A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Hannah Swenson Mysteries were my favorite so it's extremely disappointing how poor the new series has been so far. I understand Mike having moved to Great TV but not aware of Norman deserting the Network. If he hasn't, I can't imagine why he's no longer in the scripts. Was he removed from the novels? Did the novels change so dramatically? I'm not familiar with them but I doubt they drastically changed her mother's role for example. The screen writers should be fired for ruining the dynamic.

Having the three sisters together is quite a nice move but not developed properly. Where's Bill? The sherif was suddenly recommending Hannah be involved. A complete (and unlikely) change of heart. Chad is a dreadful choice as a possible love interest I think. There's no chemistry there and he's got "Norman" stand-offish politeness without any of the warmth. Plus ...why is he at every crime scene? He's the prosecutor not a detective.

The worst change is her mother's character. I love Barbara Niven in all her Hallmark roles and she was great in the previous series. But she was squeamish and always trying to stop Hannah getting involved in the investigations so why she's now an overbearing PI I can't imagine. This episode was worse with her embarrassing role as an "actress". It was so OTT and cringe-worthy. Ruined it for me.

The Murder itself was like an afterthought and I got so bored as the investigation plodded along with no enthusiasm. No twists. No turns. I barely remembered they were investigating a murder.

Changing her bakery and having her branch out to roasting coffee beans made logistical sense to me because she obviously doesn't have to bake so much anymore. But it lacked the warmth and character of her old ones. It was harder to imagine her running it, creating and baking new cookies there. There was always a lot of banter at the counter and the seating arrangement was much friendlier for the main cast and customers to sit down and chat. It just looked like a sterile patisserie counter to me and I think the seating is around the corner at the side of the counter from the one quick glance we got of it.

I'm almost rating this in the region of the Curious Catering series which is so dreadful I've stopped watching. I love both the leads but they have no chemistry in that series because of the dreadful scripts and Andrew has lost his sparkle and seems to just dial in his performance. He doesn't look well, too skinny, and does not suit the scruff on his face.

With Mystery 101 disappearing, I wonder if Kristoffer Polaha and Jill Wagner are still with Hallmark. They have brilliant chemistry together in everything they do... but her character was a little stupid and overbearing in it. Not her fault just the scripts. But inspite of that, it was still a favorite to the old HS series along with The Chronicle Mysteries. Let's hope they don't mess with that one.

The writers should be sacked for the whole ridiculous farce of her mother becoming an "actress". It was embarrassing and way below the level we've come to expect of their characters and acting on the show. It became all about her and was even worse than making her a OTT PI.

The mysteries used to be interesting, clever and really enjoyable and it was always a little tricky to guess who the murderer was. Hannah always got herself in some sort of danger. I was tempted to change channels half way through but stuck with it. Cringing when her mother was on the screen.

If the next on is as bad as this I'm sadly giving up on them.

This is the same formulaic movie that Hallmark churns out. But that's why they're enjoyable. I do have to agree with another reviewer that the mom ruins the movie. She is so pushy, bossy, annoying...you name it. I absolutely adore Barbara Niven and she's better than this.

It's different with Cameron Matheson being gone. But with his move to a rival network, they had to bring in another "love interest". Victor Webster is a great replacement. Not sure if they'll become romantically involved but he makes a good DA.

I'll continue to watch the movies but please tone down the mom. I do like the sisters, too.

I was reluctant to watch this movie given the previous Hannah Swenson movie sans Mike. I think I gave this movie rating one more star than that movie only because Hannah got a little more flirty with Chad than in the last movie and I liked the developing love story between her sister Michelle and Lonnie. However, the flirting between Hannah and Chad seems awkward and a bit forced. It just doesn't have the same rhythm that Hannah and Mike had, or Hannah and Norman, even. And Hannah's mother is so over the top obnoxious in this movie. I adore Barbara Nivens. Have seen just about everything she's been in and have followed her career for years, but am not liking Delores's new line of work as a PI in the latest installments. She was always the squeamish one that didn't want to have anything to do with murder investigations, nor did she want Hannah to do any investigating. And now she's practically encouraging and almost challenging Hannah to do so by telling Hannah that she, Delores, is after all a professional. Who is this "new" person? Not the same Swenson mother we all know and adore. Yes, she's still meddling in Hannah's love life like before - she never liked Mike, so I guess she's glad now that he's gone. But some of us still miss him! I also miss Norman. It's just not the same bouncing ideas off of Chad as it is with Norman. He was the best wing man.

What is up with Andrea? I don't get why she's back in town. Where's Bill and their daughter? And why were Andrea and Hannah dressed up but not Michelle? It would seem like Delores would want all her girls dressed up for her opening.

Also, what's with the sheriff suggesting to use Hannah to help with the investigation? This seems out of character for him. I feel like Hallmark is missing it with the latest string of Hannah Swenson movies, like since they ran out of the original Murder She Baked stories it has not been the same. It's a shame, these used to be my favorite series to watch, this and the Mystery 101 series, which is also gone now. Come on, Hallmark, bring back something familiar, like Norman, don't force this stuff that you've been trying to do on us!

We watch this series because we like mysteries and enjoy watching Alison Sweeney. That being said, what in the world were the writers thinking when they made her mother's character such a total joke. In previous shows she was always worried about Hanna getting mixed up in murder cases. Now she's a private detective/actress the pokes her nose into everything, including murders. And her acting and costuming is ridiculously over the top nuts. Doesn't anyone screen these shows before they air to get some sense of viewer reaction?

Also, too bad the bakery got bigger because its' lost the small town feel and charm. It would be nice if the writers would read some of these reviews because I'm not the only one feeling this way.

I knew it was bad when I decided to clean my place DURING the movie. The focus is too jokey and there is no suspense. Hannah is less involved in solving the mystery - it's all about Delores, her mother. I'm not sure why Lisa Durupt is even in the movie - what a waste of a good actor. The pace is slow. I liked the previous episodes because they had interesting plots and the pace was good. This is worse than the Zest for Death episode, which was worse than the previous one. The trend seems to be heading in the wrong direction. If this trend continues, it'll be my last viewing of Hannah Swensen mysteries. I hope they are not going to do more like this.