Mystery 101: Killer Timing

7.6 stars.

This is probably my third or fourth favorite of the 'Mystery 101' series. The reason I'm not totally sure is that I've yet to see #7 and #5 was my favorite, but the next episode could change everything.

My boring introduction being established, I will talk about the specifics of this episode. I suspected one particular person as the antagonist, but the writer brilliantly placed a decoy, a red herring if you will, to throw us off course. They succeeded, and I was pleasantly surprised at the end. The overall archenemy being the serial killer the Wolf Man, was an interesting twist on the usual semi-mundane plots. At the end you will see yet another twist of that particular plot line as well. Good job on this episode, and I'm looking forward to #7. I really do hope there is more to come in 2023 or 2024. For now I will savor the flavor and wait a day or two before moving on to episode 7.

Overall the movie was really good. Erin Cahill was a good addition. I was ready to give this movie a 10, but the handling of the Wolfman at the end was disappointing.

Romance story 10 stars Murder mystery #1 6 stars Murder mystery #2 0 stars Unrelated Cliffhanger - really???

I love the story about Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha. Great chemistry from veteran Hallmark actors. Throw in Travis' ex played by Erin Cahill and it's even better. (Cahill should get her own Signature Mystery, even if there are already too many of them. Maybe she'll be the third wheel in future episodes here.)

The crime drama is very messy. They throw so many pieces into that part, that you need luck figuring it out.

The first murder mystery itself has two parts which is fairly clear from early on. I thought the person who turns out to be guilty was suspicious looking, but I had no idea how that package would work out.

There was a foreshadowing of the second mystery also, and I did think something there was suspicious. But the motive????? Is this the most stupid murder motive ever? It's up there. Because it is so ridiculous, I can't imagine anyone guessing it before it was revealed, but if you did, good for you. The final attempt by this person was almost as stupid as the motive. In short, the climax of this movie was absolutely horrible.

For me, the mystery part of these series is just gravy, it's the relationships I watch for, so my overall score is not nearly as bad as it should be. But take out the double stupidity and this movie could easily have had an extra one or two stars from me.

The characters really work here. I really enjoy what looks like real chemistry between the two leads. By far the best but I still believe they are holding back. It's ok for the two leads to get joined. The events in the movie were a little soft, almost like the writers wanted to much in the necessary timeframe. Note to Hallmark, make a4 hour show but display it two hours at a time. Could have made way more out of the wolfman. Also could have spent more time on ex wife.

That being said I know what I'm watching ang this series I really like.

Pros: Great characters, high production quality for this type of movie, enjoyable relationship storylines.

Cons: Everything about the crimes, especially the ridiculous finale.

Overall: It's perfectly watchable, but I still want the writers to tighten up the mystery plot for the next one in this series. They could make a dozen of these, but we'll all enjoy them more if the crimes make a little more sense.