Lost Letter Mysteries: The Impossible Dream - review

The latest instalment from this cosy series opens with the Postables sitting in front of an emergency session of the United States Congress committee. As the chairman enquires as to the reason for the session, the Postables recount their last few days in order to fill her in.

With Rita being a candidate for Miss Postable Colorado, the team are off to the state final in Washington DC where they all have their own things they wish to do during the trip. Shayne aims to visit her childhood home, but is upset when she discovers it has been demolished and Oliver wishes to visit the Pony Express Exhibit at the Post Museum in order to find closure following his wife leaving him there a few years before.

When the team check into their hotel they bump into Phoebe Abbernon and her grandfather, who they became acquainted with the year before following the arrival of a letter which may have been written by Phoebe’s mother who had gone missing & was presumed dead in Afghanistan following a mission gone wrong. As they say their hellos, Shayne has an idea to help them and enlists the help of a former boyfriend who happens to work in the Special Forces in an attempt to try and find out what actually happened to Phoebe’s mum.

While Rita prepares for her performance at the final of Miss Special Delivery, Oliver and the others work together with Steve in the hope of finally unravelling the mystery of Phoebe’s mum’s disappearance. But it’s Rita’s photographic memory which comes in handy when they are briefly shown a classified file containing a letter which appears to have been written by Phoebe’s mum with clues as to an escape plan.

The reason for the emergency meeting then becomes clear as the Postables believe the letter was written in code to Phoebe to inform her of her mother’s escape and asks that she is met by fellow army people to rescue her. But as the information is classified and therefore they shouldn’t have witnessed it, the Postables have a hard task on their hands if they are to convince the meeting to send a rescue party out on a dangerous mission in the hope of rescuing someone who has been presumed dead.

Meanwhile in an attempt to show how much he loves her, Norman tries to show Rita something he has been carrying around in an envelope the entire trip, but when he shows her she doesn’t react in the way he hoped. However when she realises why he did it, she forgives him and they finally share their first kiss.

I love this series of TV movies and this one was no exception.

Cosy easy watching, this movie was a joy to watch and I’ll definitely be watching the next one.

Three Bedrooms, One Corpse - An Aurora Teagarden Mystery - review

When her real estate agent mum asks Aurora to show a house to a client, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body.

While showing the house and garden to Martin Bardell, a businessman new to the area, Roe finds the scarf of another agent who she soon discovers was reported missing the day before and while she’s showing Martin the garden, they find her body.

With the police soon called to the house, Roe can’t help but feel there’s something different about the house which she used to spend time in as a child and soon realises while comparing old photographs, that a painting has been stolen.

As Roe does her usual sleuthing around, the police are less than impressed to find her interviewing people and asking questions, but when her theory that the murderer could be another real estate agent is proved correct, they have no choice but to let her carry on.

While the police continue their investigation, Roe feels it’s her duty to uncover the murderer as she’s scared her mother or another agent could be in danger and as she digs deeper and discovers a connection which could tie the crime to a number of others, she begins to realise that the pool of suspects could be just a bit bigger than they thought.

As always, this cosy murder mystery was a delight to watch and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Although it’s unrealistic and you tend to question when Roe actually does any work as a librarian with all the sleuthing she does, it’s an easy watch which doesn’t require you to think too much.

Buried Secrets - review

When former cop Sarah Winters publishes her debut crime novel, she as well as her fans is excited for her first book signing, but when Sarah is confronted by an angry man talking about a real death, she starts to worry about her safety.

Having left the police force until a cloud, Sarah is still being investigated for corruption and when the last case she worked on comes back into focus thanks to her book, her involvement in the case comes under suspicion.

This TV movie wasn’t as good as I’d hoped as it became predictable and I knew what would happen before the end. It filled a gap in my day though.

Lost Letter Mysteries – From Paris with Love aka Signed Sealed Delivered: From Paris with Love

The Postables are back and in true form are soon on the case of attempting to deliver another lost letter.

While the team try to work out the recipient of 2 year old divorce papers, Shane discovers a letter written by Oliver to his wife months ago has been returned as undeliverable. 

Having promised Oliver she wouldn’t open anymore mail unless absolutely necessary, she teams up with Rita to discover the contents of the letter and makes the decision to let Oliver decide whether or not to re-send it. But when it’s accidentally sent out by next day delivery, she must admit what’s she’s done leaving Oliver in a dilemma.

Meanwhile, after working out the recipient of the divorce papers, Oliver and Shane attempt to deliver them, but when they discover that the man who sent them regrets his decision, they face a dilemma of whether to pass them onto this wife or not.

As they learn more about the reasons behind the papers, they eventually decide to give them to the husband for destroying, but when they accidentally end up in the hands of his wife, she’s shocked having thought they had a happy marriage leading the couple to realise there’s been a misunderstanding.

Back at the dead letter office, Shane is stunned when she finds Oliver’s wife Holly has returned from Paris after receiving his letter in which he asked for them to reunite. With Oliver equally surprised, Shane lets the two of them talk things through and leaves them alone, but when she discovers they’re meeting up for a meal and sees them kissing, she feels conflicted due to her own feelings for Oliver.

As Oliver and Holly continue to talk things through, Shane decides her time with the Dead Letter Office has come to an end and plans to leave, but when Oliver turns up at her house to talk, will he tell her he’s taken his wife back or that he’s ready begin a new chapter in his life?

I love this series of TV Movies and could watch them all back to back. Definitely one to watch if you love a bit of escapism from the real world and an easy watch.

Nightmare 911 (aka Dispatch) - review

After being shot during an incident in which her father is killed, police officer Christina finds herself as an emergency call dispatcher while she recovers from her injury. 

When she takes a call from a young boy reporting a bogeyman in the house, she takes it as a prank call and as the incoming calls start building up, she warns him not to waste police time. But when the next day she is called in to talk about the call, she finds out a young boy was found murdered not long after the call.

Suspended from duty, Christina couldn’t feel worse thinking the death was her fault and when she learns the boy’s parents have a history of violence; it seems the case is open and shut.

However something just doesn’t sit right with her and Christina takes it upon herself to find the real killer and bring justice, yet despite still recovering from injury she finds herself working against the wishes of her bosses and relying on the help of a detective who believes she’s correct and there’s still a killer on the loose.

Can Christina prove she still has what it takes to be a top cop and bring a killer to justice?

This TV police drama was good, but not one of the best I’ve seen.

A Killer Among Us - review

When her mum is shot and murdered execution style, Alex and her family are stunned. With no enemies or obvious motive, the police are forced to close the case after only a few short months. 

But Detective Moran is keen to keep investigating and recruits Alex to spy on her father who he suspects may have been involved in the murder.

As she begins to look for clues, she discovers a few things she never knew and as she struggles with her new role of keeping the family together, she begins to wonder if her dad really could be capable of murder.

Fact based drama.

Crazy for Christmas - review

Single mum Shannon and her son Trevor are struggling to get into the Christmas spirit on Christmas Eve, but as they decorate their apartment Shannon is called into work as a limo driver.

With Trevor being looked after by a neighbour, Shannon spends the day ferrying an old gentleman around the city as he gives away money and does all he can to get into the Christmas spirit, but when he informs Shannon that he chose her for a reason, she’s intrigued but shocked when he tells her the truth.

I enjoyed watching this TV movie, but it didn’t make me as Christmassy as I’d hoped.

A Novel Romance - review

Struggling to find inspiration for his new book, Liam Bradley is encouraged by his editor to get away from New York for a few weeks in order to recharge his batteries following the success of his debut novel. Writing under a pseudonym means no one knows who the true Gabriel August is, but that doesn’t take away the pressure of producing another bestseller.

As Liam heads out to his parents cabin in Portland, he meets book reviewer Sophie on the plane and as they get talking, she reveals her book for the flight is none other than his second novel. Not knowing she’s sitting next to the author, Sophie talks about how it’s not the best book she’s read and how his first gave everyone such high expectations and soon her opinion is out there for everyone to read as her review is published in the local Portland paper.

With a spark between the pair, Liam and Sophie start to date, but while they get to know each other, they both keep a part of their lives secret in order to protect themselves, with Liam’s set to be revealed at his new book launch.

Under pressure from his editor to complete his next novel but also reveal his secret to Sophie, Liam struggles to live the double life he’s been used to while also trying to write, but with Sophie set to show up at his big reveal, he knows he has to be honest. Is he ready to reveal the real person behind Gabriel August?

I found this TV drama a sweet and enjoyable watch, perfect for a Sunday afternoon which is when I watched it. As both a writer and reviewer, I could see the points of view from both main characters and found myself willing them to make a go of things.

I’m glad I watched this movie and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who’s ready to fall in love.

Lost Letter Mysteries (aka Signed, Sealed Delivered) - review

When Shane McInerney is assigned to the Dead Letter Office within the US Postal Service, she’s convinced it’s no place for her. With the small team dedicated to redirected lost mail through old fashioned ways, she’s not sure she can fit in with them, but when a year old letter is picked out which demands her attention, she’s soon pulled into the world of lost letters.

Addressed to Charlie and with a blurred return address, Shane and the team must work out the recipient of the love letter by reading the contents. But as they make their way through the letter they learn that the sender only met Charlie once and with another date arranged for a year’s time – which happens to be in 3 days – they must work fast if they’re to reunite the sender and the recipient.

I found this sweet and endearing drama something I could watch any day of the week and would definitely recommend it.

Although it was far-fetched in places, it gave me a warm feeling to watch the story play out and realise that no matter how fictionalised the movie was, if you have belief in something, there’s always the chance it will come true.

Recipe for Murder - review

After visiting his god-daughter on the set of her new movie, Chief Medical Examiner Murray Maguire is proud she’s beaten her demons and is getting on well. So when he receives a call that she’s died in a car crash after falling asleep at the wheel, he’s shocked.

Knowing she wouldn’t have any alcohol or drugs in her system, he takes it upon himself to investigate the events leading up to her death and is determined to find out what happened before he signs off on her cause of death.

But when he discovers she was pregnant and didn’t have a current partner, his list of possible suspects suddenly gets longer.

I wouldn’t particularly recommend this lazy afternoon TV movie as it wasn’t anything spectacular, but it gave me something to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Undercover Bridesmaid - review

Ever since her fiancé left her at the altar, professional bodyguard Tanya has hated weddings. So when her next assignment is to guard a wealthy bride-to-be, she is forced to join in with wedding fun as she pretends to be a bridesmaid.

With the bride receiving death threats, Tanya aims to protect her until she’s happily married, but as she begins to have fun she’s soon distracted by a handsome friend of the groom allowing herself to believe in love again.

However, when Tanya and Jake take a walk and start to get to know each other, Daisy is shot at causing her father to fire Tanya and her team, but with Daisy now considering Tanya a friend, she asks her to attend the wedding as a guest instead, something Tanya is happy to do.

Partnered up with Jake, Tanya seems happy to be a wedding guest, but when her skills in protection are called into action, will she be able to save the day when the person behind the threats is revealed?

This TV movie was a light-hearted afternoon watch. Although slightly sickly-sweet in places, I enjoyed watching it, even after correctly guessing the ending earlier than expected.

Secret Santa - review

Apologies for the christmas movies running into the new year, but having watched so many over the festive period I've only just caught up with my reviews - only 1 more after this one!

Jennie Garth is Rebecca Chandler, a newspaper reporter for the Indianapolis Sentinel who is desperate to prove to her editor that she’s ready to be let loose on big news instead of covering small stories.

Eager to support his star reporter, her editor asks Rebecca to once again work over Christmas and travel to the small town of Hamdon to unmask a secret Santa who provides one lucky resident with a surprise every year. But with her boyfriend flying in for the holidays and the hope he’s going to propose, Rebecca turns the offer down until Ryan reveals he’s found someone else and she finds herself alone at Christmas.

Despite being in no mood to embrace the Christmas spirit, back at work Rebecca reluctantly finds herself on her way to Hamdon, but when her car breaks down and she’s forced to stay in a rest home after the local inn is full, she’s far from feeling festive.

Taken in by the local community Rebecca begins to warm up to the thought of Christmas, but is determined to complete her assignment and sets out to questions all the residents on their suspicions of the person behind Secret Santa.

As she learns more about the townsfolk and how Secret Santa brings a lot of joy to them all, Rebecca realises that exposing him or her would take away the Christmas cheer the town look forward to each year. But when she finally discovers the person behind the mystery, can Rebecca stay true to her career or has the town made her believe in the magic of Christmas?

This was a sweet made for TV movie which I’m glad I watched, but it was probably one of the only Christmas movies I’ve seen where Santa doesn’t make an appearance!

Mystery Woman: Snapshot - review

When businessman Avery Sommers is killed in a car accident on his birthday and alcohol is deemed the cause, his sister Barbara is convinced it wasn’t an accident as he didn’t drink, but his young wife and daughter say he was just enjoying his birthday.

So when Avery’s will is read and it’s revealed Barbara has been cut out of the family business, she turns to her friend mystery book shop owner Samantha Kinsey for help.

With the family lawyer insisting that Barbara signed over her rights years before, Samantha demands to see the document and arranges to visit the lawyers’ office with Barbara the next day, but when Barbara later returns home, she is shot and killed on her doorstep.

As Samantha tries to deal with the death of her friend, she is determined to find out why Avery and Barbara were killed and what the family are hiding, but with the family lawyer blocking her at every opportunity, she turns to faithful friend & employee Philby to help her dig into the history of the family company and is shocked by what she finds.

Good old-fashioned murder mystery TV movie which I enjoyed watching.

Like Mother Like Daughter - review

When college student Emily fails to register for a fourth class before the deadline, she turns to her mother, the head of the local museum and a member of the college board to help her out. 

Sharing Emily’s issue with her close friend, college professor John Collins, John offers Emily a place on his Anthropology course and as soon as the two of them meet, they hit it off.

Within weeks Emily & John are secretly dating each other, but when Emily spills wine on some of his work, John sees red and Emily swiftly disappears. When Emily fails to show up to a breakfast meeting with her mum the next day, Dawna begins to worry and when she hasn’t heard from her within 24 hours she files a missing person’s report with John by her side for support.

As knowledge breaks that Emily had broken up with her boyfriend Keith, Dawna wonders whether she was seeing someone else, but with her relationship with John a secret, no one has any information to offer her. But as soon as the police reveal they can trace Emily’s phone to her exact location, John is on edge and makes his excuses to leave the station before Emily is found.

With Emily found, John knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught, but if he can cover his tracks by framing Keith, he can get away with it, can’t he?

A good afternoon TV movie.

Crossed Over - review

Based on a true story, novelist Beverly Lowry struggles to deal with the recent death of her teenage son and finds herself forming an unlikely friendship with a death row inmate.

As she spends time with murderer Karla Fay Tucker, Beverley begins to rediscover her fighting spirit and so starts a campaign to get Karla’s execution put off, all the while finding their friendship a comfort as she begins to deal with her grief.

Starring Diane Keaton as Beverley, this TV movie was interesting to watch and even though it was based on a true story, I found it hard to fathom how meeting with a convict unconnected to the death of her son would have helped Beverley.

Committed (TV Movie) - review

When Psychiatrist Celeste Dupont arrives at Millburn institute she is under the impression that she’s due to start a new job, but after meeting with the boss and being shown her room she is informed that she is actually a guest.

Celeste is informed that she committed herself following the death of her fiancée in order to deal with her grief, but she’s not convinced and is determined to prove that she’s not crazy.

Allowed to carry on in her role as a doctor while also being treated, Celeste repeatedly tries to escape and is informed by fellow guest Isadora that the doctors are fake with the real ones buried in the basement.

Already suspicious about the institute Celeste decides to investigate the claims, but as she gets deeper & deeper will she discover the truth or is Celeste just as crazy as the others?

A great psychological thriller – definitely worth watching.

Stranger with my face - review

When Laurie’s dad is killed in an accident, her mother decides to move them from New York to live in their summer house, but Laurie isn’t too pleased.

As she and her sister start school, Laurie begins to make friends, but when she is told she has been seen at parties she hasn’t been to, she wonders what’s going on.

With strange things starting to happen such as her sister waking up screaming Laurie was choking her and the shower turning itself on during the night, Laurie begins to think she is being haunted until she sees another girl with her face.

Lia tells her she has astral projected herself to Laurie in the hope of reaching out – they are twins and she is being held captive, but Laurie can’t quite believe her until she finds out from her mum that when she was adopted, they only adopted her and not her twin sister.

Armed with this information Laurie is determined to track down her sister, but when she confides in her friends and they are both nearly killed in accidents similar to her father, she wonders whether finding Lia will cause more harm than good.

I wasn’t quite sure whether I would like this TV movie as it sounded a bit far-fetched, but it surprised me and had me hooked all the way through.

I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.

Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend - review

Mystery book store owner Samantha Kinsey is excited to host a weekend featuring 3 of the best mystery novelists, but the world of fiction is shocked when reclusive author Clare Colman announces her retirement and narrowly misses being shot.

The following day having recovered from her near miss, Clare is poisoned and suspicion falls on anyone who was at the store at the time – a room full of mystery novel experts – any one of which could have exacted the perfect murder.

But when one of Samantha’s oldest & most valued customers who wasn’t even at the event is arrested, it’s up to Samantha to prove she had no connection to Clare or motive – or did she?

Featuring Beth Broderick (Aunt Zelda to Sabrina the teenage witch fans), as a fan of murder mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed this TV movie. 

Imaginary Friend - review

As a child Emma invented an imaginary friend to help her through her turbulent childhood.

Now she’s grown up and married, Emma still suffers with anxiety and is afraid to go out the house, but with a trust fund to keep her going and a loving husband she spends her days painting and looking after the house.

While Emma has complete trust in her Psychiatrist husband, he has his own idea for her trust fund and tries to spend more and more without her knowledge, but when her imaginary friend reappears, Emma must work out whether her childhood issues have returned and if her husband’s intentions for her are out of love or money.

I enjoyed this TV movie and although I found the storyline intriguing, towards the end I was slightly confused.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to watch it again.

Wedding Wars - review

As speech writer and future son-in-law to the governor, Ben (Greys Anatomy's Eric Dane) is determined to ensure the governor is re-elected and the wedding goes smoothly, so who better to plan the wedding than his own party planner brother Shel.

With a slightly strained relationship, Ben feels the wedding would be the perfect way to re-connect the two and thankfully Shel is more than happy to take on the job.

With preparations well under Shel is enjoying spending time with Ben and Maggie, however when the Governor is asked to speak on the subject of gay marriage and whether he agrees with it, it’s up to Ben to write the speech, but with an openly gay brother Ben struggles with which opinion to go with.

When the speech is delivered Shel is hurt by his brothers opinion and decides to go on strike in order to protest even though it means putting Ben and Maggie’s wedding in jeopardy.

What starts off as a one-man protest quickly gains momentum and with the protest happening on the estate of the governor the press is quick to take on the story.

Despite Ben’s best efforts to get Shel to end the strike, Shel is determined to get his views out there even though his own partner Ted doesn’t feel able to publicly support him.

With the wedding descending into chaos due to the strike and a crazy new wedding planner, Maggie’s not sure she knows the real Ben and threatens to call it off, but Ben is determined to save it and knows that in order to get things back on track he needs to reach out and mend his relationship with Shel.

A great TV movie which I would watch again, but it was slightly too long.