Francesca Quinn, PI

I never wrote a review on IMDB before, but then, I've never watched a Hallmark channel movie that I spent more time on my computer looking at baseball scores, than time watching the movie. I liked Dylan Bruce in "A Novel Romance" and "The Christmas Promise" and Mallory Jansen in "On The 12th Date of Christmas" but if they make this movie into a series, I'll find something else to watch. I read on other comments, that Mystery 101 is cancelled, and possibly Aurora Teagarden too. If that's the case, there are lots of other channels for me to watch, including some without commercials, because I have never lost interest in a Hallmark movie as easily as I did on this one!

We generally like Hallmark movies. I even use the Hallmark Movie Checklist app to keep up with new productions because we enjoy the Christmas movies and series like Mystery 101, the Martha's Vineyard movies, and Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. But this one is truly bad.

I sympathize with the poor actors who have to make the best of the bad writing but even then, other than the main protagonists, the acting is flat to downright poor.

The story itself is like a bad soap opera and the dialogue is worse.

I don't think the actors were miscast. With better writing they are very fine actors, as evidenced by their performances in other Hallnark productions.

I really hope they don't plan on making any sequels. We certainly won't be watching them in this household.

I understand wanting younger viewers (i'm 55) and needing edgier programming.

Why does edgy now mean bi*chy? Frankie, the main character treats everyone poorly but expects them to give her give her everything she demands! This seems to be a common theme in the newer Hallmark shows. A strong woman does not mean she has to be a bi*ch, wake up! But wait, half way through the show her personality completely changes. But by this time, I don't like her!

The acting is poor and everyone just forcefully reads their lines. It's the same acting mostly from everyone throughout the show.

Writing was poor and the explaination was confusing at the beginning of the show; weak and leaving a lot of questions.

My husband, (who does like many of Hallmark's previous series) could not stand the unjustly way the main character, Frankie, made you feel in the beginning either.

Thanks writers!

I must admit that since early 2022 I've been waiting with anticipation for the next Hallmark Movies & Mysteries mystery. This was just not it, unfortunately. I wanted to like it; as it looked like a more serious mystery with a gripping plot. However, there turned out to be so many problems with this story, the main one being that this, yes THIS, is supposed to be the final installment for Mystery 101 without being a Mystery 101 movie. The story begins setting itself up similar to the ending of Mystery 101 and then plays out the scenario of what would happen if a woman broke up with her detective boyfriend, got engaged to someone else, and that fiance was murdered?

We all wanted the ending to Mystery 101, but this is not it. First, the plot is just poor and contrived. You can tell that this movie was not a series unto itself, but was an attempt to conclude Mystery 101 while mixing a new cast of characters for a new series and plot for that new series into it. And it fails. Miserably. Second, add to the convoluted plot a whole bunch of characters who don't want to be here? It's a bit of a disaster. None of the cast acts like they wanted to shoot this film. You don't get any sense that these people can even stand to be in the same room with each other, despite the fact the heroine and the main detective used to date and are slowly rekindling that romance (supposedly) throughout the story. Third, Frankie is obnoxious. She's rude, brusque, abrasive, and just downright unlikable. She'd not funny, and she stays bitter and nasty through the whole thing. She has a couple minute bipolar moment partway through the movie, and is back to her dislikable self by the next scene. Fourth, the ending was pretty much entirely predictable and the reason for it was flawed and foolishly conceived to cover for the fact that it was predictable. Fifth, there are a ton of plot holes in this movie and so many hanging strings left at the end it's a wonder you can actually call it a full movie.

Hallmark, sexy voice overlay is so not working for you! They thought, "hey, let's do the old-timey detective monologue with this Frankie Quinn character. It'll go super well with her 'masculine' image." You know? The kind that Magnum does? Problem is, Frankie does it in the most "sexy" voice she can conjure and it doesn't come across like authentic narration. Instead it feels like she's making fun of the internal monologue. The way that all parodies of old-timey detective shows do. Only thing is, Hallmark didn't intend it that way, so it's just awkward.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of this new series, or these actors in this series. The movie was slow, the plot was convoluted and felt forced, and the characters are unlikable. It didn't flow well, and I have zero interest in watching it again or watching more of Frankie Quinn at all. She was that bad.

What happened to your good shows? Martha's Vineyard; Mystery 101; Aurora Teagarden; Fixer Upper; Emma Fielding; even Garage Sale Mysteries? Why can't you recast if necessary and keep going with plots we actually want to see? Heck, I really wanted another Cherry Springs mystery. But, no, we got Frankie Quinn instead.

If you're looking for a good Hallmark mystery movie like the old days, this is not it. Try Nikki & Nora Sister Sleuths instead. Now, there's a series that has potential.

Hopefully, Frankie Quinn will be a one off.

We had high hopes for this new mystery, but somehow it just never quite got past Ho-hum. The actors all seemed to be reciting their lines, without putting life in to their characters. The pace and story were oddly put together, the background music reminded me of B movies from the 1950's, and I'm not certain my husband and I would watch another movie in this series. Compared to the ones that are no longer produced, such as Hailey Dean, The Gourmet Detective, or McBride, this lacked warmth, charm, and a sense of connection to the audience. My husband picked out the killer fairly early. I stopped caring fairly early.