Mystery Woman: At First Sight

Mystery book store owner Kellie Martin we find out was adopted by the folks who raised her and are now deceased. She embarks on a search for her birth mother and when she finds her she finds the police in her town are about to arrest her. It seems that she came home and found a dead body in her house and he's a guy she had some really old history with.

Kathryn Harrold plays the mom and the dead guy was also shot with a gun owned by her husband John Aprea. Martin also discovers she has a half sister played by Christine Lakin.

One of the few in this series that Martin is without the help of her confidant Clarence Williams,III. But she's in another town and Williams has been contacted by Michael Cole an old secret agent buddy. He wants Williams to help him help another one of their friends who's in a nice jackpot. Of course back in the day Williams and Cole were 2/3 of LAPD's Mod Squad.

I think the solution was rather obvious from the start so as a mystery per se this film doesn't cut it. Still it was a nice insight into Kellie Martin's background.

Samantha is played by Kellie Martin a woman who owns "The Mystery Woman Book". She investigates and is interested in law and enforcement. She found out she was adopted and is going to a town she thinks her mother lives. She drives to that town is kind of afraid and stays outside the house for about an hour before she goes in. As her "mother" Hannah opens the door she recognizes Sam and tells her to leave.

Inside the house is a dead man killed by a gun shot wound and Samantha's birth mother Hannah is arrested. Sam meets her half sister who does not know about her. Sam makes out she is someone else.

There is a lot of drama in this movie. Philby, played by Clarence Williams III is an excellent actor. He plays Sam's all around man with a lot of computer and police knowledge in the book store.

There are a lot of criminals in this. Insurance fraud agents, people who work in offices and pass personal information because they are being blackmailed and more.

I had a problem with this movie. Sam has to watch her half sister, her mother and her step father support each other in love and she is at a standstill having to hold her identity while her family shares love and is not included. She helps her mother get out of jail and finds the killer of the man in the house.

It has some good parts Sam and Philby are successful with what they start out to do but to watch a girl not being acknowledged in love by her mom is so sad.

The one thing that caught my attention is when she has her date with the eye doctor he makes a cute flirty joke and she calls it lame. She's actually pretty unfriendly most of the date considering she had stood him up on their previous date. The date scene which was supposed to give the happy ending to the story left you wondering if she liked the doctor or not.

I have been watching the marathon, as I never saw these movies before. They're ok to enjoyable....depending on the storyline. I think I was most excited to see Clarence Williams III, aka Linc from the Mod Squad Series! He's aged well! Of course, I have always been a fan of Kelly Martin, although I think her acting could have been better...or perhaps it's supposed to be the characters mannerisms and way of speaking.

This series reminds me of the Aurora Teagarden movies. The premise is the same, loves mystery books and mysteries. One set in a book store, the other basically the library. Of course, Kelly Martin gets drawn into whatever mystery happens and then it's solved by the end (as does Candace Cameron Bure as Aurora)

I also think of this series as a precursor to Kelly Martin's character and movies Haily Dean Mysteries. Those I enjoy much more! Thank you Nancy Grace! These Mystery Woman movies aren't the absolute best, however they aren't the worst, either. I think they're worth watching....at least once, especially if you enjoy mysteries or want a change from other types of movies.

"Mystery Woman: At First Sight" is another entry into the Hallmark series. Kudos to director Kellie Martin on this one - there wasn't an establishing shot of the bookstore every 30 seconds.

In this episode, Samantha Kinsey finds her birth mother Hannah (Kathryn Harrold) - just as the woman is about to be arrested for murder. A man is dead in her living room. Without revealing to her half-sister (Christine Lakin) or Hannah's husband (John Aprea) who she is, Sam sets out to help clear Hannah of the murder charges. Meanwhile, back home, Philby (Clarence Williams III) is having his own problems.

The comments on this site were interesting in that some people expressed disappointment in this episode. I'm not sure why - it was just as slow-moving and pedestrian as the rest of them. It was a kick to see Michael Cole and Clarence Williams III, two of the "Mod Squad" members reunited, but despite Philby telling Cole he looked good, he didn't.

And that's the reason I watch "Mystery Woman" when I see it's on - sometimes it features some baby boomer stars, and I also like Kellie Martin. This series, like Jane Doe and McMartin, is okay, but that's about it.