User Reviews

This episode features real-life couple Susan Blanchard and Charles Frank, who play characters married to other spouses. Its guest cast also coincidentally includes two Lees, two Williams, as well as two Charles', a Lauren and a Laurence.

When Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) decides to research a forthcoming manuscript, "Murder at the Inn," Cabot Cove Real Estate agent Harry Pierce (John Astin) decides that the Stone Lake Inn would be the perfect spot for Jessica to spend a week because 19th Century Author Edgar Allen Poe had stayed there before the Inn had burned and recently been restored, and because Harry may use the opportunity of visiting the location to attempt to close the deal for its tenant, Grace Overholtz (Lee Meriwether), to purchase the property.

The widowed Mrs. Overholtz has two employees, boathouse custodian Jack Turney (Charles Taylor) and waitress Sandy (no actress credited). Stone Lake Inn displays paintings and illustrations of its famous guest Edgar Allen Poe in nearly every room. Harry suggests that Jessica's patronage may also prove a strong draw.

Grace, Jack and many of their guests harbor secrets in their respective past: millionaire Howard Crane (Laurence Luckinbill) and his wife, Carolyn Hester Crane (Susan Blanchard), flirty Betty Jordan (Lauren Tewes) and her husband, Lyle Jordan (Charles Frank), birdwatcher Burton Hollis (William Christopher) and nature lover Joanna Benson (Lee Purcell) maintain closely-guarded secrets.

The wooded hills and flora-filled pastures surrounding Stone Lake Inn provide some of the most spectacular scenery of this series. For that, as well as its handsome cast, which also includes Johnny Crawford as Deputy Noah Paisley, extra points are deservedly earned.

Because Stone Lake Inn lies within the jurisdiction of Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley), it may safely be considered as part of Cabot Cove County, Maine. William Windom rounds out the cast in his recurring role of Doctor Seth Hazlitt, as he arrives at the premises with Sheriff Amos and Deputy Noah to examine the body of a missing professional swimmer, which finally surfaces at the northern end of the lake upon which Jessica has witnessed a struggle within a rowboat via her borrowed binoculars.

And now, Jessica must sort through a long list of suspects with clues which surface to determine if what she has seen as "a Lady in the Lake" were an illusion or a simple case of murder.

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

"A Lady in the Lake" is one of those episodes that has grown on me significantly. On first viewing, will be perfectly honest in struggling to completely make sense of it with so much going on and a lot of it pretty complicated. "A Lady in the Lake" on re-watches has proved to be a much better episode than initially thought, not quite one of my favourites of Season 2 or the show but it is a lot of fun and very clever with everything that didn't make sense before making sense now.

Maybe some of the events are solved perhaps too much by all-too-convenient coincidence. While most of the cast are very good, Lauren Tewes has always come across as ill at ease to me, there are some melodramatic facial expressions and eye contact going on and she overdoes it in the line delivery.

However, "A Lady in the Lake" looks great. 'Murder She Wrote' has always been very nicely shot, this is no exception. It is agreed that it does boast some of the most spectacular scenery of any episode of 'Murder She Wrote', there is a lot of that in the show but "A Lady in the Lake" is one of the finest examples of it. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune.

The writing is tight, thought-provoking and typically amiable, although exposition-heavy in places it adds to it rather than irrelevantly padding things out. The story is well paced and an incredibly clever one with lots of surprises and an ending that one doesn't expect by a long-shot. As said, what didn't make sense or come together before did when re-watching the episode over-time.

As always in 'Murder She Wrote', Angela Lansbury is terrific, while Tom Bosley, William Windom and John Astin give her rock solid support. Most of the supporting cast have fun, class and charm, only Tewes doesn't work.

In conclusion, very good episode that has grown on me significantly over time. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Sheriff Tupper said the lake was not Lake Superior, implying it's a small lake, if there is a body in it, it should be easy to find. He was not referencing its location.

Jessica needs to finish a book and instead of staying home, she decides to stay at a lakeside inn. Not at all surprisingly, someone soon dies!

The inn has a variety of guests, some of which seem a bit one-dimensional. One of them is the rich guy who is a bit of a jerk. While Jessica and another guest are out birdwatching, Jessica sees the rich jerk and his wife arguing on a boat on the lake. She goes overboard and is assume drowned. The Sheriff (Tom Bosley) insists that it was murder...but, of course, there's MUCH more to the story.

This is a decent episode with some nice twists. While not among the very best, it is well made and enjoyable.

Retreating to a placid Maine lake resort in order to finish her latest novel without distractions, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) decides to go birdwatching one fine morning. During this pursuit, Jessica witnesses what seems to be a struggle between a man and a woman in a boat on the lake, ending with the woman falling overboard. The man is accused of murder, but Jessica believes that the victim was not pushed in the water but instead jumped on her own accord--and the mystery deepens when it turns out that the drowned woman was a champion swimmer! But she's later found dead on a bank.

Jessica witnesses a murder or so she believes at first - Sheriff Amos is adamant her husband pushed her off. Jessica is determined to prove otherwise, hence the plot twists and turns, obvious suspects are suspected and the least suspected is caught. It's another solid episode from Season 2, which, I believe, features a load of good ones.

This episode of Murder She Wrote has Angela Lansbury up in a Maine woods inn where tis rumored that Edgar Allan Poe once stayed. His portrait is prominently displayed in the lobby. And because it's the famous JB Fletcher staying there, we get a murder for her to solve.

One in fact she witnesses. But the facts don't seem to add up as Lansbury witnesses a murder that looks a whole lot like the way Montgomery Clift did in Shelley Winters in A Place In The Sun. Laurence Luckinbill is the husband and Susan Blanchard is the drowned wife.

Blanchard is twice a fool as she really does turn up dead. But Lansbury believes it was all some kind of a trick and the joke was on Blanchard. She has a hard time convincing her old friend Tom Bosley this was the case.

Not to mention a particularly ripe red herring is in the cast and it isn't Luckinbill.

I think they had to reach for a motive here, but the show was worth it.

Jessica's accompanied to Stone Lake by local estate agent Harry. Jessica plans to research her new book, but ends up witnessing a murder as she's out walking with twitcher Burton Hollis. Jessica's attention is grabbed by a man and wife on a boat, where from a distance Jessica sees him apparently drown her. Amos is convinced Howard murdered his wife Carolyn, but Seth highlights some evidence that the case isn't as cut and dry.

First thing to mention is how visually appealing this episode is, the location and filming make for a truly slick and attractive looking episode. The plot is a clever one, not often does Jessica herself witness the so called crime. More plot holes then you can imagine, such as that diving equipment under the boat (would't happen,) but that doesn't seem to matter as the episode is enjoyable. Pretty well acted, I always enjoy John Astin's Harry.

Pretty good. 7/10

Jessica Fletcher witnesses a murder then spends her time trying to exonerate the man she saw kill the victim.

Much to the astonishment of Sheriff Amos Tupper who thought this was an open and shut case.

Jessica has been invited to the refurbished Stone Lake Inn. Edgar Allen Poe had stayed here once. Real estate agent Harry Pierce (John Astin) thinks this is a good place to do some research and write.

As Jessica goes down by the lake. She sees brattish millionaire Howard Crane (Laurence Luckinbill) what looks to be pushing his wife Carolyn into the water.

Crane might be an irritant. He claims his innocence and also states that his wife was a champion swimmer. Maybe Carolyn faked her own death to get away from her overbearing husband.

That leaves other suspects at the inn. Apart from one womanising employee of the inn. All the others seem to have good alibis or have no motive to kill Carolyn.

A decent mystery with plenty of people looking shifty. So the eventual reveal might come as a surprise. There was a nice subtle clue that Jessica Fletcher picked up.