Make no mistake, this was a fun episode and an interesting premise. I dock a star from my initial impression because unlike many Murder She Wrote episodes, there is no clue which helps you peg the culprit, and that seemed to happen a few times in Season 7.
My wife and I always liked the Dennis Stanton character, played by Keith Mitchell ... who stared in the famous early '70s mini-series "The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth". Dennis Stanton is a smooth, charming ex-con man and thief introduced in earlier episodes, and episodes where Jessican Fletcher was present for the full story.
Here, she only helps introduce the story as Dennis Stanton spirits her away from the close of a book signing to dinner to tell her about his latest case. He's now an insurance investigator.
In the business and in fandom, they call these episodes "bookend" episodes. Not knowing industry or fan lingo, my wife and I always call them "Murder She Narrated" ... although this episode flips that, since Dennis Stanton is the one telling the story.