Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent

After volunteering to participate in a crossword solving competition with a new supercomputer, crossword puzzle editor Tess Harper finds herself swept into the investigation of the bizarre murder of a tech CEO, who heads into an elevator, speaks to it, asking for the parking garage, and the elevator actually answers him. But instead of going down, it starts ascending. As it plummets he cries out to the interactive computer programming that runs the elevator, BB, but it hits the bottom.

Death by elevator makes a change from a stabbing or poisoning. This is a decent, if a little convoluted mystery that made it hard to keep with the characters, addition to the excellent Crossword Mystery starring cutie Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott.

This is as light as a murder mystery can get, but I think that's what most viewers of this genre want. The writers are obviously holding back in the relationship arc because they don't want to kill off the series, which is why I can't go higher than a 7 out of 10.

Lacey steals the show, even with her persistent giggle. She's perfect for this genre and her costar does well alongside her.

Crossword puzzle maker Tess Harper (Lacey Chabert) enters a competition with a supercomputer. Its creator, tech mogul Morgan Daniels, seems to be killed by his own AI creation. Police detective Logan O'Connor leads the investigation and Tess keeps getting involved.

There isn't enough romantic chemistry between Tess and Logan. They don't spend much screen time together and they don't have heat when they do. He even has a new hot female partner. If this franchise is to continue this way, it would be more compelling to follow Tess doing the investigations all by herself. I like her going into the biker bar and I like her using her book smarts. She should become a Sherlock Holmes type character without the need of a Watson. It may be a rule that Hallmark mysteries always need to have a couple but this needs an exemption from that rule.

Tess is so irritating. Does she need to prove something, or make herself seem important? Is she competing with Logan? She wanders alone into dangerous places, playing detective. She learns important info and doesn't tell Logan, her detective friend. They went together to the hospital hoping to find out who the murder victim had been visiting, and yet when Tess later discovers that it was his former business partner, she keeps that info all to herself entirely. Nor does she tell Logan what she later learns about another potential suspect, Jessie. Tess comes across to me as nosy and needy, not a busy crossword editor who occasionally is helpful in police investigations.

On the upside, I was interested in the premise - computer versus organic brain in solving nuanced puzzles. I was also interested in the privacy invasion aspects of the government deal.

7/10 - classic Hallmark Movies & Mysteries light-hearted fun is paired with a fun techy twist