The Sins of Castle Cove by Sybil Reed

Both images thanks to Country Life

Title: The Sins of Castle Cove

Author: Sybil Reed

Publisher: not known 

Source: TV series Murder She Wrote S5 E17 The Sins of Castle Cove

One of Jessica Fletcher’s ex-pupils, the orphaned and embittered Sybil Reed, has written a bestselling novel set in a place not unlike Cabot Cove, peopled with characters not unlike the actual residents of Cabot Cove. Despite Sybil declaring in a TV interview that the book has nothing in common with Cabot Cove but its position on the coast, local residents pay no attention. She’s not exactly telling the truth.

The residents are certain that the fictional Castle Cove is their very own Cabot Cove in disguise, and waste no time deciding which of the fictional characters match the real life residents (of their fictional TV town). Most people seem sure that shenanigans in the book must be reflected by goings on involving their real neighbours. It turns out that Sybil has a surprising knowledge of what happens in Cabot Cove, and Jessica realises that she has a spy in the hair salon, which of course is a hotbed of local gossip as any regular viewer of Murder She Wrote will be well aware.

Jessica Fletcher herself features in Sybil’s book as school teacher now successful mystery writer Mrs Feather. What a pity we don’t discover any details about Mrs Feather’s books.

When a woman is murdered with her own frying pan, even the Sheriff arrests her husband because ‘his character’ murdered his wife in The Sins of Castle Cove: he had discovered she was cheating on him. In the book. Don’t forget it’s supposed to be fiction.