Murder in a Minor Key by JB Fletcher

Thanks to Geographical 

Title: Murder in a Minor Key

Author: JB Fletcher 

Publisher: not known 

Source: TV Series Murder She Wrote S3 E14 Murder in a Minor Key

I must have seen most, if not all, episodes of Murder She Wrote absolutely dozens of times. Some I almost know by heart, so it’s a bit odd that I only just realised that the whole of this episode is the plot of one of Jessica’s books. How did I not notice before?

Murder in a Minor Key is one of those episodes where Angela Lansbury gets to put her feet up because Jessica is really only there to introduce us to the characters in her book. It’s about music student Mike, accused of murdering the professor who has stolen his work and sold it to a Broadway producer. Don’t worry. Mike’s law student friend Chad will find the real murderer. Of course he will.

Meanwhile, we also have trouble between professors. Professor Tyler Stoneham (the murder victim), and his assistant, Professor Harry Papasian, have been writing a new dictionary of music. No doubt with Harry Papasian doing much of the donkey work. Imagine Harry’s fury when he learns that ‘their’ magnum opus doesn’t carry his name. Because the dictionary will be known in future as Stoneham’s Music Dictionary rather than Stoneham & Papasian’s Music Dictionary. Or simply Stoneham & Papasian. Not that this features in the programme, but I am willing to bet that this flits through Harry Papasian’s mind. But he didn’t commit murder any more than Mike did.

So what we have here is a fictional book, Murder in a Minor Key, featuring a fictional dictionary. Which unfortunately doesn’t have a title so I had to invent my own. It’s always nice to find a fictional book within a fictional book.

Also featured in an episode of Murder She Wrote S11 E10 Murder of the Month Club, is Homicide at the Alexandra Lighthouse by Arnold Wynn AKA Jason Bayer Saxon (I think); it’s quite a confusing story. 

Thanks to The Daily Beast