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Jessica-Fletcher02
Jessica Fletcher
Nickname: Jess, Mrs. F, J.B.
Aliases: J.B Fletcher
Gender: Female
Age: 96
Current Status: Deceased
Professional Information
Title: Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
Occupation: Politician, Mystery Novelist, English Teacher, Amateur Detective
Specialty: Solving Mysteries
Personal Information
Spouse: Frank Fletcher
Relatives: See list
City of Residence: New York
State of Residence: New York
Country of Residence: United States
Home Town: Cabot Cove, Maine
Nationality: American
Episode Chronology
First Appearance: The Murder of Sherlock Holmes
Last Appearance: The Celtic Riddle
Episode Count: 264
TV Movie Count: 4
Played By
Actor: Angela Lansbury

Jessica Fletcher (born Jessica Beatrice MacGill known as J.B. Fletcher when writing) is a famous Murder-Mystery Novelist, who often found herself an unwilling participant in homicide investigations. Her detective skill eventually became well known to the point where she would be called in to consult on cases from the Cabot Cove Sheriff's Department, Scotland Yard, the FBI, and MI6.

Early Life[]

J.B Fletcher, maiden name MacGill, was not born and raised in Cabot Cove. Jessica studied at Harrison College in Green Falls, New Hampshire to become a journalist, and after completing her education Jessica worked as a high school English teacher for 17 years and as a substitute English teacher. She eventually met Frank Fletcher while interning at the Appleton Theatre. Frank was a Captain in the United States Air Force and they fell in love at first sight and married. Frank and Jessica had no children, however, they raised their young nephew Grady Fletcher after his parents were killed in a car accident. The two were married until Frank became very ill and passed away leaving Jessica widowed.

Career as a Mystery Novelist[]

Jess Congress

Jess Sitting in Committee in The House of Representatives

Following Frank's death, Jessica took to writing a manuscript entitled "The Corpse Danced At Midnight". Her nephew Grady discover this manuscript and showed it to his girlfriend Kit Donovan who subsequently saw that the publishing house for which she worked, Coventry House Publishing, had it published. Thus Jessica's career as a novelist had begun, however, her time with this publishing house would be short-lived. At the end of a homicide investigation in which Jessica took part, Preston Giles, the owner of the publishing house, was arrested for murder. Following this Jessica went on to publish several more novels with diffrent publishers. However during the course of promoting these books, or visiting friends and family she would frequently be drawn into the center of investigations, one of which even led to her filling in as Maine's Representative to the US House of Representatives.

Seven years after her first novel was published Jessica moved to New York where she took up teaching once again. Her classes tended to be a mix between Criminology and Creative Writing. Jessica still continued to release novels and travel back to her home town as well as other destinations, solving a great many murders along the way, establishing herself internationally as a renowned amateur sleuth.

Relationships[]

Jessica had a great number of friends and family the Most Notable Are:
  • Sheriff Amos Tupper, Cabot Cove's sheriff at the start of the series. Tupper later retires and goes to live with his sister.
  • Dr. Seth Hazlitt, the local doctor of Cabot Cove and one of Jessica's best friends.
  • Sherriff Mort Metzger, a former NYPD officer who takes Tupper's place as sheriff in the mistaken belief that he would be living in a more peaceful place.
  • Grady Fletcher, Jessica's not-so-lucky favorite nephew, who (through no fault of his own) always seems to get in trouble with the law. After many romantic disasters, he gets married later in the series to Donna Mayberry.
  • Harry McGraw, an old-school private investigator who becomes friends with Jessica.
  • Michael Hagarty, a British MI6 agent of Irish origin who would appear when Jessica least expected him to drag her into a dangerous case. There is a somewhat romantic history to the pair.
  • Dennis Stanton, a former jewel thief turned insurance claims investigator, who always solves his cases using unusual methods, and sends a copy of the story to his friend Jessica afterwards. As with Hagarty, there is a slight romantic history.
  • Charlie Garrett, a disreputable private investigator who usually gets into trouble and needs Jessica's help.

Pictures[]

Published Novels[]

Please see Novels for the Real-World Novels Credited to Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain.
  • The Corpse Danced at Midnight
  • Dirge for a Dead Dachshund
  • A Faded Rose Beside Her
  • Murder on the Amazon
  • Lover's Revenge
  • The Umbrella Murders
  • Murder at the Inn
  • Murder at the Digs
  • Murder in a Minor Key
  • The Stain on the Stairs
  • The Mystery of the Mutilated Minion
  • The Belgrade Murders
  • Sanitarium of Death
  • Calvin Canterbury's Revenge
  • Murder at the Asylum
  • Murder Comes to Maine
  • Good-bye, Charlie
  • The Corpse That Wasn't There
  • Ashes, Ashes, Fall Down Dead
  • The Messengers of Midnight
  • The Poison in My Heart
  • All the Murderers
  • Murder at the Ridge Top
  • The Corpse at Vespers
  • The Triple Crown Murders
  • The Crypt of Death
  • A Killing at Hastings Rock
  • The Uncaught
  • Murder in White
  • The Killer Called Collect
  • Stone Cold Dead on Wall Street
  • Endangered
  • The Launch Pad Murders
  • Runway to Murder
  • The Venomous Valentine
  • A Case of a Half of Murder
  • Yours Truly, Damian Sinclair
  • The Dead Man Sang
  • The Corpse Swam by Moonlight
  • Mrs Parkers Revenge
  • Murder at Midnight

Trivia[]

  • Jessica appears in the most episodes of the series, only missing out in the season four episode, It Runs in The Family, where her cousin Emma takes the reins. Despite this, she still appears on the back of a book that Emma has.

Appearances[]

Murder, She Wrote[]

Murder, She Wrote: Season One
The Murder of Sherlock Holmes Deadly Lady Birds of a Feather Hooray for Homicide It's a Dog's Life Lovers and Other Killers
Hit, Run and Homicide We're Off to Kill the Wizard Death Takes a Curtain Call Death Casts a Spell Capitol Offense Broadway Malady
Murder to a Jazz Beat My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean Paint Me a Murder Tough Guys Don't Die Sudden Death Footnote to Murder
Murder Takes the Bus Armed Response Murder at the Oasis Funeral at Fifty-Mile
Murder, She Wrote: Season Two
Widow, Weep for Me Joshua Peabody Died Here... Possibly Murder in the Afternoon School for Scandal Sing a Song of Murder Reflections of the Mind
A Lady in the Lake Dead Heat Jessica Behind Bars Sticks and Stones Murder Digs Deep Murder by Appointment Only
Trial by Error Keep the Home Fries Burning Powder Keg Murder in the Electric Cathedral One Good Bid Deserves a Murder If a Body Meet a Body
Christopher Bundy - Died On Sunday Menace, Anyone? The Perfect Foil If the Frame Fits
Murder, She Wrote: Season Three
Death Stalks the Big Top (Part 1) Death Stalks the Big Top (Part 2) Unfinished Business One White Rose for Death Corned Beef & Carnage Dead Man's Gold
Deadline for Murder Magnum on Ice Obituary for a Dead Anchor Stage Struck Night of the Headless Horseman The Corpse Flew First Class
Crossed Up Murder in a Minor Key The Bottom Line Is Murder Death Takes a Dive Simon Says, Color Me Dead No Laughing Murder
No Accounting for Murder The Cemetery Vote The Days Dwindle Down Murder, She Spoke
Murder, She Wrote: Season Four
A Fashionable Way to Die When Thieves Fall Out Witness for the Defense Old Habits Die Hard The Way to Dusty Death It Runs in the Family
If It's Thursday, It Must Be Beverly Steal Me a Story Trouble in Eden Indian Giver Doom With a View Who Threw the Barbitals in Mrs. Fletcher's Chowder?
Harbinger of Death Curse of the Daanav Mourning Among the Wisterias Murder Through the Looking Glass A Very Good Year for Murder Benedict Arnold Slipped Here
Just Another Fish Story Showdown in Saskatchewan Deadpan The Body Politic
Murder, She Wrote: Season Five
J.B. As in Jailbird A Little Night Work Mr. Penroy's Vacation Snow White, Blood Red Coal Miner's Slaughter Wearing of the Green
The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel Prediction: Murder Something Borrowed, Someone Blue Weave A Tangled Web The Search for Peter Kerry Smooth Operators
Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble From Russia With Blood Alma Murder Truck Stop The Sins of Castle Cove Trevor Hudson's Legacy
Double Exposure Three Strikes, You're Out Mirror, Mirror on the Wall (Part 1) Mirror, Mirror on the Wall (Part 2)
Murder, She Wrote: Season Six
Appointment in Athens Seal of the Confessional The Grand Old Lady The Error of Her Ways Jack & Bill Dead Letter
Night of the Tarantula When the Fat Lady Sings Test of Wills Class Act Town Father Goodbye Charlie
If the Shoe Fits How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying The Fixer-Upper The Big Show of 1965 Murder - According to Maggie O'Malley's Luck
Always a Thief Shear Madness The Szechuan Dragon The Sicilian Encounter
Murder, She Wrote: Season Seven
Trials & Tribulations Deadly Misunderstanding See You in Court, Baby Hannigan's Wake The Family Jewels A Body to Die For
The Return of Preston Giles The Great Twain Robbery Ballad for a Blue Lady Murder in F Sharp Family Doctor Suspicion of Murder
Moving Violation Who Killed J.B. Fletcher? The Taxman Cometh From the Horse's Mouth The Prodigal Father Where Have You Gone, Billy Boy
Thursday's Child Murder, Plain & Simple Tainted Lady The Skinny According to Nick Cullhane
Murder, She Wrote: Season Eight
Bite the Big Apple Night Fears Unauthorized Obituary Thicker Than Water Lines of Excellence Judge Not
Terminal Connection A Killing in Vegas The Committee The List of Yuri Lermentov Danse Diabolique The Witch's Curse
Incident in Lot 7 The Monte Carlo Murders Tinker, Tailor, Liar, Thief Ever After To the End Will I Grapple With Thee Programmed for Murder
Day of the Dead Angel of Death Badge of Honor Murder On Madison Avenue
Murder, She Wrote: Season Nine
Murder in Milan Family Secrets The Mole The Wind Around the Tower The Dead File Night of the Coyote
Sugar & Spice, Malice & Vice The Classic Murder A Christmas Secret The Sound of Murder Final Curtain Double Jeopardy
Dead Eye Killer Radio The Petrified Florist Threshold of Fear The Big Kill Dead to Rights
Lone Witness Ship of Thieves The Survivor Love's Deadly Desire
Murder, She Wrote: Season Ten
A Death in Hong Kong For Whom the Bell Tolls The Legacy of Borbey House The Phantom Killer A Virtual Murder Bloodlines
A Killing in Cork Love and Hate in Cabot Cove Murder at a Discount Murder in White Northern Explosion Proof in the Pudding
Portrait of Death Deadly Assets Murder on the Thirtieth Floor Time to Die The Dying Game The Trouble with Seth
Roadkill A Murderous Muse Wheel of Death
Murder, She Wrote: Season Eleven
A Nest of Vipers Amsterdam Kill To Kill a Legend Death in Hawaii Dear Deadly The Murder Channel
Fatal Paradise Crimson Harvest Murder by Twos Murder of the Month Club An Egg to Die For The Scent of Murder
Death 'n Denial Murder in High-C Twice Dead Film Flam Murder a la Mode The Dream Team
School for Murder Another Killing in Cork Game, Set, Murder
Murder, She Wrote: Season Twelve
Nailed A Quaking in Aspen The Secret of Gila Junction Big Easy Murder Home Care Nan's Ghost (Part 1)
Nan's Ghost (Part 2) Shooting in Rome Deadly Bidding Frozen Stiff Unwilling Witness Kendo Kill
Death Goes Double Platinum Murder in Tempo The Dark Side of the Door Murder Among Friends Something Foul in Floppieville Track of a Soldier
Evidence of Malice Southern Double-Cross Race to Death What You Don't Know Can Kill You Mrs. Parker's Revenge Death by Demographics

TV Movies[]

Murder, She Wrote: TV Movies
South by Southwest A Story to Die For The Last Free Man The Celtic Riddle

See Also[]

Murder, She Wrote
Main Characters: Jessica Fletcher | Dr. Seth Hazlitt | Sheriff Amos Tupper | Sheriff Mort Metzger
Recurring Characters: Grady Fletcher | Donna Mayberry | Preston Giles | Victoria Brandon | Howard Griffin | Ethan Cragg
Eve Simpson | Emma MacGill | Harry Pierce | Mayor Sam Booth | Harry McGraw
Michael Hagarty | Dennis Stanton | Charlie Garrett | Lt. Artie Gelber
Lt. Timothy Hanratty | Lt. Catalano | Inspector Gabriel Caceras
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