Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths

Nora Sullivan (Rhiannon Fish) is a no-nonsense Chicago defense attorney. Nikki Sullivan (Hunter King) is a struggling actress. The estranged twin sisters cannot be more different. They inherit a detective agency from Charles Porter. They've never heard of the man. They investigate the death of Nora's boss who was her supportive mentor.

This is a Hallmark Mystery. I assume that this will be an ongoing series with these two characters. They are fine. These are two beautiful ladies. It's a halting start for the series. There is only one mystery for this first movie to solve. Why did Porter leave his agency to these girls? The reason seems obvious. It's only after a whole other case that the movie gets to that reveal. The Porter case should be the pilot case. It's poor construction for the writers. It's a poor start although the actresses could still be good.

The story was good, the acting was good, the production was good. It's less cheesy than the other HM mysteries series. I mean not much but a bit. I think the casting was really well done, I love the leads on this one. They play off each other well and have a good chemistry. Some of the side characters were a bit... much (or well typical for hallmark).

It was well written, it wasn't completely obvious from the outset who did it. There were clues along the way so it wasn't a complete shock but the misdirection was good.

The background story about the parents is a good way to keep this one going for a Bit.

As always I have the complaint of why say you're somewhere if it's obviously not filmed there. The overview shots of Chicago were nice, but it's obviously not filmed in Chicago. And If they're going to use real areas to make it believable, atleast make it believable. It would take one consultant or a few hours of research to make it more believable.

I'm excited for more installments and will definitely watch them when they come out!

I don't expect a lot from a Hallmark mystery, but this was a pretty good one overall. I was a little generous with the rating, giving it a bit of a bump for being unexpectedly fun.

The actresses who play the sisters are great. The ditzy sister might have been a bit too ditzy at the beginning and the serious one too serious, but a few scenes in and that evened out. The actresses are also very believable as sisters.

Overall the story has the usual red herrings, which weren't too overplayed (which is a nice change) and actually contributed to the overall story, since usually they are just dead ends.

I think to put it another way, I really hope this does well, because it would be a lot of fun to see a series of these movies, akin to Hallmarks other winners.

7.6 stars.

Not bad at all if I do say so myself. Where this film lacks in the spit and polish it makes up for with sassiness and spunk. Twin girls (fraternal) now in their twenties have been on their own for years. Their parents are long dead and we are not told how or exactly when. Nikki left Chicago years ago and became a traveler and a grifter of sorts. She returned a few months ago, but doesn't pay rent and has had many odd jobs. In spite of her reputation as an adventurer with no money that to speak of, she still retains the glam and the bling a young woman craves. Nora, 8 minutes older, is a lawyer and a very good one. She stayed in Chicago all these years and never fully recovered from being abandoned by Nikki after their parents died. They discover they've inherited a private detective practice and the legacy of a man who knew their parents well. They somehow make nice with each other after all these years of estrangement and solve a murder by breaking rules and cutting corners. Suffice it to say the police department isn't exactly delighted by their antics.

This film has a ton of potential to become a series, and I'm sure it's in the works. The girls are gorgeous, gritty, and fun. There is no romance, in fact it's anti-romance, and you'll see what I mean if you stick with it until the end. I think this needs a pinch of passion, don't pull a "Mystery 101" where there is only a hint of romance that never comes to fruition, and when it sort of does, we are left with an indefinite cliffhanger.

I highly recommend this first installment of what I'm sure will be many more to come. Hallmark rarely disappoints with their family friendly mysteries.

The Story was a little weak but the chemistry between the two main characters was a 10 - and the ending was an unexpected surprise - which makes this new Hallmark Mystery series a winner in my book. Given the departures of so many Hallmark Mystery stars over the last few months - this is a breath of fresh air and I am looking forward to the next mystery in this series.

I give high marks for the direction that kept this somewhat weak story moving so that the actors didn't get bogged down with minutia - the head fake romance was a great diversion and super misdirection for the story - that will become clear when you watch the whole show.