"Given the right circumstances, everyone is capable of murder."
Hello everyone!
I'M BACK!
And oh my gosh did this take forever.
I do apologise, but this year I decided to just not say anything as we headed off to vacation, and spent a lovely two weeks just decompressing and relaxing.
Then I thought I might be able to get some things done last week, but turns out the whole get your wisdom teeth removed surgery is a little bit more complicated than that.
I caught a light fever mid-week after the Monday situation and so took it easy for the rest of it.
So now, here I am!
With another Hallmark thing. Because obviously Hallmark.
I started a new series (for me anyway) while away, and I have to admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. I mean it's not Agatha Christie level, but it's definitely entertaining.
I'll be going through these five movies on the blog next and then moving on to the next thing as time goes by, so hopefully I'll build up the links as we go. For now, this is the only installment!
This aired on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries and I have to admit it's ambitious of Hallmark to even attempt any kind of mystery to begin with, so I was skeptical going in. But then watching this, I was entertained enough - and Cameron Mathison definitely helped - that I ended up enjoying it.
Our story starts in Eden Lake, a small bustling down where bakery owner Hannah seems to know everyone and is on friendly terms with everyone. People come to her to tell her things, which honestly makes sense; she runs a bakery, and from what I've seen in one of our own smaller bakeries at home, you generally chat a little bit with the baker and you might let things slip.
Anyway, she's happily single with her cat, but her mom keeps trying to set her up on dates, because apparently life without love isn't worth living at all!
I would like to give the casting department some much-deserved props over here because Alison Sweeney and Barbara Niven actually LOOK like they could be mother and daughter.
I was Googling to find if they were related!
Back to the story, after being accidentally set up with new dentist in town Norman, Hannah then starts the mystery reel of the movie when she discovers her best friend Ron shot to death. This prompts the police department, where her brother-in-law Bill (her sister Andrea's husband) works, to call in an out-of-town detective, Mike, who has more experience with this stuff.
Naturally, however, this is where things begin clashing, as Hannah enjoys puzzles of any kind and is determined to solve Ron's murder.
This definitely doesn't mix well with the new detective who would like some peace and quiet to solve the case, thank you very much, and it makes both of them ornery towards each other as both have very set views on what should or should not be done (and while Hannah has a point that she's Mike's most likely source of information, Mike also has a point in telling her to keep her nose to herself).
Of course this leads into a bunch of funny situations, including but not limited to Hannah dumpster-diving for some evidence, getting a make-over right before the funeral on accident, and meeting up with Mike while she's pretending to be someone else to get information (which he can get easily by showing his badge).
There are a few suspects in Ron's murder, at that: a bouncer he got into a fist fight with, but he was with his wife who was in labour all night long, the baseball coach from high school, but it turns out he was actually fishing, and the son of a rich family in the area, though that one's up in the air as well.
This track DOES lead Hannah to investigate Max Turner, the local dairy owner who's also a loan shark, especially once an elderly member of the community admits to shooting the man (this later turns out to be false, mind you).
Hannah and Andrea investigate, finding the body - which, it boggles the mind why she didn't call Mike right away with that information to begin with! - and this lands them in hot water once Mike and Bill arrive later.
Mom doesn't seem to mind it so much as she minds Hannah being down in spirit, and tells her to do what she does best: bake. She'll clear her mind.
Which she does, also bringing Mike a full bag of desserts to munch on, and they bury the hatchet when he explains he's looking for a quieter place to move to after his wife's death a year ago.
However, Hannah does make an educated deduction about potential murder suspects from the list of loans Max had out, and goes to talk to the rich son's mother, the matriarch of the family who she's known for years (and always employs Hannah for a big yearly party). Turns out, she was right.
The mother took out a loan to cover for her son's failure at Wall Street, but Max took the family assets as collateral and then blackmailed them (this seems to be a favourite past time), which resulted in her shooting him, and shooting Ron because he was a witness.
It would have ended with her shooting Hannah as well if her own son didn't come in to stall her, and then Mike shows up after a visit to the bakery where Andrea tells him about a weird phone call with a message from Hannah to come get her. Together, son and Mike talk the matriarch down and Mike is beside himself with worry because Hannah COULD have gotten shot, very easily.
Which leads to the ending of the movie where, as opposed to the beginning, Hannah is now courted by not just one, but TWO eligible bachelors: dentist Norman, whom her mother favours, and detective Mike, who her sister Andrea says is a sure thing.
But hey, we'll have to wait and see how the romance evolves over the next few movies!
Yeah, I didn't know it would last throughout the series myself - given how Hallmark usually operates, I was sure they'd have Mike and Hannah (the obvious endgame) together in the last minute of this movie, but nope! It's sort of a pleasant surprise in contrast to how things usually go, I'll admit.
And while this isn't some sort of murder masterpiece, it's actually amusing and definitely entertaining to watch all the different characters in the scenes. Hannah and Mike make for a delightful pairing; there's something so wholesome and compassionate about Sweeney, and Mathison brings just enough charm and old-fashioned gallantry to the table that makes it work.
I was also impressed by the side characters and how they helped guide the story along, because even just two minutes with Bill and Andrea gave us enough insight to know Andrea is deeply caring and would do anything for her family, and that Bill is quite protective, but also incredibly loyal - and trusts Hannah (other than with the small mishap, but that's already forgotten).
The fictional town of Eden Lake (a funny name if I ever heard one, considering what Eden means and what's going on there!) is also a lovely setting with all the other background characters, so I'm looking forward to bringing you the recap and review of the second movie in this series next week.
Until then, put your sleuthing caps to the side and keep on baking. You never know when you'll need some sweet dessert to keep you going!
xx
*images and video not mine
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