Mystery 101: Words Can Kill

Big doings over at the college where Jill Wagner teaches, there's a College Book Festival going on and a bunch of writers are coming. But the college's own Robin Thomas is the real star of the show. He taught the class in mystery writing that his daughter Wagner teaches now.

For all these professional sleuths three murders happen during the course of the event. A stalker, a publisher, and a rival of Thomas's in many things from the old days.

There are as usual no shortage of suspects. But one of these three does not fit with the other two. Once the team of Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha figure that one out, the solution for the other two takes a quantum leap forward.

A good one for this series.

Who can it be knocking at my door?... I am really enjoying the on-screen chemistry that they have slowly built over time between Amy and Travis. There is mutual admiration and respect that is evident between these two, not to mention trust and a burgeoning relationship. In this installment someone breaks in to Amy's College Campus Office the night before Amy and her College department host a book event that brings in Authors and publishers a like. Amy's father, Graham, is one of the featured authors and thus we delve into some blasts from his past. We get to meet, Amy's mother's former beau as well as her Dad's first publisher and the thief of his first novel...which is how we learn the origin story for his now wildly popular series about Atticus Keller. Over time, Travis has started to read more mystery novels...a little of Amy rubbing off on him, and in a humorous moment wants to know how he walks out of a book event having purchased more books than she did. As the cosy mystery genre demands there is a murder(...and in this case two!) for which Graham falls under suspicion and is arrested. This seems to cause a strain on Amy and Travis' burgeoning friendship...but thankfully resolved when together they put away the rightful killer. I really enjoy the concept of Amy's college course, wish one like that was available when I went to school at the University of Washington! I also really enjoy the mystery novel tidbits that are shared...in this one the concept of the unreliable narrator is discussed along with Agatha Christie's Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which I have subsequently added to my "to read list". (Thank you!) The mystery 101 series is fun, the mysteries are enjoyable and this is good clean entertainment

This was one really good film, but right from the get-go, my curiosity got the best of me and I started placing my bets. Sure as hell, I was right about one person in the end. It was definitely worth watching from start to finish to see it unfold, but it was really funny how the innocent look so damn guilty.

Maybe the two Hallmark channels should change their names to some variation on the Fantasy channel. Oh, I love a lot of movies on the two channels, but in order to do so, more often than not, I have to suspend expectation for realism. Sometimes more than others. This movie has a little mystery but a lot of plot holes. It hurts my brain to even try to list them.

For starters, how about arresting a respected member of the community based on evidence that's planted in an unlocked car. This despite the fact he has no motive and there are easily two or three other people who have openly argued bitterly with the victim, including threats. I can just see the DA visiting Travis' office and asking him what he is thinking.

Another reviewer pointed out Amy contaminating the crime scene once but failed to point out at least one other time. Travis refuses to take Amy to the hotel room once in order to play it "by the books" and then lets her tag along every time after that. Then one of the key players "falls while rock climbing"? I never did figure out whether they were calling that a murder immediately. If not, why not? If so, why no reconstruction of the timeline to determine where Graham was at that time?

Like another reviewer, I had bets with myself early on whodunnit and as time went on kept doubling down until I was proved correct. My deduction was not based on any clues the characters had though. Those were pretty complicated.

The only thing that keeps bringing me back to this series is the combination of Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha. Love them both. I think either one of them could connect with anyone opposite them but even so they are great together.

So far this is my favorite Mystery 101. I have seen 3 now. I kind of picked out the who dunnit early but then you question things more and things definitely were not as they seemed. There was nothing obvious about all the goings ons that really happened. When they wrap it up and show what happened... you have that ahhhhhh moment. My only complaint was wardrobe put Jill in sage green outfits too many times. The final navy/magenta plum combo was refreshing and lovely.