Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths

We weren't expecting much. After all, this is a Hallmark Mystery so the bar is set low right from the beginning. Okay, so it isn't going to win any awards for creativity, keeping you on the edge of your seat guessing or acting skills but the ladies did a good job and there were a few surprises thrown in that you normally don't see in a Hallmark mystery. Nobody even got a gun kicked out of their hand by the good guys! At the end we actually were entertained and, rather than dreading the next installment we are hoping that this turns into a series so we can see what they manage to come up with next.

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.

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.

I know a lot of people didn't care for this title, thinking it boring, or whatever; but my family and I quite enjoyed it. Nikki and Nora were fun sleuths, sisters and their relationship was pretty believable. The girl who played Nikki (sorry, I didn't look at the actresses names) did an excellent job portraying a fun and quirky character and I liked her a lot. The girl playing Nora likewise did a fabulous job as the more down to earth sister who still got sucked into the mystery and solving it. I thought the chemistry between actors was there and they each played their respective parts well. I love the overarching theme of their parents' deaths, but please don't blow it with this one and never take that story anywhere, Hallmark. I ended up liking all the characters and actually felt empathy at the end, which doesn't usually happen. The ending was a bit of a surprising twist that most viewers might not see coming. This movie was very clean: no woke agenda, no swearing, though there was a shot of the "body" after the fact. I'd like to give all the actors a round of applause for their performances. I hope Hallmark keeps to this formula and makes more of these. Nikki and Nora might actually get my vote for my favorite Hallmark sleuths since Hallmark started movies and mysteries. In fact, the only one they can't top is McBride, IMO. Can't wait for the second installment.

This new Hallmark mystery took me by surprise, I enjoyed it. I liked the storyline brewing between the twins, the animosity between Nora and Detective Sanchez, and the friendship between Nora and police officer Robby Watts. I do hope there will be more of Nikki and Nora...but while being happy with the whodunnit, I will miss a particular character moving forward, assuming there is more. I hope we will eventually discover why the private investigator left his business to both Nikki and Nora.

Nikki added the lighter aspects to this mystery series with her understudy to the understudy acting jobs. Nora brought the more serious side as the established lawyer whose boss is thought to have committed suicide. Not trusting the detective on the case who wraps up the suicide quickly, Nora teams up with her sister to get to the bottom of what really happened.

The dynamics in this series were great and I can't wait to see more. As mentioned, I thought Madison Smith was a real highlight of the show and his on screen chemistry with Rhiannon Fish was wonderful. This is a recommendation for hallmark mystery fans, I think you will love it.