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Mystery 101: Words Can Kill

  • TV Movie
  • 2019
  • TV-G
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Mystery 101: Words Can Kill (2019)
CrimeMystery

When a guest at the college book festival is killed, Amy and Travis clash after he arrests an unlikely person for murder. Amy must fight to prove he's got the wrong person behind bars.When a guest at the college book festival is killed, Amy and Travis clash after he arrests an unlikely person for murder. Amy must fight to prove he's got the wrong person behind bars.When a guest at the college book festival is killed, Amy and Travis clash after he arrests an unlikely person for murder. Amy must fight to prove he's got the wrong person behind bars.

  • Director
    • Andy Mikita
  • Writers
    • John Christian Plummer
    • Robin Bernheim
    • Lee Goldberg
  • Stars
    • Jill Wagner
    • Kristoffer Polaha
    • Robin Thomas
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Andy Mikita
    • Writers
      • John Christian Plummer
      • Robin Bernheim
      • Lee Goldberg
    • Stars
      • Jill Wagner
      • Kristoffer Polaha
      • Robin Thomas
    • 15User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos25

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    Top cast16

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    Jill Wagner
    Jill Wagner
    • Amy Winslow
    Kristoffer Polaha
    Kristoffer Polaha
    • Travis Burke
    Robin Thomas
    Robin Thomas
    • Graham Winslow
    Preston Vanderslice
    Preston Vanderslice
    • Bud
    Sarah Dugdale
    Sarah Dugdale
    • Claire Tate
    Amanda Wong
    Amanda Wong
    • Holly Chen
    Lossen Chambers
    Lossen Chambers
    • Tabitha Felton
    Nat Boltt
    Nat Boltt
    • Celia Bunton
    • (as Nathalie Boltt)
    Eric Keenleyside
    Eric Keenleyside
    • Phil Jenk
    Marci T. House
    Marci T. House
    • Betsy Crane
    Heather-Claire Nortey
    Heather-Claire Nortey
    • Sharon
    Milo Shandel
    Milo Shandel
    • Rick Fitch
    Rhona Rees
    Rhona Rees
    • Hannah Steinhousen
    Michael McIntyre
    Michael McIntyre
    • Large Man
    Vaughn Clements
    • Booking Sergeant
    Yumi Ogawa
    • Rena
    • Director
      • Andy Mikita
    • Writers
      • John Christian Plummer
      • Robin Bernheim
      • Lee Goldberg
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews15

    7.11.3K
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    Featured reviews

    8MIssM19

    I wish I had one movie per month to watch

    Amy and Travis are back in our screens! I love this duo. They work good together, they are fun, and their flirty banter is the best! I wish their relationship keeps growing ad getting stronger.

    I think this movie was a little more complex than the previous two. It was difficult to guess who the guilty person was. Every guest character is guilty at some time and it throws you off.

    One detail bothered me: Amy walking through the crime scene in her high heels? IN THE GRASS? She didn't even put on those bags on her feet, or at least a pair of trainers... and then in the next scene Travis literally says: "We need to do it by the books" I just found that funny.

    Let's agree that the real hero of this movie was the front desk lady at the hotel.
    10Becky145

    Great!

    So far this is my favorite Mystery 101. I have seen 3 now. I kind of picked out the who dunnit early but then you question things more and things definitely were not as they seemed. There was nothing obvious about all the goings ons that really happened. When they wrap it up and show what happened... you have that ahhhhhh moment. My only complaint was wardrobe put Jill in sage green outfits too many times. The final navy/magenta plum combo was refreshing and lovely.
    6bkoganbing

    Three mysteries for a group of mystery writers to solve

    Big doings over at the college where Jill Wagner teaches, there's a College Book Festival going on and a bunch of writers are coming. But the college's own Robin Thomas is the real star of the show. He taught the class in mystery writing that his daughter Wagner teaches now.

    For all these professional sleuths three murders happen during the course of the event. A stalker, a publisher, and a rival of Thomas's in many things from the old days.

    There are as usual no shortage of suspects. But one of these three does not fit with the other two. Once the team of Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha figure that one out, the solution for the other two takes a quantum leap forward.

    A good one for this series.
    6Jackbv123

    A colander

    Maybe the two Hallmark channels should change their names to some variation on the Fantasy channel. Oh, I love a lot of movies on the two channels, but in order to do so, more often than not, I have to suspend expectation for realism. Sometimes more than others. This movie has a little mystery but a lot of plot holes. It hurts my brain to even try to list them.

    For starters, how about arresting a respected member of the community based on evidence that's planted in an unlocked car. This despite the fact he has no motive and there are easily two or three other people who have openly argued bitterly with the victim, including threats. I can just see the DA visiting Travis' office and asking him what he is thinking.

    Another reviewer pointed out Amy contaminating the crime scene once but failed to point out at least one other time. Travis refuses to take Amy to the hotel room once in order to play it "by the books" and then lets her tag along every time after that. Then one of the key players "falls while rock climbing"? I never did figure out whether they were calling that a murder immediately. If not, why not? If so, why no reconstruction of the timeline to determine where Graham was at that time?

    Like another reviewer, I had bets with myself early on whodunnit and as time went on kept doubling down until I was proved correct. My deduction was not based on any clues the characters had though. Those were pretty complicated.

    The only thing that keeps bringing me back to this series is the combination of Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha. Love them both. I think either one of them could connect with anyone opposite them but even so they are great together.
    7coltras35

    Words can kill

    It starts with a masked intruder knocking College professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) as he runs past her. She calls her police detective friend Travis Burke (Kristoffer Polaha) but nothing seems to be stolen. She is then sidetracked by college book festival where her father is a key speaker. He isn't too happy that a rival is also attending. Then a guest at the college book festival is killed, Amy and Travis clash after he arrests an unlikely person for murder. Amy must fight to prove he's got the wrong person behind bars.

    The beautiful Jill Wagner and Kristofer - the leads - have a great chemistry, which what makes this Hallmark mystery so watchable, and the mystery itself is quite good, there's plenty of hooks in the plot, all designed to keep you watching. With Hallmark/Lifetime films, you either love 'me or hate 'em, but I'm with the former. Of course, there's varying qualities to good, average and not so good. Words can kill is one of the good ones.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Amy wears a CLUE game piece on a necklace or a magnifying glass on a chain in this film. Her office also has CLUE game pieces as statues. The rope, lead pipe, gun, wrench, candlestick and knife can be seen in the background. The game Clue is known as Cluedo in the United Kingdom.
    • Connections
      Followed by Mystery 101: Dead Talk (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Who Can It Be Now?
      Written by Colin Hay

      Performed by Colin Hay

      [Played during the opening scene when Amy walks in on the person who broke into her office]

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 15, 2019 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official sites
      • Crown Media International Distribution (United States)
      • Hallmark Channel Press (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Words Can Kill
    • Filming locations
      • Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada(location)
    • Production companies
      • Crown Media Productions
      • Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
      • Lighthouse Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 24 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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