDER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, the book adaptation. Well, it cannot be easy to adapt a television show into a book. Television is such a different medium to paper and ink. The characters in this book were relatively convincing. However, the story was a bit plain and dull. It is really saddening to say it, but MURDER, SHE WROTE, THE MURDER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES was a bit of a disappointment. Some parts of the book is fun, and I’m certain that the television episode was a stunner, but to me, the book adaptation is no page turner.

For those totally unfamiliar with the television show MURDER, SHE WROTE, it should be said that the concept behind this famous television series involves, as mentioned already, a character called Jessica Fletcher. Fletcher is not a cop, but she writes crime fiction. In fact, if one thinks about it, this particular adaptation could well have been the very first episode of the very first series of MURDER, SHE WROTE, since in this particular book, Fletcher scores her first successful crime novel, which leads her to New York in into the terrain of the killer. Now, as a widow, Fletcher at times teaches English as a substitute teacher. This is where the author connection comes in, as Fletcher is a qualified English teacher and thus is gifted with regards to the subjects of words and literature. But (as I cannot really recall much about the show), according to WIKIPEDIA, Fletcher has a very exciting life. People are murdered often around her. And since she is a smart fiction writer and since the cops in the television show MURDER, SHE WROTE are often not doing their work very well (though without being “bad guys” in general), Fletcher usually ends up being the one who solves these crimes.

This is also the concept behind this particular book. This is what one should expect when considering it. I wish I could see one of the television episodes of MURDER, SHE WROTE now as an adult. I have a strong feeling the book adaptation doesn’t do the show much justice. However, MURDER, SHE WROTE: THE MURDER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES is not poor leisure reading, but there certainly are more exciting books.