REVIEW: Gin & Daggers

 Gin & Daggers
Author: Donald Bain (Jessica Fletcher)

I loved the television show Murder, She Wrote. I watched it religiously each week from the premiere clear through to its last episode. I've always wanted to read the novels, but never got around to it. I think over the years I've only read 2 or 3 of the books. And there are more than 50! 

I finally decided it was time to stop wishing and start reading! 

Gin & Daggers is the first Murder, She Wrote novel. It was first published in 1989 while the show was still going strong on television. Fans of Jessica Fletcher complained about discrepancies between the character on the show and in the book (mainly the fact that Jessica talks about driving a car in the original book....and in the show she never learned to drive). In 2000, a corrected edition was published fixing the error about driving. 

When I found this out, of course I had to find both editions of the book and read both to see if there were substantial changes. The changes were very few and very minor. But, it's the thought that counts. The author and publisher was aware that fans did not like the Jessica Errors....and fixed them. Nice!  One cosmetic difference I noticed was the older version of the book used the same font the television show used for the title and chapter headings. The paperback version from 2000 that I read did not. I liked seeing the font from the show! Made me smile. :) 

There were some other differences I noted in the character -- like her referencing a past trip to London with her husband Frank. She remembered eating at some very expensive restaurants and seemed up on some cuisine and customs that would have been seemingly out of the price range for the television character before her writing career. And, in one spot Jessica mentions Frank was supportive of her writing, but in the show she  took  up her writing career after his death. But.....the book was very true to the character otherwise. I'm willing to give a little grace to the author. Glad they fixed some of the minor discrepancies that upset fans at the time, but it would have been impossible to fix them all without completely changing the book.

The basics: Jessica is attending an mystery author's conference in London, and is also a guest of an aging very popular mystery writer. When the writer is murdered and Jessica the number one suspect, she finds herself on the trail of a killer. As usual. 

In real life, a woman like Jessica who always seems to be at the scene of murders would probably end up in prison! But....I totally suspend reality and just enjoy this character!! Whether in television re-runs or novels based on the show -- I still love Jessica Fletcher! Even 40 years after I first watched the show on tv! 

I loved this first novel, and I'm going to read my way through as many of them as I can! And, yes, it was

totally worth the extra time to read the earlier version, then scan the newer version for changes. I love doing stuff like that! Probably most of the reason it's taking me years to read through all of Agatha Christie's books....I'm always going on some side tangent to read up on people, politics, places, foods, historical references, etc. I did the same with this Murder, She Wrote novel. They went to several restaurants and places in London....and I was happily looking up drink recipes, fancy foods that I was unfamiliar with, and lots of interesting places in London! The mystery was enjoyable.....but the side treks to research things mentioned in the book was also so much fun! 

Reading this book has made me want to re-watch the show! Thank God for streaming services -- I can watch every season and every episode easily! Woot! :)