Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths

We weren't expecting much. After all, this is a Hallmark Mystery so the bar is set low right from the beginning. Okay, so it isn't going to win any awards for creativity, keeping you on the edge of your seat guessing or acting skills but the ladies did a good job and there were a few surprises thrown in that you normally don't see in a Hallmark mystery. Nobody even got a gun kicked out of their hand by the good guys! At the end we actually were entertained and, rather than dreading the next installment we are hoping that this turns into a series so we can see what they manage to come up with next.

I enjoyed this entry into the Hallmark mysteries series.

Nikki (Hunter King) is an actress with money problems, and her sister Nora (Rhiannon Fish) is an attorney. They are fraternal twins.

They inherit a detective agency from someone who knew their parents. After not speaking for some time, they come together to find the killer of Nora's boss.

The two young women worked well together and have good chemistry. It wasn't the strongest story, but it had a nice twist. It was also directed at a nice pace.

I certainly liked this better than that horrible Crime Time. Hunter King's character is funny, and the women work well together.

Nora Sullivan (Rhiannon Fish) is a no-nonsense Chicago defense attorney. Nikki Sullivan (Hunter King) is a struggling actress. The estranged twin sisters cannot be more different. They inherit a detective agency from Charles Porter. They've never heard of the man. They investigate the death of Nora's boss who was her supportive mentor.

This is a Hallmark Mystery. I assume that this will be an ongoing series with these two characters. They are fine. These are two beautiful ladies. It's a halting start for the series. There is only one mystery for this first movie to solve. Why did Porter leave his agency to these girls? The reason seems obvious. It's only after a whole other case that the movie gets to that reveal. The Porter case should be the pilot case. It's poor construction for the writers. It's a poor start although the actresses could still be good.

I don't expect a lot from a Hallmark mystery, but this was a pretty good one overall. I was a little generous with the rating, giving it a bit of a bump for being unexpectedly fun.

The actresses who play the sisters are great. The ditzy sister might have been a bit too ditzy at the beginning and the serious one too serious, but a few scenes in and that evened out. The actresses are also very believable as sisters.

Overall the story has the usual red herrings, which weren't too overplayed (which is a nice change) and actually contributed to the overall story, since usually they are just dead ends.

I think to put it another way, I really hope this does well, because it would be a lot of fun to see a series of these movies, akin to Hallmarks other winners.

7.6 stars.

Not bad at all if I do say so myself. Where this film lacks in the spit and polish it makes up for with sassiness and spunk. Twin girls (fraternal) now in their twenties have been on their own for years. Their parents are long dead and we are not told how or exactly when. Nikki left Chicago years ago and became a traveler and a grifter of sorts. She returned a few months ago, but doesn't pay rent and has had many odd jobs. In spite of her reputation as an adventurer with no money that to speak of, she still retains the glam and the bling a young woman craves. Nora, 8 minutes older, is a lawyer and a very good one. She stayed in Chicago all these years and never fully recovered from being abandoned by Nikki after their parents died. They discover they've inherited a private detective practice and the legacy of a man who knew their parents well. They somehow make nice with each other after all these years of estrangement and solve a murder by breaking rules and cutting corners. Suffice it to say the police department isn't exactly delighted by their antics.

This film has a ton of potential to become a series, and I'm sure it's in the works. The girls are gorgeous, gritty, and fun. There is no romance, in fact it's anti-romance, and you'll see what I mean if you stick with it until the end. I think this needs a pinch of passion, don't pull a "Mystery 101" where there is only a hint of romance that never comes to fruition, and when it sort of does, we are left with an indefinite cliffhanger.

I highly recommend this first installment of what I'm sure will be many more to come. Hallmark rarely disappoints with their family friendly mysteries.