I don't know why most of these amateur detectives have to put their lives in danger to the point where they almost walk up to the bad guy and say shoot me.Other than that, this isn't a bad story. The characters are appealing and the acting about what you'd expect but passable. And if she could pass you some of what she bakes through the screen, this would be a ten.The idea that Hannah knows everyone and they will talk to her is not that hard to believe. Add to that the fact she is very intuitive and has an eye for detail. But she needs to think about her safety and use at least a little common sense.

This first Murder She Baked mystery finds Alison Sweeney delivering baked goods and solving her first mystery. Her fictional town of Eden Lake, Minnesota is on its way to being the Cabot Cove of the old Northwest Territory.This murder literally arrives at her bakery, it's her delivery truck driver who parks in the rear of her shop and then doesn't come in. Sweeney goes out and finds him in the driver's seat with a bullet in him quite dead.Her brother-in-law Toby Levins is one of the officers of the local police department, but they get a homicide cop played by Cameron Mattison from Minneapolis. He and the newly arrived dentist in town Gabriel Hogan kind of square off for Sweeney.The way it always develops whoever is the law enforcement figure is resentful of the amateur horning in. But after awhile they kind of go with the flow, especially if a romantic situation might be developing. No different in Eden Lake.When a second murder occurs that of the local dairy owner you always assume a connection. There's no shortage of suspects for this guy who doubled in loan sharking. All I'll say is the connection is tenuous and coincidental. The murderer turns out to be one ruthless individual.The Chocolate Chip Mystery is nicely baked, right out of the oven.

Well I guess Hallmark has committed to at least one more "movie" in the Fluke series. I enjoy the books as they are an easy read but the main character, Hannah Swensen, is not Alison Sweeney. Not by a long shot. Hannah is tad dumpy and somewhat acerbic; in this version she is sweet beyond saccharine. I guess some authors like seeing their work in another media and are willing to allow some latitude in altering their creation. As for this film, it's OK. I don't believe I liked it enough to watch a follow up. It wasn't that difficult to figure out who did it and why; but the stupidity of the Hannah character was too much to take. Barbara Niven was typical as the mom, Delores Swensen, concerned that her daughter is still single and is desperate to see her married off. But overall, the story felt rushed. The back story regarding the murder victim is too brief and the other characters are just stereotypes off the cozy rack. Just not enough here to make me a fan or even curious to see where they might be going. If you want a series then spend some time in film one to identify all the players, the setting, and create a character you want to know better. Not done in this presentation.

The Hallmark Channel seems to be churning out a series of movies based on "Cozy Mystery" books. These are not Agatha Christie mysteries. They all seem to have a theme: a librarian, a baker, a garage-sale buyer, and I've heard there's also a gourmet chef cum detective.This movie was shown with a few others including the librarian, so I didn't expect much. The movie, like the others. was lightweight, but one thing I really liked about this one.....the Heroine, a baker, has human feelings. She actually CRIES when she finds a body! Some others have friends and neighbors who get bumped off but don't shed a tear (unrealistic and cold). There are the usual cozy-type settings and cute things going on...mild romance, offering cookies to everyone, etc.One thing had me wince.....Hannah has a bakery where the locals get coffee and pastries. One woman brings in her DOG and it sits at the table. Hannah walks up to it and feeds it a snack with her bare hands! I paid a lot of attention to see when she washed her hands. It didn't happen. Let's just say I found it a turn-off. The writers need to pay attention to details like this. Everyone in businesses where they handle food knows to wash their hands to avoid contamination and I wouldn't eat anywhere they had dogs inside the restaurant.I did enjoy this mystery, though. It involved murder, no blood, was interesting and won't give you nightmares.