A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain is a 2009 Berkley publication.

Jessica has come down with a bad case of writer’s block and all of Cabot Cove is aware of it. But her attention is diverted from her WIP as she prepares to host a Thanksgiving feast at her home. The guests are certainly an eclectic group, which will include her old friend, George, from across the pond.

But a new development had Jessica worried. She has noticed a man loitering around her house, while she is receiving daily letters that contain one letter at a time- some lower case- some upper case. At first Jessica blew it off, but as the letters continued George and Mort feel it is worth investigating.

Meanwhile, Jessica’s guest list continues to grow and with that she begins to worry they won’t all get along….

This may not be the only Thanksgiving themed novel in this series, but it’s the only one that came up in a search for Thanksgiving mysteries- so, I’m presuming it is.

Every year when the dog days of summer are winding down, I start craving Christmas stories. Even through the month of October when I’m also in the mood for something spooky, I can’t help but sneak in a few Christmas novels. But, what about Thanksgiving?

A few years ago, that question popped into my mind and since then, I’ve made a concerted effort to find and read at least one Thanksgiving themed story. So, without further ado…

This story is a bit of a slow burner- but I was so enjoying my return to Cabot Cove -with George making the trip to this landscape- that I didn’t mind the slow buildup.

Once the murder takes place, I thought it was fairly easy to decipher who the killer was, but the motive was very murky. So murky, I never would have put that piece of the puzzle together no matter how many times I guessed!!

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this Thanksgiving themed mystery. The ending was slightly quirky but all’s well that ends well. If you are overwhelmed by the rush into Christmas and all those 'Black Friday' sales- take some time out to read a good cozy Thanksgiving story and remember to slow down and take time to be thankful!!

4 stars ( )

if you like the TV series, you will enjoy spending time with some of the familiar characters and solve another mystery together. Cabot Cove at Thanksgiving sounds charming, and Jessica's friend from the UK helps her solve a murder-that of one of her dinner guests! My mom loves these, and we are fortunate the series is available in large print editions. ( )

Jessica Fletcher invites her good friend Scotland Yard inspector George Sutherland from London, to come to Cabot Cove to experience the Thanksgiving holiday with her. Of course, all doesn’t go as smoothly as she hoped once a murder is committed. This was another fun Murder, She Wrote mystery. I enjoyed the Thanksgiving festivities, delicious food, and the romantic sparks between Jessica and George. Although it did take some time for the murder to occur (about halfway into the book), it was still enjoyable to read about the lead-up to and preparations for Thanksgiving, the familiar faces of Cabot Cove, and a minor mystery involving some anonymous letters that Jessica was receiving in the mail. ( )

This was written by Jessica Fletcher with some help from a real author, Donald Bain. Jessica is excited that a friend, George - a Scotland Yard Inspector, is coming to Cabot Cove for a real Thanksgiving. She invites a lot of people over including a couple new in town and a homeless man who seems to be lurking around. She has writer's block and is having trouble with her new book. She starts to get mysterious letters. After the Thanksgiving dinner, she finds a very special knife that Dr. Seth Hazlitt owned, in the chest of the homeless man. She and George try to help the town sheriff solve the crime. She finds that the homeless man used to own a bar in Boston with his brother and that mobsters pressured them to sell. When the brothers refused, they were beaten and one was killed and the other was disabled and unable to think or communicate well. She can't figure out what the mystery letters are about until she later finds out it was her friends playing a joke on her, thinking that a mystery would get her mind unstuck so she could finish her book. She thinks the man behind the mob attack is in witness protection and in Cabot Cove. She turns out to be right but it was his wife who was tired of moving from place to place who killed the homeless man. George leaves and returns to England but asks Jessica to visit him in England over Christmas and she accepts. I didn't dislike the book and I always liked the tv series. However, it seemed superficial with no real depth to the characters.