Mystery 101: Playing Dead

Opening scene, hours before dawn, abandoned downtown streets, a lone lady jogger comes across broken glass of a closed store, glances at her phone to check the time, and then ...

does what? Dial 911 on her phone? NOPE! She does something dumb. And she's a COP!!!

This show is always teaching me something new, this time Dramaturge.

In this, the second entry in Hallmark's Mystery 101 series Amy,our professor turned crime solving consultant, is the dramaturge for a local theater's mystery play production. While consulting the main actress has several attempts taken on her life. Meanwhile there are break ins occurring in downtown Garrison, Washington, the latest of which is the local pharmacy where the thief used a toy monkey to distract a police officer that was the first on the scene.

Travis and Amy join forces to put together the clues to figure out who done it, when our actress turns up dead. Travis does give Amy a little lecture about taking unnecessary risks.

Amy is working as the dramaturge on a play when lead actress Bella Brightman's life is threatened by two accidents that occur in the theatre. As Travis and Amy look into these incidents, Bella suddenly dies of a heart attack leading Amy to suspect foul play. When Amy and Travis investigate, they discover that a series of burglaries in Garrison, including one that resulted in Claire being injured, may be linked to Bella's death.

Another absorbing mystery with some fine suspects, neat twists, a toy monkey at a burgled shop which is linked to the murder of an actress, secret love letters, and a cracking chemistry between the leads. Their banter is catchy. A nice escapist mystery with a light touch.

This film all starts out with an off duty detective spotting an open pharmacy door while she's off duty and getting knocked on the noggin from behind. Little does she or anyone else suspect that this is connected with the death of film star Rebka Sharmas who is killed with poison after suffering an injury during a play rehearsal.

Sharmas was in town as a guest speaker and to support the small town theater group she was going to do a play sponsored by professor Jill Wagner. The whole thing revolves around her complicated love and a pair of murderers who have a long standing score to settle.

I do like Jill Wagner in the lead for this Hallmark series. She's smart and not all that pushy and knows when to let her detective boyfriend Kristoffer Polaha take the lead. It is his job and case after all.

6/10 - definitely a step-down from its predecessor