Stephen is the patriarch of the Earl family and has strained relationships with most of his daughters. He is lately, and possibly regretfully, retired from his cosmetics empire.
As a widower, Stephen can relate to Jessica’s grief over the loss of her husband. He shows an interest that might have grown into more than friendship if he hadn’t met with an untimely end.
Preston Giles (Arthur Hill) is the founder of Coventry House, the publisher of Jessica’s first novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight. Preston has a shady past. He claims to have been framed for crimes he didn’t commit, after which he escaped prison and assumed his current identity. In April, 1984, he murdered Dexter Baxendale and Caleb McCallum to protect this secret. He is in love with Jessica Fletcher.
Murder, She Wrote, She Wrote 