User reviews

My stepmother and I have been Hallmark movies for years & we thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's 2024 & we just watched it & agree there should be a sequel. Aside from some moderate acting ability Dylan Bruce was outstanding! I'm sure there are many fans who really enjoyed the movie as well but didn't write a review.

The penultimate of any murder mystery is always a huge surprise that is revealed in the past 5 minutes of the movie and this is one of those movies. As a former actress in daytime television I understand actors move on. If the 2 leads are available we'd really appreciate a new movie.

First, this movie is SUCH an improvement over"Cut, Color, Murder", and "The Curious Caterer "!!!

I think that it is a teaser for the solving of Travis and Amy's cliffhanger, and I'll bet a lot of Mystery 101 fans do as well.

The script's author has authored the 101 series too.

There's a strong father-daughter bond, a solid friendship between the father of the female lead, and the detective, and now a dead fiance.

Mallory Jansen and Dylan Bruce play their characters well enough, but the chemistry is not as strong as it is between Travis and Amy in Mystery 101.

Mallory's emotions and Dylan's don't seem to click as well. Maybe it's the line delivery.

This is an ok movie to watch more than once. There are lots of twists and nuances to revisit, although the way the background story is told tends to be a bit confusing.

Overall, while there are obvious teasers and parallels to Mystery 101, it can not vie as a replacement for, or take the place of, Mystery 101 as the top HMM Signature Movie Series/Franchise.

Hope Hallmark figures that out!

To begin with this is not a straightforward who done it. There are multiple, multiple twists, turns and flashbacks. This is not a movie you can watch while you're doing something else.

All that being said, I found it captivating and a little easier to figure out than some other Hallmark movie and mysteries.

No spoiler alerts here, watch the movie. Acting writing directing are all above the average for Hallmark mystery movie.

And as in any Hallmark movie mystery, you have to stretch reality just a little bit to make everything fit together.

Definitely a recommend, but it's not a you gotta see this.

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!

This is a little harder hitting than some of the other more Cosy hallmark mystery offerings...but still not breaking in to my top three favorites (Hannah Swensen's Murder She Baked, Aurora Teagarden, and Mystery 101). Someone posted in the trivia section that this is replacing the Mystery 101 franchise and while it was good...it was not nearly as good as Mystery 101, which has such wonderful chemistry...a great ensemble cast and has given me some great actual mystery novels/authors to look up (like Georges Simenon, who I now love!).

The story is narrated by the forensic investigator herself and this first case involves the murder of her fiancé. Together she works with her ex, Detective Wynn, to solve the case and put a killer behind bars. The mystery was decent, there was a lot of set up with the back story...but very little time spent on the romantic aspect, so I can't comment on if there is any chemistry or not. I will say there is no humor or witty banter, it was straightforward and pretty serious. It is hard to imagine that this is going to inspire the kind of following my three favorites has.

I recommend watching to mystery fans...and I do want Hallmark to do more mysteries, but please don't replace Mystery 101!

I liked the fact that is movie was a little different than the usual Hallmark mysteries. It was somewhat convoluted at the beginning. The writers should have slowed down the pace and introduced the characters more slowly. The actual mystery was good with several suspects for the characters to consider - almost too many to keep track of. There wasn't much time spent on the romantic backstory of the two main characters. The acting was good, not great, other than the always watchable Teryl Rothery. I wish Hallmark would have her in more movies. If this becomes a series, I would watch future episodes, but hopefully, Hallmark will bring back my favorites: Mystery 101, Morning Show Mysteries, Hannah Swensen, and Martha's Vineyard Mysteries.

I really enjoyed this one! There are a lot of negative reviews on this movie but I thought it was great. It was totally different from Hallmark's other mystery movies - not cozy at all, more like a Criminal Minds or something. I do feel like they should have made a movie before this one about the stepmother and all of the backstory because it was pretty confusing with the flashbacks and stuff. This movie definitely should have been movie #2. But other than that, I thought it was very good with a lot of twists and turns. I really liked Frankie and other characters. Can't wait to see the next one!

I was excited to see a new mystery on Hallmark so I watched this. However it was too easy to figure out who the real killer was. I'm not going to spoil it for those that haven't seen this movie. My main complaint about this movie is that there wasn't any chemistry in the lead characters. They supposedly were an item and were partners on the police force before Francesca left and became a private investigator. But there isn't much in the way of a chemistry between them. She says she's known him since they were in Kindergarten, but you don't really feel any closeness between them. She's pretty deadpan and cold fish most of the time.

The one bit of trivia in here says that this movie followed Mystery 101's last movie and was supposed to replace the franchise. I certainly hope not! Please bring back Mystery 101! The trivia said this movie had a similar plot line as the cliffhanger we were left with in Mystery 101 #7, just the names and occupations, and let's not forget the actors, writers, storyline, and chemistry was all completely different. Bring back Mystery 101 and give us some closure!

If people expect Agatha Christie and not the simple mysteries of Angela Lansbury's "Murder She Wrote" from Hallmark then of course they will be disappointed. That is like expecting to see Shakespeare and not a censored version of Julia Quinn of Hallmark Movie ch. That is not to both can not be enjoyed. I enjoyed "Francesca Quinn, PI" and hope there will be MORE episodes to come! If I have one problem with HALLMARK it's that they make one mystery movie; then no more in the series, talk about a real let down! You get tired of investing in characters that won't stay and plots that won't stick longer then gum on the underside of a greasy diner's table. I enjoyed "Harmony in G Minor" that was suppose to have episodes nothing came of it... or the " Curious Caterer Mysteries" where episodes 4 or 5?? Then there was "The Jane Mysteries" I really thought that was cute and had some real potential Then there was the: "The Case of Mystery Lane", "Niki & Nora Mysteries", "Family History Mysteries", "The Dancing Detective", (two of my favorites)"To Catch A Spy", and "Mystery Island" and Now their two very latest ones "True Justice" and a period piece "Gilded Newport Mysteries". With so many one offs that were suppose to be spinning off into more episodes it's no wonder why Hallmark mysteries fans feel a real letdown for (not the lackluster performance or potential) but the actual production performance.

This is coming from a life long Hallmark movies and mysteries channel viewer. Even before we had cable, whenever there was a Hallmark movie on t.v. (if I couldn't watch it live)I would get my family to record it. I know that this will date me. But I remember it being a Huge deal that Glen Close was going to be on "Sarah Plain and Tall" and although I was still a kid at the time I begged to get it recorded.

I sometimes wish Hallmark would return to its roots with its Gold Crown Presentations that had recognizable star playing characters out of the Standardized Books that we had to read and our children still should be reading.

Thank you This is my Humble Opinion.

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.

This should have started "It was a dark and stormy night..." Stiff dialog, usual closed loop of suspects/ victims. Lead woman should not be in this position. Others have over the top delivery, dramatic pauses obvious declarations of facts. Nice photography and scenes and being from Minneapolis the locations that fit it were fun to see but no Midwest accents to be found. I don't have a lot more to say but I may not be able to finish it in the first sitting. Having to fill out length here I would not recommend watching this if you have something else you'd like to watch from Hallmark. Just about anything.

I enjoyed this movie. The mystery was complex. And it had a serious tone that's rare with Hallmark mysteries. The acting was good enough for me.

The story's theme seems to be about the ugliness in people -- how well they hide it, what it can drive them to do, and if they're willing to trust others to resist it.

Another reviewer complained that Frankie is mean to others. But, once the whole backstory is revealed, no wonder she's got a chip on her shoulder!

I wonder if they'll do a sequel. It's a pretty self-contained story. It's not like the light-hearted mysteries, where an amateur detective gets into the habit of investigating one case after another.

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'm sad to see other reviews that panned this new series on Hallmark. Something new needed to happen. I love a good mystery that has romance in it. I've seen Mr. Bruce in other things and am glad to see him in this. I hope they more!! I had not seem Miss Jansen in anything before this, but I like the chemistry between these two. I don't need what the "celebrities" call Oscar material. I want to be entertained and this definitely does that for me. I have watched it several times and I intend to keep re-watching it. Everyone has opinions and we don't agree on this one. I'm really hoping for more!!

I'm a huge fan of Hallmark Mysteries and I was looking forward to watch this new one but I think this is the worst movie of all Hallmark series.

Simple bad and boring. There is no chemistry between main characters. All looks fake: fake acting, fake dialogues...simply bad script.

I miss old mysteries: Aurora, Murder she baked or Gourmet detective.

This is my first review ever and I regret that it is not positive but I just can't lie.

So I have a big request to producers of Hallmark Mysteries - as another reviewer wrote: "Please, please, please bring back Mystery 101, Aurora Teagarden, & Hannah Swenson" and other old good mysteries:)

We were very disappointed in this movie, mainly due to the writing, but also the acting/direction. We also had a lot of trouble with the sound quality. All of this together made me feel like I was watching a movie made by a college student.

To be fair, the actors playing Wynn and Sally were good, and Teryl Rothery did as well as one could with that script... I think Hallmark needs to go back to movies based on books.

I have never written a review, and I subscribe to the Golden Rule, but I read another review that said Hallmark has cancelled the other series, so I felt the need to plead: Please, please, please bring back Mystery 101, Aurora Teagarden, & Hannah Swenson.

Like many others, I found it boring and somewhat confusing. I started watching but stopped after about 20 minutes. Didn't delete the recording but continued days later. Why did the step mother kill people? Why even include that in the story? Totally irrelevant.

Nothing against the actors. The plot was slow. Nothing remotely exciting happened.

Bring back Aurora Teagarden, Fixer uppers, Garage sale mysteries, Murder 101, all series with Allison Sweeney, etc. All much much better.

Please don't let this be a series. There are so many excellent cozy books that could be turned into movie series, why not adapt one of them? Would make for better viewing.

This was a bit boring and also fairly convoluted. I can't believe they cancelled Mystery 101, Matchmaker Mysteries and Ruby Herring for something like this, that felt a little bit more like a Lifetime movie than a Hallmark mystery movie. There was plenty of melodrama along the way in this. Amy Groening.was a definite bright spot in this movie, as limited as her role was, she was fun to watch while she lasted. Anyways, this movie got so boring at one point that I began hoping that the main protagonist would turn out to be the killer. Rather that turned out to be the case or not, I will not say.

I was very disappointed with all the negative reviews of this movie. The movie was well-done, edgy and suspenseful. Unlike a lot of the Hallmark mysteries, this movie had no fluff and it was necessarily to pay 100% attention to the movie or one would get lost. The twists and the cat and mouse stories were interesting and kept the movie fast paced.

I gave this movie a 9 instead of a 10 because I figured out who the murderer was, but I didn't figure out why.

I would recommend people give this movie a second chance.

All the actors did a wonderful job. Hopefully Hallmark does more of these movies.

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.

I was looking forward to this, although wasn't thrilled about getting into another series that would not go anywhere. Loved the Mystery 101 series. Would love to see more of them. Loved the Morning Show Mysteries, Aurora Teagarden, Hailey Dean., Fixer Up. So thought that maybe Hallmark finally had something to show. The female lead was not that believable. She had a few good moments. I watched it twice to see if I had missed something that explained everything. What was the motive behind the first 6 murders. Did this serial killer just start killing people at the school or had this been a pattern all her life? It was mentioned somewhere that the victims were criminals.... what was there crime? What was the purpose of starting in the middle of the story and never explaining the beginning? This might have had potential, but the writing/story was lacking.

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.

Uninspired storyline sure wasn't improved with the presence of this actress?

If we had some other show PVRed, we would have abandoned this film before the first half hour was over!

Weak writing, unusual casting, and lack of interesting roles contributed to a lacklustre story.

Is this intended to be a series!?

Cannot imagine how this writing can inspire a continuation of the stories using these characters!

Casting and improved writing required to make this worth a series!

Everyone seems to be struggling to deliver believable characters! Not great effort, poor writing, inept acting.

Sad indeed!