Mystery 101: Dead Talk

The actors in this series are the best collection I've seen in any Hallmark production. Not just the main actors, but the supporting cast as well. I missed Dead Talk when it aired--but was SO happy I was able to wath on the Ha;;mark app via my internet provider. I never watch movies on my phone--but watched this one straight through. Just great story, well written, and superb casting!

Amy heads to Seattle to give a TEDTalk-style lecture. When a tech genius dies, Amy suspects foul play. When local cops shut her out, Travis joins forces with Amy to figure out who-did it.

Very enjoyable series, mainly due to the characters of Travis and Amy, their chemistry is great - the way their work together is smooth as the pace of this above average Hallmark series. It's got a light touch, but the mystery is intricate enough and engaging. There are a few suspects - the victim's cheating wife, his best friend who is having an affair with his wife and Amy's former beau. The fact that Amy and Travis have their former partners featuring is interesting. Starts with the death of a lawyer, which is linked to the mystery.

Of the various Hallmark mystery series on now, this one is my favorite, and it's entirely because of the leads. Their chemistry is amazing. And it doesn't hurt that Kristoffer Polaha is the handsomest man on Hallmark (or at least a strong contender). This particular installment is solid, and I recommend it for fans of both this series and of Hallmark mysteries in general. I've seen it a couple times and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Though as a former denizen of Seattle (and as a lover of pie), I was *so* mad early on in the movie when Amy's former boyfriend invites her to go with him to get the best pie in Seattle- and she refuses! Seriously, I had a hard time getting into the movie after that. I wanted to know what the best pie place was! But on another note, also as a former Seattle resident, it is often painfully obvious to me that Hallmark's Seattle-set movies were not filmed there. Somehow, in this one, they were able to disguise that fact a lot better than usual. Good going, crew!

As for whodunnit- there is no such thing as a random detail in a mystery (or at least in a Hallmark mystery) so I did guess fairly early on who it was. But it wasn't someone that I liked, which is always a happy bonus.

Professor Jill Wagner and Garrison, PD detective Kristopher Polaha travel to Seattle for a seminar on how computers will eventually take the place of police detectives.

The host of this clambake is Michael Kryszko a Bill Gates type millionaire who says he has such a program. This guy has Gates's money, but Donald Trump's charm and integrity. He gets thrown off a building.

Turns out Kryszko's lawyer had been murdered before our protagonists got to town. And the Seattle police just can't get the job done. Good thing Wagner and Polaha were around.

Wagner also meets up with an old flame who is in the dot.com business also. Matthew James Dowden is as full of himself as he was back in the day. Wagner breathes a sigh of relief.

Fans of the series will like this one.

Dead Talk makes the fifth Hallmark mystery movie I've watched recently. In Dead Talk Professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) is invited to speak at a TED Talk like event. But when one of the other participants, a software developer, falls from the roof of the event building, Winslow's focus switches to solving a murder.

Thus far, Dead Talk is easily my favorite movie in the Mystery 101 series. The writing here is the star. Dead Talk features a wonderfully convoluted story. What starts out as a fairly straightforward mystery with a few obvious suspects transforms into something completely different. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting. I was guessing (wrong) until the very end. Watching the plot unfold to a nice conclusion was incredibly entertaining. I was also impressed that the plot was fairly straightforward in presenting clues to the viewer. It's a fun one to play along with.

Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha continue to shine. And I really like the continuing storyline involving Winslow and Burke's evolving relationship. It's a small moment, but I really enjoyed the scene where Burke is doing everything he can to be invited to go to Seattle with Winslow's father. Polaha does a particularly nice job of acting.

Overall, no real complaints from me. A nice story, some good acting, and a satisfactory conclusion to the mystery. Dead Talk is solid entertainment.

8/10.