Mystery 101

Jill Wagner is the latest female sleuth in Hallmark's stable of with it amateur detectives. She's a college professor in the English Department giving a course in the mystery story. I think someone might have gotten the idea from Murder She Wrote when Angela Lansbury late in the series got a New York apartment and began lecturing at one of the colleges on the art of mystery writing.

A real mystery comes along soon enough as Ben Sullivan with the campus newspaper turns up dead at the bottom of a ravine with motorcycle hanging from a tree limb. Just what was the young man looking into and it turns out it could be many things.

It's motive that Wagner and her police detective confidante Kristopher Polaha are looking into and their motives from people springing up like weeds. I will say that it turns out to be one unlikely suspect which is revealed 20 minutes before the film ends.

Mystery 101 should have a sequel or three.

As an mystery enthusiasts, I will watch every mystery series that Hallmark puts on but there are none that I look more forward to with anticipation than Mystery 101. Kristoffer Polaha and Jill Wagner have insane on screen chemistry that leaves you wanting to watch Travis and Amy over and over. The cases are fun as well as they give you enough clues to help you figure out who dunnit along with them and things that may seem little at the beginning turn out to be big in the end. Another thing I love is how things the characters do and say carry over from one episode to the next. The progression of Travis and Amy's relationship is very organic and realistic. Give this a try!

I have three favorite mystery series on Hallmark's Movies and Mysteries Channel: Murder she Baked, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, and Mystery 101. Murder She Baked used to be my favorite, thanks to the lack of recent entries and the continued entries of Aurora Teagarden (that and Candace Cameron Bure's star power along with her fellow cast members)...I think Aurora has now eclipsed Murder she Baked in to my favorite. I mention these, because Mystery 101 has been a slow burn that I am really enjoying and thanks to the on-screen chemistry between our two stars playing Travis and Amy may be working it's way to the top of my list.

Mystery 101's main protagonist is professor of mystery fiction, Amy Winslow, who's father happens to be former professor turned famous deceive writer, Graham Winslow. In addition to teaching Amy ends up consulting with and eventually helping at first reluctantly our hard nosed former big city detective, Travis Burke.

What do I like about the series? Travis and Amy are adults and treat each other with respect...all the while developing a slow smoldering chemistry that is fun to be a witness to. Amy's father and his serial novels are woven throughout the series and occasionally used as a fun hook for the audience. There is great humor in this series that isn't afraid to poke fun at itself and it's genre. The dialogue is smart and I love all of the mystery novel references and throwbacks. I have actually added books to my tbr thanks to this series.

I would have loved to take Amy's course in college!

I really enjoyed this. Saw it on cable tonight. I write crime fiction myself and was trying to get another view of the parameters and necessary elements. I liked the parallel subplots of the two romances, the chemistry between the two leads, and the structure of the plot. The actors were good, the direction crisp, and the setting gorgeous. What's not to like?

I really don't know how to review this: this was my first Hallmark Mystery and I didn't know what to expect. I mean, this wasn't THE movie of the year, however, I actually enjoyed a lot. I only picked it up because I truly liked Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha in "Pearl in Paradise", their chemistry was, and is, a pleasure to watch.

It may be a little slow at times, but the plot made total sense. This is yelling for a sequel, which I assume they will make (if the other mysteries are other indication), I just hope they are as good -and believable- as this one.

Well done.