Mystery 101: Dead Talk

Professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) heads to Seattle to present at Teachable Talks which is founded by her ex-flame Tim Bishop. A jealous detective Travis Burke (Kristoffer Polaha) joins Amy's dad Graham on his drive to attend the Talk. A murder happens and Travis' old acquaintance Rachel Knox leads the police investigation. Amy and Travis decide to investigate it themselves.

As Hallmark franchises go, this is one of their better ones. Wagner and Polaha have good easy chemistry. This one has their past relationships pop up for added spice. The mysteries are functional although they are never that intense. This one has a compelling reveal. It's fine.

I love this series! The leads are well suited, witty, personable and have loads of chemistry! All the actors are wonderful and believable. The stories are interesting and clever! My only beef with all the Hallmark movies is those empty 'to-go' cups that everyone can tell have nothing in them!! If they're concerned about spilling coffee, fill them with water! We aren't fooled! But thank you Hallmark for clean, heartwarming, family friendly movies!!

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.

Amy gets invited to give a TedTalk style talk in Seattle on "Why people are so obsessed with mysteries" by a former boyfriend (Tim Bishop), which sparks both curiosity and a little jealousy in Travis. Travis ends up in attendance with Amy's father...as his road trip driver since Graham hadn't a lot of sleep and "it might not be safe for him to drive", to both support Amy and check out this old boyfriend. A tech genius who is also there to give a TedTalk ends up plummeting to his death. Amy suspects foul play, but the local law officers refuse to speak to her...into the fray is Travis, who calls upon a former colleague of his who happens to be working the case in Seattle.

Thanks to their usual great teamwork and good instincts, once again Travis and Amy are integral in solving the case.

This is the second time the song "who can it be now?" gets used in a Mystery 101 movie.

Travis and Amy continue to build their connection and their on screen chemistry keeps on sizzling. How can Travis not be jealous of this "genius" former boyfriend with a British accent, Tim Bishop, who does seem to still be in to Amy and can still quote Raymond Chandler..."There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself"?

I appreciated that Bishop thought the gift of Raymond Chandler's Long Goodbye, was Amy's way of giving him the kiss-off. Note to self, another book to add to my tbr list. Thanks Mystery 101!

I love the relationship that Amy has with her father. They are in a lovely and healthy relationship, in which they challenge each other and want the best for one another.

This time, coffee shop Holly was a font of information. I appreciated Amy's dad's take on Bishop...he was charming and "I should stop worrying...shouldn't I?"

It was nice to see Travis, Graham and Amy all dressed up and as a Seattleite it was nice to see a little stock footage of the actual Seattle. As Amy exclaims when she sees her dad and Travis in tuxes...Dap-per!

Crime solving software that will put Travis out of a job? Yeah, right!

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.