Skating on Thin Ice

Murder, She Wrote #35

by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain

The brand-new mystery in the USA Today bestselling series finda Jessica Fletcher on the trail of a cold killer...

Christine Allen's dream of competing in pairs figure skating competitions becomes a nightmare when a series of "accidents" ruins her practice sessions with her partner and coach. And when the body of one of the trio is found dead at the arena, Jessica is determined to uncover the chilling motives behind the murder...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Cozy, Audiobook, Sports

275 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2011

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Jessica Fletcher (born Jessica Beatrice MacGill, and writes under the initialed J.B. Fletcher) is a fictional character from the US television series Murder, She Wrote.

In keeping with the spirit of the TV show, a series of official original novels have been written by American ghostwriter Donald Bain and published by the New American Library. The author credit for the novels is shared with the fictitious "Jessica Fletcher." When the first novel in the series, Gin and Daggers, was published in 1989 it included several inaccuracies to the TV series including Jessica driving a car which she could not do as she never learned to drive. Due to fans pointing out the errors, the novel was republished in 2000 with most of the inaccuracies corrected.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

To say that was I was expecting this book to be horrifically bad would be an understatement. Novelisations of tv series are rarely successful, and this book was just oozing "quality trash" from its seams. However, I was still not prepared how truly, immensely, force-read-prisoners-in-Guantanamo-bay, bad this book is.

First of all, you might as well skip the first 100 pages because the murder doesn't happen until page 109. That's a 100 pages of pure filler. Scenes like "let's eat the stew. No, the stew has gone off! Did you eat the stew? You might be sick! Better throw out that stew!" are a frequent recurrence on those first pages that many have compared to the seventh ring of hell. The dialogues are so unbelievably ungripping with gems like: "Sorry Jessica, can you repeat your non-plot driven, non-useful-for-anything-really question, because I'm getting my hair wetted in this hair salon that has no purpose to the plot or character development or anything really but it filled a page so the author has at least something to send to his editor tomorrow morning."
It's like the filler has been written by someone's great grandma, who's highlight of her day is watching the bus go by every hour while she sits behind her geraniums.

Then the plot itself is really lacking. The murder itself could be predicted easily in those first 100 pages (to be fair, I didn't have much else to do whilst reading those pages, as nothing else was happening). And the only reason why I wasn't expecting that person to be the victim, wasn't so much to do with the author's skill but more to do with the fact that there was a cluster fuck of characters and I was having a hard time tracking who was who in the first place, let alone keep track of who hates who and who was connected to who. Basically, the author, with his tremendous talent to bore someone to death, had me distracted by so much filler that I forgot that one of those people had to die. A mistake easily made when a CRIME book doesn't have a CRIME until you're 1/3 in.

Then the ending. Mother Mary of everything that's wrong in this world. It's like the author knew that he couldn't pick the obvious suspects, because everyone would already think they had done the deed, and therefore kills any suspense. But it's like he had written down every single character on individual pieces of paper, put them in a sack, and picked out 1 at random. That's how contrived the ending is. (I'd like to think that he had written down Jessica Fletcher's name as well and that she was therefore in the running to become America's Next Top Murderer. Now THAT'S a book I would read!) The ending is just really really bad. The motivation is ridiculous, the suspect is completely unrelated and ridiculous, the "action scene" is just baffling and ridiculous, the confession is just, like, what?! Ridiculous!

Bad. Bad bad bad bad.

In conclusion, don't read this.
Don't read it if you are in to cosy crime.
Don't read this if you think you "want to have a laugh".
Don't read this if you picked it up for 10 pence in a charity shop.
Don't read this if your book group decided to do this book.
Definitely leave your book group and break all contact with them if they decide to read this book.
Possibly have the person who suggested this book committed to a mental hospital.
Don't read this if you like Murder She Wrote the TV show.
Or maybe do. If you like the tv show there is already clearly something wrong with your sanity.

I was forced to read this by my friends. It was painful. I might never speak to them again.

Seriously, don't read this. It's just really really boring. And bad.

[Laura Emme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il modo migliore per iniziare il nuovo anno!! 🥰

[Anna [Floanne] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cabot Cove dev'essere un posto decisamente pericoloso per viverci e la signora Fletcher deve portare una gran sfortuna, se ovunque va a curiosare ci scappa sempre il morto! Questa volta la scena del delitto è il palazzetto del ghiaccio del paese e lo sfortunato defunto è un giovane e sfrontato pattinatore russo emigrato negli USA per partecipare in coppia con la statunitense Christine Allen alle olimpiadi invernali nel pattinaggio artistico. A ostacolare la coppia si frappongono molti interessi e la signora Fletcher correrà non pochi rischi per arrivare al colpevole!
Carino, leggero e poco impegnativo è un'ideale lettura da ombrellone, ma continuo a preferire di gran lunga la serie televisiva da cui è stato tratto il libro. Probabilmente questa puntata l'avevo anche già vista, come molte altre. Resta comunque molto fedele nella descrizione dei personaggi .
Voto: 2★★ 1/2

[Lindsey Gandhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read. I used to watch Murder She Wrote with my grandmother. It brought back old memories and I felt like a detective along side Jessica Fletcher trying to solve the murder!!!

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ice skating, Angela Lansbury, and mystery, oh yeah, I'm liking this already. XD Sure, I didn't quite figure out who did it (I was just being lazy in this case . . . ;P), but it was an enjoyable read. Now I'm off to read other Murder, She Wrote novels (I'm so happy I found these! I didn't know these existed until I came across them at the library)!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've watched an episode of Murder She Wrote, but I don't remember it being this boring. I kept needing to put this down.

It took nearly the first third for the murder to happen, while introducing a lot of possible characters. I was a bit surprised who died, I thought for sure it was going to be someone else. The reason behind the murder was a stretch.

Not sure if I'm interested in reading another book in this series.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful installment in the series. I love these books and this show, the ones set in Cabot Cove always hit different for me. A great wintery mystery!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a huge fan of figure skating but I do love my cozy mysteries and who can turn down a Jessica Fletcher novel? I like that I can see the tv show characters in my mind and they fit exactly as they are written. This time, a body is found at the skating rink and it’s a shock to everyone who it was that but the dust. I hadn’t figured out all the pieces involved but guessed about Tommy. Not a bad storyline for a quick cozy mystery.

[Erin L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent entry in the series. It really gives the reader what they're looking for - a continuing story with Jessica Fletcher along with Seth and Mort.

[Mary Van Winkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great if you love Murder She Wrote and just get Murder She Wrote. If you're someone sad and think Murder She Wrote is boring then you'll think this is boring. Poor you.



I love Murder She Wrote. I'm sure I've referenced Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) in a review before, I've definitely referenced them countless times in real life. I've never watched it before the age of 30 but it's become my comfort TV viewing. Even if I'm not actively watching it, it's relaxing and comforting to have playing in the background.



This book does two things for me: obviously Murder She Wrote and figure skating which I've been really into this year- check my reading challenge, lol. This feels like an extended episode which would work if on screen but felt a bit off in book form. The entire trio of Christine, Brian and Alexei were so important in the beginning but then fell by the wayside for the rest of the book which is funny since one of them is the murder victim! And give me more Seth! There were so many characters and just too many open ends with them for my liking.



But I do love mysteries set in Cabot Cove, and this is like a mystery long after the show ended. It's set in 2011 (the book series is STILL going on! The latest one was published just last month!) and just struck me as odd whenever Jessica would use Google, email, or her cell phone. You can tell the town has grown in its literary incarnation, but murderers are definitely the same.



PS. Marissa totally didn't need Jeremy btw.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect book to shovel late season snow to. There was a long lead up before the murder, which was nice. Lots of ice skating talk and Jessica learning to skate again.
The murderer was pretty obvious early on but that didn’t detract from my employment of the story. I love a visit to Cabot Cove and “Jessica” (Sandra Burr) has such a soothing voice.

[Gigi Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olympic pairs figure skating hopeful Christine Allen has traveled to Cabot Cove to train at the town's newly refurbished ice arena under the tutelage of former gold medalist Brian Devlin. Partnered with up-and-coming Russian skater Alexei Olshansky, she finds herself caught between a hot-tempered perfectionist and a pretentious chauvinist.

When a series of mysterious "accidents" occurs, it seems that someone wants the trio to take a fall. And when one of them turns up dead at the arena, Jessica Fletcher suspects something even more diabolical. Donning her old figure skates, she takes to the ice for her own investigation. But the closer Jessica gets to the truth, the closer she comes to being left out in the cold by a killer...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book it was fast paced and kept my attention right to the surprise whodunit. I realize these cozy mysteries are not everyones cup of tea, but I enjoy a good cozy with my cup of tea. That being said I enjoyed this story enough to award it 5 'icy' stars. This book is part of my personal library.

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the Murder, She Wrote books you always know exactly what you're getting. While it's not stellar writing, the storylines are simple and fun and full of quirky characters. And besides, who wouldn't want to tag along with mystery writer/amateur detective Jessica Fletcher (who could be anybody's aunt/grandma, she's just that type of person I think) as she solves crimes in Cabot Cove, Maine, and even around the world. In this particular novel, the world of figure skating clashes with real estate and it's up to Jessica and her friends Seth and Mort to figure out who's really behind a series of "accidents" and even death at the local ice skating arena. It's a cozy, quick read to while away the hours. Recommend that you read this one with a cup of hot chocolate, tucked in with a pair of warm socks, in front of a roaring fire.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable mystery from my favourite lady detective. Jessica Fletcher once again ferreted out the truth behind a chilling murder that took place in the local ice arena with her usual tenacious, intelligent deductive powers. I was kept guessing about the murderer and his/her motive right up until the moment it was revealed.

One of the reasons I love these cozy mysteries so much is the widely-diverse and interesting subjects and places that Jessica gets involved with. But, perhaps the ones I enjoy the most are the storylines that take place in Cabot Cove. It sounds like such an idyllic place to live, and I love Jessica's lifestyle, her friends and her fellow citizens, especially Seth Hazlitt, who is my second favourite character.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Fletcher packs a winter coat and some polite applause for the World Figure Skating Competition in Montreal — not expecting murder, obviously, but also not totally shocked when it shows up with a backstage pass. She’s there to support Christine Allen, a young skater from back home in Maine, whose Olympic dreams are just heating up. But when her infamously temperamental new partner, Alexei Olshansky, is found dead in the locker room before they’ve even finished their first routine, Jessica finds herself lacing up for a mystery colder than the rink.

Alexei was talented, yes. Also unbearable. The man had the charisma of a tax audit and a temper that could curdle ice cream. Coaches hated him. Competitors resented him. Christine tolerated him — barely. The tension in their partnership was no secret, and now that he’s dead, everyone’s wondering just how far that tension might have gone.

Christine’s unraveling fast. She’s overwhelmed, exhausted, and clearly keeping something to herself. Jessica, who originally came to cheer her on, shifts into investigative mode the moment the police start asking questions in that “sure would be a shame if she were involved” kind of tone. The emotional core of this book isn’t the murder — it’s Christine. She’s young, brilliant, and suddenly at the center of a PR disaster that could end her career before it begins.

And it’s not just her. The entire skating world is quietly imploding. Behind the elegant routines and sponsor-friendly smiles, there’s backstabbing, jealousy, hush-hush deals, and a federation trying to pretend everything’s fine while the ice turns red. Jessica’s not fooled. She sees through the sequins and routines and into the frayed nerves underneath.

The investigation is classic Fletcher — no nonsense, polite persistence, and the occasional disarming smile while she corners someone with a motive they thought they’d buried under a press release. And the reveal? Not a gotcha moment, but a slow, methodical tear-down of someone who thought they were too clever to get caught.

This one’s a four-star win. Interesting characters, high emotional stakes, and Jessica proving once again that whether it’s small-town gossip or international scandal, she’ll solve the case in time for tea. Or in this case, après-skate champagne.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes Jessica gets buried under the plots and the settings, but in this one, she shone as a central character. Even though Mort was in charge of the investigation, she herself carried out much of the questioning and information gathering. She didn't have to wait around to see what he found, for the most part. Definitely at the helm. Personally, I like the books that are set in Cabot Cove. The recurring support characters provide a sense of instant familiarity and stability. That core was present here, with the addition of some new characters particular to the ice rink. I happened to read this during the heat of summer, so it was a pleasant mental contrast to delve into an icy setting--a testament to the effective description of the ice rink.

The story revolves around various kinds of drama present in the ice rink--potential selling of the facility, the attempts to bring hockey and high level pairs figure skating, sabotage, and the sudden reappearance of previous skating partners. No one appears to be wholly innocent in this scenario; everyone has an angle for motive. Good thing Jessica has determined to recapture her glory days on the ice! Her presence pursues answers, even when it is risky--leading to an exciting climax and denouement. A strong Murder She Wrote installment, with compelling characters, captivating backstories, and, best of all, our favorite nosy author-sleuth at the center of all the action. Excellent light mystery read that will keep you guessing until the end.

[Marty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read a number of these Jessica Fletcher books. Most of them are nice pleasant reading, like story- telling with a good friend. ….. The TV series on which the books are patterned, were a very popular TV show for almost 12 years. This book, however, is not up to the usual quality of the series. In this book, the improved Ice Rink complex in Cabot Cove is attempting to become the center of the figure skating world. A top trainer was brought in and following him an up-and-coming senior pair of ice skaters came to Cabot Cove. The male skater was a top Russian performer who had just broken with his Russian partner and was training with a new American female skater who came from San Francisco to form the new partnership. Things with the rink and the skaters did not all fit together well though. One of the skaters who tried out the rink was Jessica who had not skated in over 20 years. As things went wrong she became more and more involved with the skating community. As I said, though, there are just a lot of little things that mar the normal polished story. Jessica goes off on her own a bit too much in this story (and makes some sloppy mistakes.) ** 10/12.

[Nicolas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm afraid this series has gone stale. There are just so many characters and so many inconsistencies. Is Cabot Cove a small town or a booming Metropolis. Recognizing that Murder She Wrote never had a super believable premise, things have just gotten too far out of hand. I did not care about the murder of the week characters. Seth and Mort are a pain and Jessica hasn't really had a story in a while. I've been on this train too long to get off now so I'm hoping that the new authors coming down the road can breathe some life back into Jess and the gang.

[Janice Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Murder, She Wrote title from "Jessica Fletcher" and Donald Bain. Apparently, there are a lot because this is #35! Think Nancy Drew in her later years.

As usual, I enjoyed this whodunit mystery, and since I've watched the TV shows, I can see the characters and hear their voices. As I read, I wonder how the author wrote the story, what came first, if she/he wrote it backwards to come up with the discoveries and red herrings.

A really nice complement to the shows, cleanly written with moderate tension. A good end-of-the-day read.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up with Jessica Fletcher, and loved watching her solve mysteries every week. This however was a difficult book. Truly a narrator is critical to any audio book, and this was an enormous miss. Sandra Burr's voice didn't match with the Jessica I loved growing up. There were points were I was able to listen and enjoy as the plot twisted and turned. However even the plot wasn't up to what I expected.

[Uranium · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cabot Cove centro nevralgico del pattinaggio su ghiaccio. Arrivano nella mortale cittadina, un’atleta americana in coppia con un atleta russo (dalle vibes stile guerra fredda direi proprio SOVIETICO), qui si allenano per poter competere alle olimpiadi. Lui, simpatico come il mal di denti, schiatta.

Buon libro da leggere nella stagione fredda.

Spoiler alert: Jessica, contrariamente a quanto suggerito dal buon Seth, riprende il pattinaggio su ghiaccio e cade da ferma.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The owner of the formerly closed Cabot Cove ice rink decides to reopen and upgrade after attracting four up and coming pairs ice skaters. One is a brash and arrogant Russian who’s made plenty of enemies in Cabot Cove. When he ends up murdered, Jessica’s suspect list gets longer and more complicated with each passing day. I love the way this book ended with her remarking, “Aside from an occasional murder, Cabot Cove is a wonderful place to live.” lol!

[Darcysmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skating on Thin Ice takes place entirely in Cabot Cove, which means we get to visit lots of familiar places and people. Jessica is on the case when mischief occurs at the local skating rink. Her investigation turns serious when a young Russian pairs skater is found dead.
Skating on Thin Ice was a strong story with just the right amount of Murder She Wrote nostalgia.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd expect fans of the TV series to enjoy this book. It's got a solid mystery with plenty of red herrings and twists. The characterization of Mrs. Fletcher, Dr. Hazlitt and the sheriff are solid. There are even some cameos from series regulars such as Eve Simpson (the man-hungry real estate agent) and Loretta Spiegel (the beauty salon owner).

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best one in the series that I've read so far. You can picture the characters in the television show as you read. I had my suspicions for certain characters but kept guessing until the end for who it really was and why. This book also increased my interest in ice skating which I've never really been that interested in. It just somehow really took me into that world.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I saw one of my favorite shows in a book! I heard the main characters in the voices of the actors who created them. I had about 4 pages left before I realized who did it. I felt so happy! First time I figured it out. I would recommend this book and more just like this one.

[LAMONT D · Rating 4 out of 5]

ANOTHER GOOD PLOT FOUND AND PLENTY OF SUSPECTS TO THE MURDER OF THE YOUNG RUSSIAN SKATER; I HAVE SETTLED INTO HOW SHE WRITES AND DEVELOPS THE STORY; I ENJOY HOW THE STORY KEEPS DEVELOPING AND THE LIST OF WHO HAD A MOTIVE TO DO THE CRIME GROWS IN NUMBER AND CREDIBILITY THROUGHOUT; AGAIN THE ENDING IS NOT QUITE OUTSTANDING BUT GOOD ENOUGH TO KEEP ME READING HER NOVELS.

[Nancy Fredenburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica's favorite sport while growing up was ice skating with numerous trophies and awards to prove it,Now, after years of closure the rink has been sold and there's a youth hockey League and doubles and singles.Trouble has

arisen over the choice of pairs. Will Jess's interests in ice skating help Mort solve the murder?

[Lsilberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The internationally-famous male half of a figure-skating pairs team is murdered. Who dun it? Was it his jealous ex-partner who couldn't get him back, his jealous rival for his current partner, the mentally-unstable man who's been stalking his new partner for years and had sent a threat, or . . . well, there's quite a list of folks who might want to see him dead.

[Allen Duhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Solves Another Ond

Yes, I’m really reading the books in the “Murder, She Wrote” Series - and yes, I’m enjoying them. It’s light reading in that there’s no vulgarity, and the murders are rather “polite,” for wont of a better word. At least this one I didn’t figure out in advance, as I have with some of them. It’s a fun romp!