Framed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery

In the town of Lighthouse Cove purportedly in New England and probably several inlets away from Murder She Wrote's Cabot Cove we've got a contractor played by singer Jewel Pilcher who is another of Hallmark's professional women with a taste for sleuthing

This is a murder that hits home for her. An old family friend Ken Tremblatt who was liked or even loved by just about every resident of Lighthouse Cove dies in what the local police called an accident, they say it was a fall in the home. Her contracting experience leads Pilcher to doubt the official verdict.

She's joined in her doubts by Colin Ferguson who is a crime reporter and author and who just hired her to fix up and make livable an old mansion he purchased. Pilcher makes a believer of Ferguson though he wishes she would bring her findings to the police a bit more.

Tremblatt was an old salvage diver and delighted many of the town folk with his tales. They took what he said with a grain of salt but in one instance a tale about finding a really expensive necklace belonging to a runaway Portuguese princess turns out to be true. It is also the Hitchcockian McGuffin of the story and the reason for a few more murders. We have one ruthless murderer here.

I have to say these Hallmark mysteries are entertaining and this one is no exception.

In the small resort town of Lighthouse Cove, everyone knows that the best man for the job is a woman. And that woman is Shannon Hughes, owner of a construction company and an expert in Victorian home restoration and renovation. Through her renovations she will find clues to uncover the house's secret past and in turn become an unlikely sleuth to help crack these unsolved mysteries.

In this debut episode, her friend's uncle -a treasure Hunter- is found dead in his house. The police calls it an accident. But Shannon thinks otherwise and investigates with the help of her client Mac, who happens to be an investigative reporter.

And the mystery and secrets are unveiled steadily in this good mystery that is well-acted and focused enough. Jewel and Ferguson as the protagonists share a good rapport, working together. There's a few strange acting suspects like the victim's estranged friend. Who's that guy in the blue vehicle? Is he behind the break-ins?

I was pleasantly surprised by the acting abilities of Jewel. I thought she held her own with the professionals. This is another of those cozy pleasant little mysteries with amateur sleuths that have come out in the last year or so. I have enjoyed every single one and eagerly look for new titles. The Fixer-Upper series should be every bit as entertaining as the other series have been,

Shannon (Jewel) is a one woman dynamo. She runs her own home remodeling business, can change a flat, and solve mysteries. Just finished with a Bed and Breakfast project, she attends a lecture in Lighthouse Cove, her town. This talk is by Jesse, who hunts for sunken ship treasure and relates some of his more famous finds. Not long after, he is found murdered, at home. The police believe, at first, he fell and hit his head; no homicide. But, Shannon doesn't think so. Agreeing with her is new resident, Mac (Colin Ferguson) , a famous mystery writer who has just hired Shannon to re-do the crumbling mansion he has purchased. After some snooping and clues, S and M may be in danger themselves, as the killer strikes again. Could it all be over a famous necklace once owned by a Princess? This terrific move by Hallmark, who else, has it all. Jewel is a beautiful star, very talented and smart; she also gets to sing a small bit! In addition, Ferguson has long held my heart and the rest of the cast is wonderful, too. Seaside scenery, costumes, script (based on a series of books) and the enthusiastic direction make for a film that need no fix whatsoever. Get Framed, get it very, very soon.

This is the first meeting between the local fixer-upper genius played by the pop singer Jewel (and she does a decent job...great acting chops!), Shannon Hughes, and the famous investigative reporter turned crime fiction writer played by the handsome Colin Ferguson, Mac Sullivan.

Mac has purchased a piece of property in town and it is an older but gorgeous home and he hires Shannon to restore it. While she is working on the restoration, Mac stays in Shannon's guest cottage.

Meanwhile a friend of Shannon's is killed and they are both intrigued by some anomalies...so they start investigating the crime together.

This was a great mystery...salvaged jewels, yoga studios, and all of Shannon's friends are involved. This was a good start to Mac and Shannon's relationship...which starts with some funny assumptions on Mac's part.

Worth watching, while not quite as good as Murder she Baked-Mystery 101-or Aurora Teagarden, it is one of the better Mystery series on Hallmark Movies & Mystery channel.

"I second the amazing part."-Mac.