Chronicle Mysteries: Vines That Bind

5/10 - too many characters muddled up what could have been a good mystery

This third Chronicle Mystery has Alison Sweeney checking out a more current mystery than in the two previous films. This involves shooting from a distance and the police are labeling it a hunting accident like what Dick Cheney had.

But with her two trusty aides Benjamin Ayres and David Colette helping Sweeney has her doubts and says so on the air. It all has to do with some land where grapes are grown for wine and the fact that it is being polluted.

Hopefully we will see more or it's back to the bakery for Alison Sweeney.

Hard to write a review that compliments this show and specifically this episode.

Canadian face lifts meets Dr. Evil parodies.

Unfortunately they spent more money on trying to make the cast fashionable then casting actors.

Not the worse show on Hallmark but the writers kept inserting rightwing rhetoric with phrases like "stand her ground" when a woman holds gun on them, and; "rich man making the world better for me." (The old trickle down economics.) Nepotism prevails. "On the rope" hanging phrase and several others.

As for Sweeny it's good to see a very full figured woman as opposed to those skinny fake snobs. One who never lost that child bearing figure. Although her face seems to show no emotions, you can tell she is struggling with middle age.

Also it's a very white world they live in. The ending is very predictable.

With having now watched three Chronicle mysteries, I feel confident in saying that we can expect to see well thought out mysteries from this TV franchise. Along with an intriguing mystery in each episode, the show has established four or so main characters, their habits and quirks, and their comfort and respect for one another.

I am pretty much watching "Chronicle Mysteries" for the first time back to back with watching "Murder, She Baked" for the first time.

It is genuinely fascinating to watch Alison Sweeney in both shows. I feel like I am watching identical twins. Both may look alike, but they are both completely different personalities, and you would never mistake Hannah for Alex.

I would agree that the cast of secondary characters got a bit confusing in this episode--particularly their relationship to each other. I don't find that to be a flaw, though. Most good murder mysteries are complicated puzzles that, midway through, would definitely benefit from a page or two of flow charts!

My favorite part of this episode was the interplay between the four main characters, the teasing, the concern, and their intuition of what each other were thinking.