The Wrong Man

6/10 - this series is not nearly as fun as Murder, She Baked, but still worth watching

We found this 3-movie DVD at our public library, called "Chronicle Mysteries: 3-Movie Collection." Each of the three feature Alison Sweeney in the lead role as Alex McPherson. This second of the three is called "The Wrong Man".

Alex has a podcast where she focuses on various mysteries. Now about three years after her disappearance the remains of Tara were found, identified by her ring with her name engraved. While her body had never been found her husband was charged and tried but found 'not guilty.' But Tara's twin brother always stayed convinced that the husband was guilty.

In a very complicated investigation, with a large number of possible killers, finally the real killer was flushed out, and it was mostly a surprise.

This isn't a hard-hitting movie and some of the situations have a bit "low budget" look to them, but my wife and I were suitably entertained.

Apparently Alison Sweeney's pod cast mystery debut that now she has a permanent place in the local newspaper. Benjamin Ayres and Dave Collette are back once again to lend able assistance and to help with the morgue files of their newspaper.

This episode opens with the discovery of the body of a woman who had disappeared for two years and whose remains are found in a national forest in the western Pennsylvania region. She had already been declared legally dead and her husband was tried and acquitted. The prosecutor made a rush to judgment and the acquittal was due to the lack of evidence. A body would have helped.

It's the acquitted husband Peter Benson who asks that Sweeney use her pod cast to find the real killer. By the way his acquittal did not mean he was innocent.

All kinds of suspects and all kinds of motives are given for the woman was murdered. It turns out it was for one of the oldest of motives out there.

This one is nicely done though I kind of guessed who did it about halfway through.

I like Allison Sweeney and the way her character Alex treats people meanwhile relentlessly pursuing the solution in a quiet way. I've said in reviews of the other two Chronicle Mysteries that I especially like that this amateur detective isn't reckless and she at least has some justification for getting involved. The fact that Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres, Drew, work well together is another big plus.

As in any good mystery, there are good clues and red herrings. I didn't see the outcome coming, but another reviewer did so I guess there were some clues to that end which I missed. I did think that one of the red herrings was too obvious.

I do like these, but not as much as Murder She Baked. I gotta concentrate on the dialogue much more in the Chronicle Mysteries plus having so many actors from the other Hallmark mysteries gets a bit confusing! However it is different to have two journalists instead of the standard Cop & Annoying Civilian format.