Pandora's Box

6/10 - good mystery, but wished we focused more on it than her families' "side adventures"

I love puzzle boxes and was pleased to see one play a pivotal role in this mystery. The Shannon family and gang are back in this installment of the Garage Sale Mystery series. I love the cast of characters that they have built around Lori Loughlin's character Jennifer Shannon, like her best friend and colleague Dani, detective and friend detective Lynnwood, Medical examiner and punster Dr. Tramell, and her family husband Jason and kids Hannah and Logan.

Dani has signed them up to do a traveling antique tv show, which Jenn has some trouble embellishing the truth on...even if it is to "keep the viewers interest". Logan gets in to a fender bender and has to figure out a way to earn the money to make it right. Hannah starts dating a cop...again. And the Andronicus daughter-in-law brings in a puzzle box for Jenn to help open after her mother-in-law Elizabeth Andronicus passes away.

This was one of the better Garage Sale Mysteries...although a little convoluted and it had a puzzle box! I think fans of the series will love this entry and if you like antiques and cosy mysteries, this might be a series for you.

When I saw that the latest Garage Sale Murder Mystery dealt with a family named Andronicus I immediately thought that this would be on the order of a Greek tragedy type epic wrapped in a murder. Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus would give that kind of impression. Well there are two murders here and the surviving family members and others are suspect.

Lori Loughlin comes into possession of one of those old English puzzle boxes so popular in their old murder mysteries. Comes into it by the grace of Jessie Frazer who was the daughter-in-law of the recently deceased Terry O'Sullivan. Soon enough it's discovered O'Sullivan did not die a natural death and Frazer's body is found and her death was definitely natural.

At the same time Loughlin and her curio shop are the subject of a reality TV show. So she's solving the mysteries and trying to open that box for clues and dealing with the demands of show business.

All this leaves Loughlin unruffled she's as plucky and resilient as ever and her family supports her all the way. Especially her computer minded son Connor Stanhope.

Fans of the series will be pleased.

As usual, I find myself wishing for more antiques/puzzle box mystery, but the movies tend to be more of Jen running around town here and there. It wasn't bad by any means, but it could have been a little more interesting.

Another excellent mystery murder (just like all the other previous episodes in this intriguing series) starring the bright and lovely Lori Loughlin who plays antique dealer and amateur sleuth Jennifer Shannon. In this episode Jennifer is presented with what appears to be an ancient puzzle box by Tamara Andronicus, who is the daughter-in-law of her recently deceased mother-in-law who seemed to have died under suspicious circumstances. While Jennifer Shannon takes the puzzle box home in the evening in an effort to decipher the puzzle box and unlock the potential secret it may contain, Tamara Andronicus is also found dead in the family home the very next day by none other than our pixy amateur sleuth, Jennifer Shannon.

Mrs. Shullivan and I enjoy this family fueled mystery/murder series as Lori Loughlin's allows plenty of show time for all of her co-stars all to actively share the limelight and co-star in the Garage Sale Mystery series as well. The entire Shannon family participates with their own personal lives evolving during the 2 hour film(s) and so Jennifer Shannon plays the loving wife, doting mom, best friend and still has time to solve these murder mysteries.

If you are looking for some heavyweight fist fights, semi-automatic gun battles, fast and furious car chases, and/or heavy metal rock 'em sock 'em music, well you won't find it in any of the Garage Sale Mystery series. On the other hand if you enjoy a relaxing evening in front of the boob tube with the missus which challenges the both of you to converse and ask each other that most famous question "whodunit?" then this series will be right up your alley.

Another very entertaining episode in the Garage Sale Mystery series and Lori Loughlin and her entire cast work so well together. I give this episode a respectable and well deserved 8 out of 10 rating.