Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths

This new Hallmark mystery took me by surprise, I enjoyed it. I liked the storyline brewing between the twins, the animosity between Nora and Detective Sanchez, and the friendship between Nora and police officer Robby Watts. I do hope there will be more of Nikki and Nora...but while being happy with the whodunnit, I will miss a particular character moving forward, assuming there is more. I hope we will eventually discover why the private investigator left his business to both Nikki and Nora.

Nikki added the lighter aspects to this mystery series with her understudy to the understudy acting jobs. Nora brought the more serious side as the established lawyer whose boss is thought to have committed suicide. Not trusting the detective on the case who wraps up the suicide quickly, Nora teams up with her sister to get to the bottom of what really happened.

The dynamics in this series were great and I can't wait to see more. As mentioned, I thought Madison Smith was a real highlight of the show and his on screen chemistry with Rhiannon Fish was wonderful. This is a recommendation for hallmark mystery fans, I think you will love it.

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.

The story was good, the acting was good, the production was good. It's less cheesy than the other HM mysteries series. I mean not much but a bit. I think the casting was really well done, I love the leads on this one. They play off each other well and have a good chemistry. Some of the side characters were a bit... much (or well typical for hallmark).

It was well written, it wasn't completely obvious from the outset who did it. There were clues along the way so it wasn't a complete shock but the misdirection was good.

The background story about the parents is a good way to keep this one going for a Bit.

As always I have the complaint of why say you're somewhere if it's obviously not filmed there. The overview shots of Chicago were nice, but it's obviously not filmed in Chicago. And If they're going to use real areas to make it believable, atleast make it believable. It would take one consultant or a few hours of research to make it more believable.

I'm excited for more installments and will definitely watch them when they come out!

Fraternal twins Nikki and Nora are forced back into each other's lives when they inherit a detective agency. Nikki is independent and is happy to be so, and Nora is a flaky would-be actress. They both haven't spoken to each other for years, and have some issues. However, as they work together to try and solve a murder, they soon realize that their differences may be their greatest advantage.

Quite an enjoyable mystery, mainly due to the chemistry and the bantering between the leads. It helps that their characters are quite differing, assuring a good rapport and some drama. It's a well-paced mystery, has solid investigation and holds the attention till the end. There's the usual Hallmark style, but it's all well done.

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.