User Reviews

This episode marks the swan song appearance of Rosemary DeCamp, whose career as a star of Classic film and television began in 1941. Richard Paul, Al Waxman and George Furth have also since passed.

At the annual Cabot Cove Volunteer Fire Department's annual bazaar, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) purchases an antique bureau, in need of refinishing.

When Jessica stops by Owens' Furniture store, to pay owner Fred Owens (George Furth), because he serves as the benefit treasurer, Fred is trying to conduct a sale with Young couple (Steve Bean and Lynn Clark) and asks her to remit her check to his bookkeeper, Stanley Holmes (Max Gail), who has already volunteered to refinish her bureau.

Upon arranging the finished chest of drawers near her desk, Jessica attempts to open the top drawer, which had been jammed by a "Dead Letter," mailed from Boston six months earlier, and addressed to Cabot Cove firefighter Bud Fricksey (Jonathan Goldsmith).

Jessica had spoken with Bud's wife, Lois Fricksey (Susan Anspach), at the fund-raiser, but doesn't see her around the residence when Jessica turns the envelope over to an enraged Bud. Bud, in turn, catches Lois' exchanging pleasantries at the gasoline station with the son of its owner, Ron Stiller (Peter Fox), who services her automobile and who, like Bud, volunteers at the Cabot Cove Fire Department station.

Other Cabot Cove Volunteer Fire Department crew include Fire Chief Carl Wilson (Al Waxman), Everett (Kevin Bourland), Jack (Stuart Nelson) and Aaron (Richard Riehle), some of whom respond to a call that night at Owens Furniture Store.

A comically flippant Mutual Fidelity Insurance Company Claims Inspector Connie Kowalski (Robin Riker) arrives in town the next day to investigate the cause of the damages to the structure, deciding before arriving at the scene that an arsonist caused the destruction.

Mayor Sam Booth (Richard Paul), Doctor Seth Hazlitt (William Windom), Sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak) and Deputy Floyd McCallum (Will Nye) also join in the investigation because a body was discovered in the rubble the night before.

Amid a constant stream of bickering between Agent Kowalski and Sheriff Metzger, and a round of accusations among Mayor Booth and the firefighters, Jessica gets into the act of investigating the fire and the murder, starting with attempting to uncover the identity of the sender of the "Dead Letter."

Jessica speaks with retired Postal employee Agnes (Rosemary DeCamp), who recalls the sender's asking her to destroy the letter before Bud has the chance to receive it. Because U.S. Postal regulations forbid employees from damaging mail, Agnes had filed it into the bureau, which she donated to the Fire Department upon her recent retirement.

And now, it is up to Jessica to figure how various clues tie together to solve this 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.

It is always wonderful to be back in Cabot Cove, and one of Season 6's best episodes, and a near-high point of 'Murder She Wrote' in general, "Dead Letter" is a strong example as to why. The mystery is clever and diverting, with next to nothing (the reason for the arson was foreseeable but still not that predictable) being what it seems and keeping one guessing right up to when everything is revealed.

Angela Lansbury is terrific as usual, while Ron Masak is getting more comfortable and interesting with each episode and William Windom's Seth is his usual charmingly curmudgeon self. Love the chemistry between them. The supporting cast are solid as rocks, with a particularly nuanced turn Susan Anspach whose very individual screen presence leaves one riveted.

Production values as ever are slick and stylish, Cabot Cove is as picturesque and inviting as ever and the sense of close-knit community is a big part of the charm. 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 thought-provoking, light-hearted and amiable.

The staging of the ending is a touch on the contrived side.

Otherwise, a great episode and one of Season 6's strongest. 9/10 Bethany Cox

There is a certain ambivalence in this series about Jessica the sleuth zigzagging the country and the globe, yet consistently coming up with the most compelling tales in her sleepy hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine. Walking in the footsteps of Miss Marple, it is in the seemingly mundane, familiar, day-to-day settings and situations that she shows us real depth. There are timeless themes of passion, repression and intrigue. There are finely- drawn personalities, marvelous acting and the occasional comic relief coming from some unexpected quarters. It all gets very nearly ruined by a contrived, slapsticky epilogue to the story, which might as well have been cut & pasted from 'I Love Lucy'. But no matter. This story is surely one of the highlights of the entire series.

Jessica picks up a writing Bureau at a Sale, when she gets it home she discovers a letter hidden inside, when she hands it off to the intended recipient, a disastrous series of events begins.

You will notice that they have moved away from the Cabot Cove murder every other week, which is good and bad in equal measure. If I'm totally honest, I find this one a bit paint by numbers, it's a little formulaic, from the crime, to the Eureka moment.

Some good characters, including Connie Kowalski, who clashes so well with Sheriff Metzger, a shame that The Mayor and Floyd drag it down a little bit, both are a tad silly.

It's well made, it's watchable, but there are much better episodes in this series. 6/10.

This episode of Murder She Wrote has the town of Cabot Cove celebrating the acquisition of a new state of the art fire engine. Of course there's Mayor Richard Paul making sure to gather the credit.

At the same time Angela Lansbury gets a nice old bureau chest of drawers and finds an unopened letter intended for Jonathan Goldsmith from his wife Susan Anspach. Lansbury gives it to Goldsmith and that starts a chain of events that leads to Goldsmith's murder. His body is found in George Furth's furniture store after office hours and after it was set on fire.

Ron Masak who is still settling into his job as the new sheriff in Cabot Cove has among other problems an insurance investigator played by Robin Riker who seems to be just looking to show up Sheriff Metzger. She's lively and funny and Masak's reactions are even funnier.

Goldsmith was a boor and a drunk, still he was murdered. The investigation was taking an entirely wrong track until Jessica Fletcher sets it right.

The ending, right out of Mack Sennett.

A fireman is found dead in a burnt-out furniture store but an autopsy shows that he died from a blow to the head. Could it have been his wife's secret boyfriend who did the ghastly deed? Well, Jessica is going to find out in this decent entry which ends a water fight courtesy of some fire engines.