by Lorie Lewis Ham

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of The Adventures of the REAL Tom Sawyer AND an autographed Murder, She Wrote script (written by Tom!). There is also a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

I am a HUGE fan of Murder She Wrote! The show even inspired me to become a mystery writer myself. So when I first met Tom Sawyer at a mystery conference–who not only wrote for the show but later became its show runner-I was so excited! Through the years we have remained in touch, so when he contacted me about reviewing his new memoir I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to read it! I had no idea how interesting his life was way before he ever ended up on the set of Murder She Wrote.

Born Thomas Benjamin Scheuer in Chicago–and later changing his name to Tom Sawyer–Tom began his career as a comic book artist–he even worked with Stan Lee, among other well-known comic book names. From there he went into advertising, working first as a storyboard illustrator, then on to directing and shooting commercials. Then on to documentaries, and eventually he landed in Hollywood! He has been a part of many great TV shows, including being the show runner for The Law and Harry McGraw, starring Jerry Orbach. He sold and wrote nine pilots, and 100 teleplays. He was on staff for 15 TV series–including of course Murder She Wrote.

Throughout the book, Tom talks about how he always felt kind of like he was faking it–and yet he always managed to do pretty much anything he set his hand to-and do it quite well. During much of his career in Hollywood, he even managed to convince everyone he was younger than he was. Tom has also written books, including some mystery novels, and he has written an opera about JFK called Jack, which has been produced and performed here and in other countries.

Reading the entertaining stories of his life is like reading a who’s who in entertainment as he shares stories about people like Mary Tyler Moore, Mickey Rooney, Leonard Goldberg, Leonard Starr, Stan Drake, Al Capp, Ruth Terry, Milton Caniff, Lila Garrett, Mort Lachman, Howard Hughes, Jack Klugman, Buddy Hackett, Dick van Dyke, and Steve Lawrence.

I would have to say Tom has had one of the most interesting lives that I have ever read about–and yet with all of his accomplishments, he shares the stories with wit and humbleness–it feels like a friend just sharing with you about his life. While living life with a certain amount of confidence, Tom never seems to have let ego get the better of him–even though his accomplishments are amazing–and he has always put the love of his life and his children first.

It is a big book, because he had a lot to share, but it never felt long. I loved every minute of it. And the behind the scenes stories from Murder She Wrote were the icing on this delightful cake! If you enjoy comic books, TV or mystery–or just a great true story–don’t miss The Adventures of the REAL Tom Sawyer! I feel very honored to be able to say that know Tom Sawyer.

To enter to win a copy of The Adventures of the REAL Tom Sawyer AND an autographed Murder, She Wrote script (written by Tom!), simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “tom,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 21, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

You can also use this link to order the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.