A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Candace Cameron Bure, a librarian with a taste for true mysteries, inherits a house. Some one breaks into the house. This leads her to a hidden skull with blunt force trauma in what promises to be the first in a Hallmark Channel series.

It's based on Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series and is of the "Cozy Murder" variety of mystery. I am familiar with Ms. Harris through reading a couple of her Sookie Stackhouse series, which combines murder, vampires and Southern Gothic, and are cleverly written. Miss Bure is a charming actress, able to play an intelligent ditz; and although this particular movie seems to be mostly concerned with setting up the characters and relationships for future, the mystery story is well set up and executed. I look forward to future efforts, this latest Hallmark Channel mystery series bids fair to be a pleasing one.

Librarian Aurora Teagarden is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling murder mystery. It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues and solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.

The Aurora Teagarden films I've seen so far are all pleasant viewing: humorous, fast-moving, intriguing, and this first entry featuring the highly inquisitive and energetic librarian is quite good, though the other episodes I have seen are better, characters more rounded, the story sharper. The actress who plays Aurora's reporter friend was good, her character being quite entertaining. I lost count how many times she tries to dissuade Aurora from conducting her investigation.

I'd hated Murder She Bakes and loved good Witch so I gave this a chance and i'm pleasantly surprised. Candace Bure does a good job of portraying Aurora as an inquisitive and clever person, who an get dangerously close to being nosey and interfering but just stays on the tolerable side of it. You can actually believe that beneath her turning up all over is actual concern for her friends and neighbours. The character is quite well rounded and not a bad influence on TV- she's smart, dedicated to her work, decisive and organised. Mother Aida is stereotypically the small town mom who can only think of setting her daughter up, but the actress does very well. Aurora's love interests do not merit mention, but John is someone who deserves far more screen time. The mystery is too simple but somehow the small town intrigues and Aurora's process save it from being a bore. If you want a simple unwinding with some cuteness and not much brain use, don't miss it.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Bone to Pick is the start of a beautiful series of mysteries and one of my three favorite in the Hallmark vault. (My three favorites being Hannah Swensen's Murder she Baked, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, and Mystery 101...a series that just gets better and better.)

Aurora Teagarden is a grossly underpaid librarian for the town of Lawrenceton, which exists somewhere within an hour drive of Seattle, Washington. Aurora's mom, played beautifully by Marilou Henner, is a real estate agent and her best friend, Sally, works as an investigative reporter for the local newspaper. Aurora, nicknamed "Ro", is a member of her town's Real Murders Club where town members sit and discuss unsolved mysteries to the chagrin of both Ro's mother and her co-worker at the library. In addition to her best friend, the Real Murders club has a cast of interesting characters, like Ro's ex-boyfriend turned local police officer Arthur, and at times the town mayor...a former convict, a trust fund baby, and some other helpful characters that at times become both co-conspirators and suspects!

In A Bone To Pick, Aurora connects with a lovely elderly member of The Real Murders Club and former town librarian, Jane Engles, who sees herself in Aurora and loans her a book on a historic murder that Aurora presented to the club. Jane passes away the very next day and unexpectedly leaves Ro her house. When Ro goes to check out the house, it has been broken into and the perpetrator is still there but escapes without being caught. Ro calls Arthur, Ro's ex, who is now married to and pregnant with fellow police officer and detective, Lynne, and coincidentally moving right across the street from Ro's new house... creating all kinds of awkwardness. Arthur tells Ro about the breakins that had been happening in the neighborhood. Aurora starts searching the house to figure out what the thief was looking for. What she finds is a human skull and an ancient mystery...thankfully Jane also leaves a note with a clue to the murder mystery she is passing on. Cue the murder board...

Candace Cameron Burré is beautiful and does a wonderful job as our main character Ro. She plays friend, daughter, librarian, fiancé and an endlessly curious mind wonderfully. She is smart, sassy...and has the right amount of clout with family and friends to get them to help out throughout her adventures.

The town is so picturesque that I had to look up where it was filmed, knowing the beautiful falls that can be seen from right in the heart of downtown does not exist anywhere inside of my native Northwest (unfortunately). The series is shot in Vancouver, B. C. predominately...but the gorgeous falls in the city is in the town of Montour Falls, New York in Schuyler County. Check it out it is truly worth googling...and maybe a road trip.

The start of a wonderful series and for me a great cosy friend based loosely on the cosy mystery series written by True Blood author, Charlaine Harris. For me this is a must see and tv that I can count on each and every episode.

Librarian and amateur sleuth Aurora Teagarden's elderly friend dies and leaves Aurora her house. After a break-in, Aurora starts poking around the old house and discovers the skull of a murder victim. She begins investigating the crime but this puts her at odds with the police, including the detective assigned to the case -- who just happens to be the pregnant wife of Aurora's ex-boyfriend.

This is based on a book from a series written by Charlaine Harris, the author of the books True Blood is based off of. Don't worry (or get your hopes up?), this is nothing like True Blood. Haven't read the books so I can't compare but this is a light, upbeat mystery with some humor and even a hint of (completely sexless) romance with a minister. It's Candace Cameron Bure and Hallmark. You didn't expect Hannibal Lecter to show up, did you? A cop pointing a gun at someone says "get your dang hands in the air." So yeah, I think it's safe to call this 'family friendly.'

Candace is likable and pretty as usual. The rest of the cast is good. Fairly typical for TV movies -- mostly little-known Canadian actors with a couple of recognizable standouts (TV vet Marilu Henner and the lovely Lexa Doig). Henner is enjoyable as the mom meddling in her daughter's love life and Doig is fun as the sidekick who gets most of the good lines. The scenes between Candace and Lexa are the movie's highlights. Altogether it's a fun movie. Nothing challenging but entertaining. I imagine fans of the books will be more critical than those like me who aren't familiar with the source material. If you're a fan of the kinds of movies Candace makes, you'll most likely enjoy this.