A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

I am not a fan of chick flicks. My wife is not a fan of the more gruesome, bloody crime and mystery flicks. So, we have enjoyed finding different movies and shows that are something in-between, especially those that are a series like Aurora Teagarden Mystery. We've seen every Columbo, Matlock and a few others, and were looking for something along those lines.

We found it.

I do not write this as a "fan" of Candace Cameron Bure's other works. As a matter of fact, I had very low expectations. Not because she is not a good actress. But because I just haven't enjoyed the sitcoms she's been in and haven't enjoyed the other movies I've seen her in. Now, I'm a FAN. I just hope she keeps doing these type of films.

And what a nice surprise to see Marilu Henner, again. I was a big fan of her work on Taxi. And the supporting actors are a pretty solid crew.

What I don't understand is why some reviewers claim that this show is "predictable". I believe we could gather them all up in a room and at 15 minute intervals, take their predictions! What a good time that would be, because... I believe they would get a lot of their predictions WRONG and disprove their own claims.

And I can only speak for my wife and I at this point, but we enjoyed this first installment (that I understand is based on the second book) and do NOT find it predictable.

But you ARE watching a Hallmark movie. If you come expecting Aurora to be Laura Croft or Wonder Woman (or have that kind of budget), you are in for a disappointment.

On the other hand, if you turn on, "A Bone To Pick," without a bone to pick and expect something along the lines of Murder She Wrote or Diagnosis Murder? You're gonna enjoy this.

This is a clean mystery with likable characters. But Aurora does make the irresponsible, rather selfish decision to tamper with evidence and try to solve the mystery herself. I don't like it when a civilian just butts in and does the police's job for them. Contrast this with Morning Show Mysteries or Picture Perfect Mysteries, where the civilian protagonist works WITH the police.

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.

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.

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.