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Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

Coming Soon: Hallmark Mystery and Holiday Movies

Movies Coming SoonI was a little bummed that the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel didn’t have any new, original mystery movies based on Cozy Mystery series this month. Because of this, I went searching around to see if I could find out something new about their line-up. Well, I came upon several interesting mystery AND holiday movie tidbits:

There will be a new mystery series on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel starring Brooke Shields as the sleuth. The article I found said these mysteries will be based on the Flower Shop Mystery Series, however the article didn’t name the author. Now, to me, the Flower Shop Mystery Series can only mean one author: the fabulously talented (and very popular) Kate Collins! So, here’s hoping that’s correct!

Also, Nancy Grace‘s Hailey Dean mysteries will be made into either one mystery movie, or a series of mystery movies. What great news!

Here’s some good news for all of the Jesse Stone mystery movie fans amongst us >>> of which I am one! Tom Selleck and William Devane will be reprising their roles as the brooding police chief and his therapist. Yep! That’s right! Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise will be premiering on the Hallmark channel on Sunday, October 18 and on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel on Sunday, October 25. These mystery movies are based on Robert B. Parker‘s Jesse Stone Mystery Series. Yow!

I know the wait has been a long one since the last (and first!) Hannah Swensen mystery movie, but on November 15, 2015 (mark your calendars now!) Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery will be airing on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. Christmas will be in the air and at the Cookie Jar bakery! The Hannah Swensen Mystery Series is written by Joanne Fluke, and Alison Sweeney will be returning as Hannah.

I also have a tentative list of the holiday movies that will be airing on the Hallmark channel, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. (As I said, this is a tentative list.)

October 26, 2015
Temporarily Yours (starring Ashley Williams and Sam Yaeger) will kick of the holiday festivities with this Halloween movie on the Hallmark channel. Poppy Summerall is the new nanny for the two little ones of a very busy widower.

I believe I have already mentioned that this year the Hallmark channel’s Countdown to Christmas will feature not only a dozen new holiday movies, but rather 16 new holiday movies! This is great news for those of us who make these movies a part of our holiday happenings. Here is some of the (tentative) Countdown to Christmas schedule that I have found. (Again, this is tentative, they can always change the dates on us!)

Saturday, November 14, 2015
Tis The Season For Love
Sarah Lancaster and Brendan Penny star in this holiday movie about an actress who goes home for the holidays because of a temporary lag in her acting jobs.

Saturday, November 21, 2015
Northpole 2: Open for Christmas

Starring Lori Loughlin and Bailee Madison, will mesmerize viewers with the magic of the Northpole and the spirit of Christmas. Loughlin stars as Mackenzie, a successful businesswoman who inherits her beloved aunt’s inn, and chooses to restore the hotel to its original grandeur only to sell it right before Christmas. Unbeknownst to Mackenzie, she receives some unexpected help from a team of elves headed by the cheerful Clementine (Madison), who helps Mackenzie rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.

Thursday, November 26, 2015 (Thanksgiving Day)
Ice Sculpture Christmas

After starting her first job at a country club restaurant, Callie – an aspiring chef – reconnects with her childhood friend David, whose wealthy family is a member of the club. When David enters Callie into the club’s annual Christmas ice sculpting competition without her knowledge, she’s forced to go head-to-head with her boss, Chef Gloria. Even though ice sculpting is cold work, sparks are ignited between Callie and David as they prepare for the competition as a team. Callie’s passions for cooking and ice sculpting are met with romance and Christmas spirit as she works to create the perfect sculpture. Cast: Rachel Boston, Brenda Strong and David Alpay.

Friday, November 27, 2015
Crown for Christmas

Allie, a fired maid from a ritzy NYC hotel, takes a job as a governess to a young girl who is part of a powerful family in Europe. After reluctantly accepting, and upon arrival at the castle, learns the girl is Princess Theodora and that her father is Maximillion, the King of Winshire. Max informs Allie that the Princess prides herself on terrorizing authority figures and has gotten worse since her mother’s death. As the story unfolds, we see Allie bond with Theodora and also helps to bring Theodora and her father together. And through all of this, a spark forms between Allie and Max. However, Countess Celia is expecting to wed the King. Will Max take a stand for his feelings for Allie and make it truly a merry Christmas for all? Cast: Danica McKellar, Rupert Penry Jones.

Saturday, November 28, 2015
On Time For Christmas

Two NYC bound travelers find themselves inextricably linked when a snowstorm waylays their flight to an airport hotel in Buffalo. Eternal optimist and hopeless romantic, Paige Summers, desperately needs to find a way to the city to meet her fiancé’s parents before her wedding – and it’s up to a guy she can’t stand, fellow passenger and total stranger Dylan MacKenzie, who is permanently soured on romance after his girlfriend broke his heart. Still Dylan rises to the occasion to become Paige’s off-white Knight in shining armor. Joining them are Frank & Maxine Gambert, who are heading to Connecticut to spend Christmas with their daughter. As their madcap adventure ensues, our foursome will be forced to face a lot more surprises than the ever changing snowstorm preventing each of them from getting home. Cast: Candace Bure, Paul Greene, Sarah Strange & David Lewis

Mariah Carey will be starring in a new Christmas movie during their Countdown to Christmas.”Mariah Carey’s Christmas Project.” Mariah will be directing and starring in the Christmas movie, which will feature her “Oh Santa!” hit.

As I mentioned before, mark your calendars now! I will be updating you all when the two Hallmark channels post their “firm” schedules.

(The indented descriptions of the movies are from the Hallmark channel’s website.)

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for September 2015

This month, TCM will be treating us to several mystery movies that are based on mystery authors’ novels. Agatha Christie, of course, will be represented. We’ll be able to watch Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and some Stand Alone novels adapted for the screen. Christie is not the only mystery author to be represented. There will be a few Bulldog Drummond mystery movies (written by H.C. McNeile), some Charlie Chan mystery movies (based on the mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers), and The Falcon (courtesy of Michael Arlen) will be appearing, as well as Stuart Palmer‘s Hildegarde Withers. Also, there will be a movie adapted from a Daphne du Maurier novel.

So >>> get your popcorn ready, find a comfortable seat in your home, and enjoy these mystery movies that the TCM channel has in store for us!

***** ***** ***** *****

September 2015 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – September 2, 2015

5:30 PM
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1954)
A dizzy model in love with fame rents a billboard and puts her name on it.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon.
BW-87 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****This is not a mystery, but anything with Judy Holliday is a must-see for me!*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – September 3, 2015

6:30 AM
THE FALCON IN MEXICO (1944)
A society sleuth travels South of the border to investigate an art dealer’s murder.
Dir: William Berke Cast:  Tom Conway, Mona Maris, Martha MacVicar.
BW-70 mins, CC

11:30 AM
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)
A dangerous madman kidnaps two businessmen on a hunting trip.
Dir: Ida Lupino Cast:  Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman.
BW-71 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – September 4, 2015

4:00 AM
THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME (1947)
A faithless husband is charged with a murder he didn’t commit.
Dir: Irving Pichel Cast:  Susan Hayward, Robert Young, Jane Greer.
BW-80 mins, CC

7:15 AM
DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946)
An aspiring actress risks her life to clear a sailor charged with murder.
Dir: Harold Clurman Cast:  Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, Bill Williams.
BW-83 mins, CC

8:45 AM
GIRLS ON PROBATION (1938)
A dizzy young girl falls into crime but wins her lawyer’s heart.
Dir: William McGann Cast:  Jane Bryan, Ronald Reagan, Anthony Averill.
BW-64 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – September 5, 2015

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND ESCAPES (1937)
Captain Drummond becomes a prisoner when he intents to protect a beautiful heiress of an espionage organization.
Dir: James Hogan Cast:  Ray Milland, Sir Guy Standing, Heather Angel.
BW-67 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – September 6, 2015

9:15 AM
BERLIN EXPRESS (1948)
Allied agents fight an underground Nazi group in post-war Europe.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Charles Korvin.
BW-87 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – September 7, 2015

11:30 AM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
A British lawyer gets caught up in a couple’s tangled marital affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
Dir: Billy Wilder Cast:  Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton.
BW-116 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – September 8, 2015

5:30 AM
THE LADYKILLERS (1955)
An eccentric bandit gang moves into a little old lady’s boardinghouse to plot a major heist.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick Cast:  Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom.
C-91 mins, CC

7:00 PM
ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942)
An American agent tries to keep Axis spies from blowing up the Panama Canal.
Dir: John Huston Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet.
C-96 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – September 11, 2015

9:00 AM
MURDER ON A BRIDLE PATH (1936)
Schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers matches wits with the police to solve the murder of a society bride in Central Park.
Dir: Edward Killy Cast:  James Gleason, Helen Broderick, Louise Latimer.
BW-67 mins, CC
*****Based on Stuart Palmer‘s Hildegarde Withers Mystery Series.*****

10:15 AM
CAT PEOPLE (1942)
A newlywed fears that an ancient curse will turn her into a bloodthirsty beast.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph.
BW-73 mins, CC

3:30 PM
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1954)
A dizzy model in love with fame rents a billboard and puts her name on it.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon.
BW-87 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****I just love Judy Holliday movies! Not a mystery.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – September 12, 2015

3:00 AM
THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (1947)
After being framed for a policeman’s murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Dir: [Alberto] Cavalcanti Cast:  Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Griffith Jones.
BW-101 mins, CC

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND AT BAY (1937)
A rock thrown through his window sets a gentleman adventurer on a search for enemy agents.
Dir: Norman Lee Cast:  John Lodge, Dorothy Mackaill, Victor Jory.
BW-74 mins
*****H.C. McNeile wrote the Bulldog Drummond mysteries.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – September 13, 2015

7:00 PM
GASLIGHT (1944)
A newlywed fears she’s going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten.
BW-114 mins, CC

9:00 PM
HUSH… HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964)
A wealthy southern spinster fights to keep her family’s secrets hidden.
Dir: Robert Aldrich Cast:  Bette Davis, Olivia De Havilland, Joseph Cotten.
BW-133 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – September 14, 2015

5:00 PM
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1941)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast:  Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley.
BW-113 mins, CC
*****This is a sometimes over-looked Christmas movie. It’s never too early to DVR it for the holiday season coming up! Not a mystery.*****

7:00 PM
DEATHTRAP (1982)
A blocked playwright plots to kill a beginner and steal his script.
Dir: Sidney Lumet Cast:  Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon.
C-116 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – September 15, 2015

6:30 AM
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945)
Guests at a remote island mansion realize a crazed killer is stalking them.
Dir: René Clair Cast:  Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward.
BW-97 mins, CC
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries!*****

8:15 AM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
A British lawyer gets caught up in a couple’s tangled marital affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
Dir: Billy Wilder Cast:  Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton.
BW-116 mins, CC
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries!*****

10:15 AM
MURDER SHE SAID (1961)
When nobody will believe she witnessed a murder, elderly sleuth Miss Marple takes a job as a maid to ferret out clues.
Dir: George Pollock Cast:  Margaret Rutherford, Arthur Kennedy, Muriel Pavlow.
BW-86 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries! A rather different portrayal of Miss Marple.*****

12:00 PM
MURDER MOST FOUL (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple joins a small-town theatre to investigate a murder.
Dir: George Pollock Cast:  Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles Tingwell.
BW-91 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries! A rather different portrayal of Miss Marple.*****

1:45 PM
THE ALPHABET MURDERS (1965)
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates a series of murders committed in alphabetical order.
Dir: Frank Tashlin Cast:  Tony Randall, Anita Ekberg, Robert Morley.
BW-91 mins, CC
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries! The Hercule Poirot portrayal is rather different than you might expect.*****

3:30 PM
TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1966)
Party guests at a remote mansion have been brought together to pay for past crimes.
Dir: George Pollock Cast:  Hugh O’Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian.
C-90 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries!*****

5:15 PM
AGATHA (1979)
A fictional account of the real life, eleven day, never explained 1926 disappearance of famed murder mystery writer Agatha Christie.
Dir: Michael Apted Cast:  Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Dalton.
C-98 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not one of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries, however it does have to do with her!*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – September 17, 2015

5:00 AM
THE VELVET TOUCH (1948)
After accidentally killing her lecherous producer, a famous actress tries to hide her guilt.
Dir: John Gage Cast:  Rosalind Russell, Leo Genn, Claire Trevor.
BW-97 mins, CC

8:30 AM
THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS (1957)
A young girl’s murder leaves a hotel full of suspects.
Dir: Howard W. Koch Cast:  Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, Mamie Van Doren.
BW-75 mins

10:00 AM
NIGHTFALL (1957)
A man on a hunting trip gets mixed up with murderous bank robbers.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, Anne Bancroft.
BW-79 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – September 18, 2015

7:15 AM
THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950)
A gang of small time crooks plots an elaborate jewel heist.
Dir: John Huston Cast:  Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen.
BW-112 mins, CC

9:15 AM
LARCENY, INC. (1942)
An ex-convict and his gang try to use a luggage store to front a bank robbery, but business keeps getting in the way.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon Cast:  Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford.
BW-95 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday 19, 2015

7:00 AM
JAMAICA INN (1939)
A young woman on the British coast stumbles onto a ring of bloodthirsty scavengers.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Charles Laughton, Horace Hodges, Hay Petrie.
BW-99 mins, CC
*****Based on Daphne du Maurier‘s novel.*****

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND COMES BACK (1937)
An old enemy kidnaps Bulldog Drummond¿s fiancée.
Dir: Louis King Cast:  John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell.
BW-59 mins
*****H.C. McNeile wrote the Bulldog Drummond mysteries.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – September 20, 2015

11:15 AM
HIGH SIERRA (1941)
An aging ex-con sets out to pull one more big heist.
Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast:  Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis.
BW-100 mins, CC

7:00 PM
DARK ALIBI (1946)
Famed Asian detective Charlie Chan tries to disprove fingerprint evidence left at a bank robbery.
Dir: Phil Karlson Cast:  Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Ben Carter.
BW-61 mins
*****Earl Derr Biggers wrote the Charlie Chan mysteries.*****

8:15 PM
DANGEROUS MONEY (1946)
Famed Asian detective Charlie Chan investigates a shipboard murder.
Dir: Terry Morse Cast:  Sidney Toler, Gloria Warren, Victor Sen Young.
BW-66 mins
*****Earl Derr Biggers wrote the Charlie Chan mysteries.*****

9:30 PM
THE GAY FALCON (1942)
A society sleuth tries to break up an insurance scam.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast:  George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Allen Jenkins.
BW-67 mins, CC
*****Michael Arlen wrote The Falcon mysteries.*****

10:45 PM
A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1941)
The gentleman detective postpones his wedding to find a cache of stolen diamonds.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast:  George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, James Gleason.
BW-63 mins
*****Michael Arlen wrote The Falcon mysteries.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – September 21, 2015

6:30 AM
THE ROADHOUSE MURDER (1932)
Reporter has bright idea of claiming to be a murderer and writing his own expose.
Dir: J. Walter Ruben Cast:  Dorothy Jordan, Eric Linden, Rosco Ates.
BW-73 mins

12:45 PM
THE PHANTOM OF CRESTWOOD (1933)
Five men have to prove their innocence when a blackmailer is murdered.
Dir: J. Walter Ruben Cast:  Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Anita Louise.
BW-76 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – September 23, 2015

7:00 AM
THE SELLOUT (1951)
A small-town newspaper editor risks everything to expose a corrupt sheriff.
Dir: Gerald Mayer Cast:  Walter Pidgeon, John Hodiak, Audrey Totter.
BW-83 mins, CC

8:30 AM
THE UNKNOWN MAN (1951)
A scrupulously honest lawyer discovers that the client he’s gotten off was really guilty.
Dir: Richard Thorpe Cast:  Walter Pidgeon, Ann Harding, Barry Sullivan.
BW-86 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – September 25, 2015

5:00 AM
WHERE LOVE HAS GONE (1964)
Family secrets come to light when a teen-ager murders her mother’s lover.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast:  Susan Hayward, Bette Davis, Michael Connors.
C-114 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – September 26, 2015

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND’S REVENGE (1937)
Captain Drummond travels to Switzerland in order to marry his girlfriend but the disappearance of a dangerous cargo of explosives makes him delay his plans.
Dir: Louis King Cast:  John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell.
BW-55 mins
*****H.C. McNeile wrote the Bulldog Drummond mysteries.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – September 28, 2015

5:00 AM
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)
A young man about to be married discovers the two aunts who raised him have been poisoning lonely old men.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast:  Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey.
BW-118 mins, CC

9:00 AM
GASLIGHT (1944)
A newlywed fears she’s going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten.
BW-114 mins, CC

11:00 AM
DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)
A straying husband frames his wife for the murder of the man he’d hired to kill her.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings.
C-105 mins, CC

3:00 PM
THE LETTER (1940)
A woman claims to have killed in self-defense, until a blackmailer turns up with incriminating evidence.
Dir: William Wyler Cast:  Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson.
BW-95 mins, CC

5:00 PM
WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967)
A blind woman fights against drug smugglers who’ve invaded her home.
Dir: Terence Young Cast:  Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna.
C-108 mins, CC

10:00 PM
STOLEN IDENTITY (1953)
A jealous musician kills his wife and frames a cab driver.
Dir: Gunther Fritsch Cast:  Donald Buka, Joan Camden, Francis Lederer.
BW-78 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – September 30, 2015

2:45 AM
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
An aging American judge presides over the trial of Nazi war criminals.
Dir: Stanley Kramer Cast:  Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark.
BW-179 mins, CC

11:15 PM
GILDA (1946)
A gambler discovers an old flame in South America, but she’s married to his new boss.
Dir: Charles Vidor Cast:  Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready.
BW-110 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

(All of the above TCM descriptions were copied from the TCM site.)

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

I have been posting the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel’s mystery movie line-up here, but I just looked at it, and it looks like they won’t be offering any new mystery movies. They will have the marathons of the old Diagnosis Murder shows, as well as the Murder, She Wrote and Columbo old shows, ETC. I will be watching the channel’s roster and will try to announce when they air a new mystery movie.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Please post a comment if you know of any other TV mystery movies that will be airing during September 2015.

Here is the August 2015 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for August 2015

Here is the page on my site with lots and lots of entries of movies and television shows you may enjoy:

Cozy Mystery List TV and Movie Section

Mr. & Mrs. Murder Television Show

Mr. & Mrs. Murder: Series 1 Here is yet another Australian television mystery show that is a gem. My husband and I both enjoy Mr. & Mrs. Murder and only have one problem with it: there are only thirteen episodes!

Mr. & Mrs. Murder is an Australian television show that aired in 2013. It features a married couple with a rather “different” profession. They are a cleaning duo. Actually, rather than being just a cleaning duo, they specialize in cleaning up crime scenes >>> and some of them are pretty messy!

Charlie and Nicola Buchanan arrive to the scenes of crimes right after the police have finished collecting their clues. They not only have odd professions, I have to tell you, they are… a little odd themselves! They are a couple who are madly in love with each other. Nicola’s niece lives with them, and they often corral her into performing crazy tasks while they’re on a case.

Nicola & Charlie often get referrals for crime scene clean-ups by an inspector who values their help in solving the crimes of which he’s in charge. The inspector apparently dated Nicola before she fell madly in love with Charlie, so there are some uncomfortable moments. (If you watch the show, you’ll see what I mean!)

After watching the first episode, my husband and I weren’t quite sure if we wanted to continue watching the show. The mystery was good, but Nicola & Charlie were zany >>> with a capital “Z”! We decided to go ahead and watch the second episode, and then we were hooked!

The four principal characters are Charlie (Shawn Micallef), Nicola (Kat Stewart), Inspector Peter Vinetti (Jonny Pasvolsky), and Nicola’s niece Jess (Lucy Honigman). They are all terrific.

Each episode starts out with Nicola & Charlie going to a crime scene where they start the cleaning process. While cleaning the crime scene they invariably make friends with some of the suspects. I should mention that they make friends quickly. They are both affable, friendly, fun-loving people. The couple manages to get invited to many functions you wouldn’t typically envision a crime scene cleaning duo being invited to.

Oh, and did I mention this is a funny mystery show? My husband and I find ourselves chuckling quite often. Every once in a while I think about the old adage: There’s someone out there for everyone. Well, this quirky couple was simply meant to be together! They are the… oddest pair of sleuths you have probably ever encountered!

Charlie (Shaun Micallef) is also the creator and one of the writers of the show. As Charlie, he is one quirky guy! As for Kat Stewart (Nicola) she is absolutely model-beautiful, yet she is totally believable in the less-than-flattering hazmat outfit. Also, they are both terrific in the crazy situations in which they invariably find themselves.

Nicola’s niece, Jess, is a delight as an unwilling participant in the crazy situations Nicola and Charlie put her in. The couple’s idea of the importance of Jess’s studies (she’s working on her MBA) versus her helping solve a crime usually has my husband and me laughing. Let’s see >>> miss an exam vs.. help with the crime >>> you can always make up an exam. (I told you, Charlie & Nicola are a zany couple!)

Mr. & Mrs. Murder‘s Charlie & Nicola have the same playfulness going as the Thin Man‘s Nick & Nora Charles >>> without the martinis or Asta! I definitely recommend Mr. & Mrs. Murder. It is available on Netflix, in disc format only. Also, on Acorn.

For more movie and television show recommendations, visit the page on my site: TV and Movies.

Homicide Hunter True Crime Television Show

Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda Season 1 The I.D. channel (Investigation Discovery) is one of my favorite channels on TV. That being said, Homicide Hunter is one of my favorite shows on that channel. It is one of the shows my husband and I look forward to watching, so when our DVR catches a new one, we are there! (This is a true crime show, not fiction, nor is it a Cozy Mystery show.)

The show stars Joe Kenda – a retired homicide lieutenant in Colorado Springs. Each episode, Joe Kenda introduces one of his past cases. The audience is then treated to a reenactment of the case with commentary by Kenda & other police detectives (as well as journalists) sprinkled throughout the show. The show takes us all the way through the case. Carl Marino plays Lt. Kenda.  Also, having lived in Colorado Springs years ago, it’s interesting to see some of the journalists I remember from when I was young. (As an aside – if you enjoy Homicide Hunter like we do, be sure to go online and watch the “Kenda on Kenda” interview of the “young Joe (Carl Marino) asking the “real Joe” questions.)

The show started airing in 2011 and will be starting its fifth season this year. This is a true crime show, so it’s not for those of you who are particularly squeamish. Joe Kenda is what makes the show unusually fun to watch. Yes, I know, real murder is not fun, but somehow Kenda’s ‘s dry commentary makes the show fun. Some of his comments have included:

  • “Well, my, my, my.” (probably his most known quote)
  • “Guilty people love to talk. Who am I to stop them?”
  • “If you’re gonna lie, at least be good at it.”
  • “Murder is an ugly business.”
  • “Crazy boyfriend did you say? Oh, I like crazy boyfriends.”

With quotes like those – how could you not like this man?

Something that has struck me many times is the emotion Joe Kenda seems to have for the victims. He doesn’t work off of a script, simply talks to the viewer, and sometimes, at the end of an episode, he chokes up while talking about a victim. It’s a very nice thing to see a man who has dealt with murder so many years show us how much police officers feel about the victims.

Homicide Hunter is not available on Netflix, but is available on Amazon stream. The new season starts Tuesday, August 18, 2015, on the ID (Identification Discovery) channel. (I’ve already got it set up on my DVR!)

Click on these links to see these Kenda on Kenda interviews:

Kendaisms

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