Deadly Appearances

"Deadly Appearances" was Gail Bowen's first novel, in what is now a 7 book series, featuring amateur detective, Joanne Kilbourn. Bowen mixes the problems of a single woman raising her family and Canadian provincial politics into a realistic setting for unusual murders. They are well crafted and contain fully realized characters. This is a movie of her title.

OK, so the actress is physically wrong for Joanne, I could live with that. However, one assumes that if the book was worth buying for film, you might film the plot--but no. Drop those minor characters, like the murderer, and change the plot (gay lovers! in Canada! Can't have that!), lose the motive, and the point--oh, and lose the whole Canadian thing. Poly Sci professor, naaah--make her a former cop, and throw in a love hate thing with her old partner who doesn't exist in the book. You have now made a great murder mystery with a fresh setting and unique sleuth into a run of the mill C movie that will fill 2 hrs on TV.

Give this a pass. Read the books.