Reviews for You Bet Your Life

The average rating for You Bet Your Life based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-12-13 00:00:00 K A RAVEN Cabot Cove is preparing for its annual Christmas celebration when a beloved citizen, Rory Brent, is found murdered on his farm. Fellow farmer, Jake Walther, is the prime suspect and is arrested for the crime, but Jessica has her doubts about Jake being the killer. This was a good enough read but not as good as the other Murder, She Wrote books I've read so far. It was lacking in potential suspects for the crime, and Jessica didn't seem to do as much investigating as she usually does. I was hoping for a bit more Christmas, too. Still, it was nice visiting with familiar faces, and it was a quick and easy, enjoyable enough read.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-12-24 00:00:00 William Crawford Well, that was cozy as hell, some might say coma-inducingly so. Get ready for 300 pages of pure coze, as yet again that aging busy-body Jessica Fletcher gets 'roped into' solving another baffling murder, with a yuletide twist - Santa has been murdered!! Oh wait, it's just some guy that dresses up as Santa, but still - CHRISTMAS! Tenuous, maybe...or genuous? So, if you've read any of these novels before, you know to expect a lot of filler as JF goes about her weirdly entertaining yet incredibly tedious daily rituals and observations which have seemingly (and in actuality) no relevance whatsoever to the plot; 'I prepared a simple breakfast, then took a shower. A half hour later, dressed in my favourite sweatsuit worn over a sweater, a scarf to keep my ears warm, and a new pair of expensive sneakers on my feet (Why are sneakers so expensive these days?), I headed out the front door and for town.' It's these kind of gripping passages that are the real joy of the Murder, She Wrote novels. Also, the constant use of the the expression 'Ayuh'. WHO SAYS AYUH!?? People in Cabot Cove seem to say it A LOT. I have no idea what it could possibly denote, but it does kinda sound a bit sexual. The writing is so great. Like when you read something by a child or someone simple-minded (or 'mildly retarded' as JF describes Dennis, the brother of Mary the 'beefy armed' farmer's wife) - it's almost as if Donald Bain were constantly high whilst writing this, as it is obviously inspired by Burrough's Naked Lunch. Here's my favourite bit; 'Each time I thought of Rory Brent lying dead on the cold dirt floor of his barn, I suffered a physical reaction, as though someone had set off an electrical charge inside, or poked a knife in my ribs. "Want some cookies?" I asked.' When she isn't musing on the joys of buying local or the pros and cons of buying bottled mineral water ('paying premium prices for water in a bottle didn't make sense, especially since Cabot Cove's natural water is excellent.') JF is discreetly poking her nose in where it doesn't belong, which is what she does best. If you're looking for something seriously festive you might want to read this whilst listening to Chris Rea's 'Driving Home For Christmas' dressed in an elf costume, because this alone isn't gonna do the trick - though you do get the odd mention of writing christmas cards and there's a bit of very light snowfall right at the end. Can't wait to read more in this series!