
Mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher - a down-to-earth, middle-aged widow - ferrets out the criminals in idyllic Cabot Cove, Maine, which apparently is the murder capital of the United States for the show's 12-season run. Though while traveling, she uncovers a fair number of killers as well.
Jessica hears the confession of a dying hit man who has just completed an assignment, only to find the victim isn't dead.
Jessica suspects heirs and employees when a corpse appears in an elderly vintner's (Eli Wallach) cellar.
Insurance investigator Dennis Stanton confronts murder and arson while on a case involving a famous pianist (Ricardo Montalban).
Jessica and Seth inadvertently get entangled in a crime family's power struggle after a sniper attack in Boston wounds a mob boss.