A writer is murdered after sending Jessica a manuscript exposing a kidnapping scam, and Jessica's friend, private investigator Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach) is caught near the body.
Jessica comes to the aid of a small-town diner's owner (Dee Wallace Stone), who becomes an outcast when she is blamed for three arsenic poisoning deaths.
While traveling with her publisher's assistant in Amish country, Jessica's involvement in a traffic mishap leads her to a murder.
Jessica is pulled into a murder investigation by a woman (Vera Miles) who claims Jessica's husband fathered her son.
Insurance investigator Dennis Stanton becomes involved in a murder case while delving into the disappearance of a shy ventriloquist's (Grant Shaud) dummy.
The presumed-dead perpetrator (Donnelly Rhodes) of a 20-year-old bank robbery resurfaces, then is murdered.
Jessica and Seth inadvertently get entangled in a crime family's power struggle after a sniper attack in Boston wounds a mob boss.
Insurance investigator Dennis Stanton confronts murder and arson while on a case involving a famous pianist (Ricardo Montalban).
Jessica becomes enmeshed in feuds, infidelity and murder in Nashville when visiting her friend, blues singer Patti Sue Diamond (Florence Henderson), whose country-singer husband, Bobby (Jimmy Dean) is having trouble with his manager.
Jessica's friend Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell) is called to investigate when a purported Mark Twain manuscript leads to murder.
Jessica's first publisher (Arthur Hill), imprisoned for murder, is paroled and requires her help when he is suspected of a similar crime.
A physical-fitness instructor (Jason Beghe) who has captivated Cabot Cove's female population is linked to the murder of a con artist.
Jessica attends a political fundraiser with her friend Drew (Mike Farrell), but the focus turns to murder when another guest's chauffeur is murdered.
Jessica reopens a 16-year-old murder case at the urging of a dying author (Van Johnson) who felt injustice was done.
Jessica's old friend, former jewel thief turned insurance agent Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell), becomes involved in a high-society murder.
Jessica's old friend, NYPD Detective Lt. O'Malley (Pat Hingle), investigates the suspicious suicide of a wealthy New York developer's wife.
One of Jessica's former students (Diana Canova), a script writer for a TV show, must find the killer of a network executive or look for another job.
Jessica attends a variety-show reunion to research the 25-year-old unsolved murder of TV host Richie King (Kim Strauss), and while she's investigating, a show writer (Gavin MacLeod) is shot backstage.
Jessica's niece (Genie Francis) is a suspect in the murder of a real-estate client, a rich movie heiress in Beverly Hills.
Jessica enters the world of high finance when she attempts to solve the murder of her stockbroker, a partner in a prestigious Wall Street firm.