Mystery 101

As an mystery enthusiasts, I will watch every mystery series that Hallmark puts on but there are none that I look more forward to with anticipation than Mystery 101. Kristoffer Polaha and Jill Wagner have insane on screen chemistry that leaves you wanting to watch Travis and Amy over and over. The cases are fun as well as they give you enough clues to help you figure out who dunnit along with them and things that may seem little at the beginning turn out to be big in the end. Another thing I love is how things the characters do and say carry over from one episode to the next. The progression of Travis and Amy's relationship is very organic and realistic. Give this a try!

Mystery 101 is the best of all the mystery movies. Hallmark made a huge mistake when they canceled this one. The easy laid back chemistry that they have and The cast of characters is absolutely the best. I will truly miss these two. And as far as the new mystery that just came out this week, Francesca Quinn PI. I couldn't even finish it. But the cut color and murder one is very good as was Dying for chocolate. I just wish you would reconsider not Canceling my favorite, mystery 101. And why would you leave 101 as a cliffhanger??? Like bad decisions all around. I am really not happy about this..

I really enjoyed this. Saw it on cable tonight. I write crime fiction myself and was trying to get another view of the parameters and necessary elements. I liked the parallel subplots of the two romances, the chemistry between the two leads, and the structure of the plot. The actors were good, the direction crisp, and the setting gorgeous. What's not to like?

Jill Wagner is the latest female sleuth in Hallmark's stable of with it amateur detectives. She's a college professor in the English Department giving a course in the mystery story. I think someone might have gotten the idea from Murder She Wrote when Angela Lansbury late in the series got a New York apartment and began lecturing at one of the colleges on the art of mystery writing.

A real mystery comes along soon enough as Ben Sullivan with the campus newspaper turns up dead at the bottom of a ravine with motorcycle hanging from a tree limb. Just what was the young man looking into and it turns out it could be many things.

It's motive that Wagner and her police detective confidante Kristopher Polaha are looking into and their motives from people springing up like weeds. I will say that it turns out to be one unlikely suspect which is revealed 20 minutes before the film ends.

Mystery 101 should have a sequel or three.

So often in anything Hallmark, how the viewer connects with the actors makes all the difference. I read one review that said that both Wagner and Polaha act natural, not fake, and I realized that was the description I was looking for in this movie. They also connect well with each other after you get past the obligatory animosity especially on the skeptical detective's part.

The difficult thing in a new amateur detective series is getting past the skepticism of the professional detective(s). It is totally justifiable on their part. Amateur's can destroy a prosecution and as one other reviewer points out, Amy makes a bunch of those mistakes even though they get glossed over and ignored. In this movie, getting past the initial skepticism was clumsy and far too quick. The transition was instant. Burke was resistant one second and then totally caved and became like a puppy dog as far as accepting Amy's participation.

I think it's obvious that if this becomes a series (which it does), then something will happen between Amy and Travis. This is just the start. We have another budding romance in the two assistants. Both relationships are slightly overplayed.

The mystery itself had a nice number of possible suspects and some of the usual red herrings. Overall, the movie was entertaining, as a nice mystery with an appealing cast.