If you know me, you know I love my Hallmark movies. One of my underrated favorites is the Fixer Upper mystery series. I enjoyed the books that inspired the movies and I wholeheartedly believe that all three movies do the world of cozy mysteries justice.

I refer to the series as being underrated because I don’t hear about it too often. Plus, there are only three movies in the Hallmark cannon. I could have easily watched three more adaptations…and then three more after that. With that being said, the three movies I have seen (and rewatch) are a lot of fun and really well done.

The movies are based on Kate Carlisle’s novels of the same name. The first movie is based on the second book in the series, This Old Homicide. We read the first book in the series, A High-End Finish, for The Cozy Mystery Book Club. I remember wondering about the book’s story, since I had seen the first movie (at least half a dozen times) prior to picking up the cozy novel. I kept waiting for certain moments that I remembered from the movie. After finishing the book, I realized…this wasn’t the foundation for the movie!:) It is still a great cozy read, which I highly recommend to my fellow sleuthers, but make a mental note of this switch to avoid confusion.

With Hallmark, the actors can make or break the movie. If they can’t pull off the dialogue or pose unnaturally when the camera is on them, doing their best “this my good side” move, the movie quickly becomes a dud. Some Hallmark actors are fabulous and deserve all the praise. Other times, I wonder who else auditioned for the leading role. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with Framed for Murder.

Jewel was perfect for this movie. Hallmark can have those cheesetastic moments that are hard for actors to pull off, but she does it! She has a naturalness that gives her an effortless and likable quality. Hallmark actors need to have a sweetness to their demeanor, embracing the Hallmark vibe. She had these traits and more. Jewel (who is best known for her singing) gives life to our leading lady and handy-woman sleuther, Shannon Hughes. Jewel brought Kate Carlisle’s heroine to life not just as an actor, but as an executive producer, too. Maybe the cohesion of Jewel’s behind-the-scenes ideas and onscreen portrayal fell perfectly inline.

Shannon is independent (owning her own business), capable, smart, and brave (not backing down from a mystery!). She manages to be fashionable while on the job (her wardrobe rivals Aurora Teagarden!), stands up for herself, connects the mysterious dots when sleuthing, supports her friends and family, and organizes charitable events to support her hometown. For me, Shannon checks all the sleuthing boxes.

FRAMED FOR MURDER | THE MOVIE

The movie opens with a mysterious hooded figure going to the boat yard at night and setting a bomb. I always feel as if a sentence like this needs to be followed up with a dun, dun, dun, sound effect. The menacing image is then juxtaposed against an aerial shot of the otherwise gorgeous marina. The viewer sees how beautiful the water is and can’t place the boat of death among the rest of the vessels. Plus, on a less analytical side, the shots of water and the main street in town are always a plus for Hallmark viewers.

Not surprisingly, within moments of the dangerous set-up, a new (unnamed) man boards the boat and gets blown up - talk about an opening! Hallmark has gotten into the habit of starting their movies off with a behind-the-scenes of the mystery; the killer doing something devious, then cutting to the cozy town or amateur sleuth at work. Being the diehard Hallmark viewer that I am (and hardcore cozy lover), I am going to give the Fixer Upper Mysteries a special nod for being among the first Hallmark movies to use that plot device. They helped establish the precedent/where taking part in the narrative technique before it was widely popular.

The scene immediately jumps to the town’s welcome sign; viewers are officially welcomed to Lighthouse Cove. Random question: who gets to keep the sign after filming? Did Jewel take it home and hang it on her wall? Is it a part of an art collection at Hallmark’s main office? The reader and fan in me wants to know.

Embodying the small-town, and cheery vibe Hallmark is known for, we meet Shannon and her best friend, Jennifer joking and having fun. The pair are all dressed up as they get some last minute details taken care of for the opening of Jennifer’s inn, Hennessy Manner. I always like it when Hallmark adds extra coziness; we have the handy-woman sleuther and a bed & breakfast proprietor.

While Jesse brags about Shannon’s carpentry skills, Shannon’s father enters the scene and reaffirms her talents. There is something super sweet and cute about all of the small town characters being close and constantly happy to see one another. Plus, a proud papa is always a nice touch.

The opening of Hennessy Manor is a family affair. As the scene goes on, the community comes together to celebrate the new business. However, before the party kicks off, Shannon’s “uncle” Jesse introduces his latest lady love, Althea. Right away, we are meeting the main cast of characters.

On the flip side, when someone is new to town, they stick out like a sore thumb. Say hello to Mac. As Shannon celebrate’s Jennifer’s accomplishment, along with the other townspeople, a man is sort of lurking around the estate. He’s examining moldings and looking up at the ceiling. No one else seems to notice him, but Shannon can’t take her eyes off of him…meet cute moment?

Shannon: ”Can I help you? You seem to be looking for something?”

Mystery Man (aka Mac): “I’m looking for someone. The owner of Hughes restoration, is he here?”

Shannon: “Well, I don’t know. Who should I tell him is asking?” placing a lot of emphasis on the word him.

Mystery Man (aka Mac): “Well, who am I talking with? Are you his assistant?”

Shannon: “Careful. Don’t dig the hole too deep.”

Mystery Man (aka Mac): “Alright. Not his assistant. Clearly. Um…Bodyguard?”

They meet again when Shannon sees Mac on the side of the road with a flat tire…which she proceeds to change for him. Ha ha! Shannon, women power, glass ceiling shattering, for the win!

Meanwhile the mystery develops. That evening, a sound wakes Jesse from his sleep, prompting him to check out the noise. We don’t know what happens, but we know it isn’t anything good.

The rest of the town wakes and goes about their lives as if nothing has happened (because as far as they know, nothing has). Shannon’s father is going fishing with the next door neighbor, Ned, and his son, Steven. Wishing them well, Shannon mentions she needs to finish Mrs. Wallace’s catio, which she explains is an enclosed patio for cats. The reaction of the three men is great. None of them knew what a catio was.

As Shannon is driving to the catio client, she sees Mac on the side of the road with the flat tire. Unlike their previous encounter, this one ends with the pair agreeing to meet again that afternoon. Mac realizes his error, assuming Shannon was the assistant, and Shannon gets another chance to work on her dream house. So far, Shannon’s day is going great. In the world of cozies that means something bad is right around the corner.

While relaying her fortunate run-in with Mac to her best friend, Jennifer, Shannon knocks on Jesse’s door. Jesse doesn’t answer (because the viewer knows something bad went down that night). Jennifer tells Shannon where to find a hideaway key (directly under a flower pot near the door) to check on him. Enter, drama! Shannon finds Jesse’s body.

In the next scene, Shannon is speaking to the police as the medical examiners appear in the background. When Shannon sees the body being moved, she wants to know why no one is doing forensics or investigating the scene. I think she expected the CSI team led by Grisham to enter and dust for prints, take DNA swabs, snap photos, the works. She’s not wrong. Shannon noticed that a wall grate had been taken off the furnace and put back on upside; the nails meant to be holding the grate in place weren’t even screwed back in, as well as divots in the carpet, demonstrating that the couch had been recently moved. The chief brushes it off saying that they will investigate the scene if the autopsy shows signs of foul play. Of course, a dedicated reader of sleuthing novels, knows that the evidence could be compromised by that point in time.

The officer on duty makes reference to Shannon asking these questions because of her mother. Visibly shaken by his remark, she gives him a sad smile, and says her goodbyes. Oh, police offiers being off the mark in mysteries. Shannon then had to go tell Jennifer about her uncle, Jesse, passing away. The entire scene is emotional, Shannon crying, Jennifer bawling her eyes out, and then the two women telling Jesse’s girlfriend, Althea, he died. All the sadness. Shannon’s day isn’t over yet!

By this point in time, Shannon has said hello to her neighbors, father, gotten a second chance at a huge renovation, changed a tire, found a body, talked to the police, cried with her best friend, and informed another person about Jesse’s death. Her morning has been jammed pack. To add even more to her calendar, Mac called Shannon’s cellphone wondering if she was still going to come by and offer an estimate for work his new estate needs. The scene between the two is super sweet. Shannon has a heart-to-heart with Mac discussing the loss of loved ones and loss. The chemistry between these two is great. Right away, I’m rooting for these two to live happily ever after.

When Mac references that he will be staying in the house, Shannon has to tell him that the entire place needs to be tested for led paint. In fact, the place is painted with it! Yikes. Not wanting to stay at the new inn because of tourists, Shannon invites Mac to stay on her property. Turns out, Shannon is ridiculously talented. When she was first getting started, she build a cabin in her own backyard. This set-up is what cozy mysteries are made of:

I want to stay in in this cabin. It looks like a writer’s dream. Shannon doesn’t even want rent from Mac. Being the sweetheart that she is, Shannon remarks that if her renovating his house is the reason he can’t live there, it was the least she could do. None of that dialogue would be possible if it weren’t for the small town cozy feels.

Across the street, Jesse’s girlfriend, Althea, and, best friend, Jennifer, arrive hoping to look over Jesse’s will and learn what he would like for his funeral. As the three women search the house, Shannon notices that the cupboards are a mess; something Jesse wouldn’t make or leave. According to Shannon, Jesse was always a neat person. This seems like a clue to me…and every other cozy mystery lover.

To add to the mystery, someone breaks into Althea’s car and steals her yoga mat and workout bag. The three women leave Jesse’s house and then stand around discussing what to do next. Shannon wants to call the cops, take photos, and file a report. Althea wants to just forget about it and focus on Jesse. Cozy mystery lovers should know that when someone wants to avoid the police, something is usually suspect. Shannon stays there a minute after Althea and Jennifer walk away to take a photo of the car. All the while, this sketchy man is hiding in front of the car with the stolen items. No one thought to look around for the thief? He literally hid in front of them. That’s awkward.

Later that night, Shannon continues to be the most productive Hallmark sleuther ever, picking out paint samples at her desk. At just the right moment, she looks across the street to see someone in Jesse’s house using a flashlight. The game is afoot.

Shannon runs out of her house and almost gets hit by a car…which Mac just so happens to be driving. Mac chases after the hooded figure, while Shannon calls the police. Instead of chasing the bad guy, the police stop Mac. Another small town moment. If an out-of-towner joins the community, people will automatically look at them as new until told otherwise.

Mac joins Shannon’s investigation quickly becoming the Watson to her Sherlock. Mac speaks with the police alongside Shannon (after they took the handcuffs off of him), goes with Shannon to speak with Althea at the local yoga studio, then they visit local maritime museum (a place Jesse frequented and donated to), followed by a trip to the police station. Later, at Jesse’s funeral/wake, he sits right beside Shannon. Did I mention I adore these two together? Mac is supportive of Shannon’s sleuthing. He joins the investigation. He never makes her feel badly for wanting to search for answers. One of my biggest pet peeves is the friend or significant other telling the sleuther (whom the reader/viewer knows to be right) to drop it. It can feel angsty and/or unnecessary.

We get a slight reprieve from the sleuthing for a brief musical performance. Shannon sings a melancholy song at Jesse’s wake (per Jennifer’s request). Mac picks up the sleuthing torch as soon as the singing comes to an end. He wants to see how these people who knew Jesse react when he starts asking questions. Will the museum manager, Carol, let something slip? Is Jesse’s old friend, Ned, hiding something? They are all standing around talking as a group, so Mac dives in! We learn more about maritime law and what Jesse would and wouldn’t do as a moral/ethical person. The conversation gets away from Mac when Steven pulls up a picture of a potential appetizer for Jennifer’s new menu at Hennessy Manor. It was a real conversation shift. I know they are at a funeral, dressed in black, and investigating a murder, but I can’t help laughing how this guy wants to talk about food in the middle of their investigation. It was too funny. As a cozy mystery lover, you know this goes one of two ways; either he is the killer and trying to shift focus or he is totally innocent and just wants to talk about something other than death. There is no middle ground.

Shannon does something I think most people would do when confronted with danger: invests in a security system. Personally, I would take it a step further and add several more locks, buy a camera or two, and look into a big guard dog with a booming bark. When it comes to sleuthers, there are some heroes and heroines who act as if nothing can ever harm them. My favorite is when they confront the bad guy one-on-one with no weapon and no backup. I appreciate the practicality and realism of Shannon wanting to up the security camera for her home and neighborhood.

Shannon is the one who installs the system (woman power!), while Mac helps her angle the cameras (from inside the house at the laptop) to get the security system up and running. These two are really cute together. While they are working, the adorable next door neighbor, Steven, sees Shannon outside. Clearly, the director wants us to see him in the background watching her and think of his as a potential bad guy. Red hearing? or comic relief?

He asks about the security system which Shannon finds peculiar. As a viewer, I never suspected Steven. He does have some grey areas in his story/scenes, but in a small town neighborhood, some people just want to make conversation. Him going up to Shannon, who is outside, in front of her house, in the middle of the day, doesn’t exactly set off alarm bells. After all, they are friends. Plus, he gets to make Shannon blush - asking about her and Mac. Then the two of them get to be all adorably awkward discussing their dating potential (or lack thereof). In case you haven’t realized it yet (from all of my other mentions), I love these two together.

Shannon hasn’t let the mystery go. She might be at work, but she’s still mulling over what Jesse might have found on a previous dive. Her father stops by and helps clarify a story that has been almost referenced/danced around in previous conversations. Jesse didn’t find the necklace of the Spanish princes…he found the necklace of the Portugal princess! This is a game changer!

With her new lead, Shannon calls Mac. (He was her first call…and he rushed right over! ) A little internet research, helps establish the mystery and connects some of the dots. The lost necklace is estimated to have a value of 10 million dollars (there’s the motive) and unlike the Spanish treasure, Portugal diving/establishment of rights is different. Most of what Jesse found belonged to Spain and was returned to their government. However, the necklace didn’t belong to Spain and therefore had a different set of legal implications that he was working on getting approved.

Not wanting to waste a moment, Shannon asks Mac to join her on a three hour car drive to Jesse’s lawyer. He doesn’t hesitate. They are on a mysterious quest and are determined. Turns out that the suspicious man they have seen around town, (who also stole the yoga bag), is a lawyer at that firm. Seeing his photo on the wall, Shannon literally takes the frame down and walks up to the receptionist holing it. A new wrench in the mystery is that the lawyer is thought to be dead. He was thought be killed, yet they’ve been seeing him around town. These two know he is not dead.

Shannon and Mac finally have a solid lead. Mac decides to stake out the motel “the not quite dead lawyer” is staying at, while Shannon goes to speak with Althea. Shannon shows his photo to Althea who recognizes him, but doesn’t tell Shannon where she knows him from. Wanting to ask Jesse’s oldest friend if he knew anything, Shannon goes to Ned, who admits to knowing about the necklace. He closes the door on Shannon just as his son, Steven, comes home. Shannon is in the throws of solving this mystery, digging up clues, so Steven not caring even a little that there is a multi-million dollar piece of jewelry floating around raises red flags for Shannon. Instead of asking Shannon about the necklace, he starts talking about food again! I love it.

While waiting for the not dead lawyer, the lawyer dies; the victim of a hit and run. Mac sees Steven’s car fleeing the scene. The next morning, the entire town’s police force appears to be next door looking for Steven. Not knowing what is going on, Steven takes off, only to break into Shannon’s house (scaring the ever loving ___ out of her). He asks Shannon to look at her security camera footage to clear him. He was home all night sleeping, which is not a great alibi. I always love it when characters have this alibi because it is so normal and typical. If someone knows exactly what they did two Thursdays ago at any given time, with documented proof, they are probably the one hiding something.

At this point, there is roughly fifteen minutes left in the movie. Shannon is sort of lukewarm on Steven as a suspect. Going into the hallway at the police station, Shannon received a call informing her that “her friends” have been taken hostage. She can either find the necklace or let them die. Oh, the drama!

Mac and Shannon go to work looking for the necklace. Shannon starts tearing the house a part - she does not hold back. Shannon literally breaks pieces of wood off the walls and panels. She notices a piece of a wall that has been patched over and proceeds to hammer a giant hole in the wall. I get a flash of Monica at the end of Friends having fun smashing the foosball table.

Shannon built Jesse’s cabinets and notices a piece of board that doesn’t belong.

Shannon: “We found it.”

Mac: “You found it.”

Tucked behind the necklace is the law firm’s response. A woman named Andrea (who identifies herself as an assistant) signed the letter telling Jesse he did not get the rights to the necklace. Shannon’s father calls her back, after numerous unanswered phone calls from Shannon. He really likes to go fishing bright and early. This is the second time he couldn’t get a cell signal. Mac gets on his phone as Shannon takes a call from her dad. Right away things get interesting because he is standing next to Ned, eliminating Ned as a suspect. With that revelation, Mac shows Shannon his phone. We see a photo of Althea, except…she’s not Althea…she’s Andrea from the law firm!!!

Shannon has to decide what to do next so that she can save Jennifer from Althea (who has already killed twice). The necklace for Jennifer. A simple bag guy exchange. Althea admits to seducing Jesse so that she could get her hands on the necklace. She did the behind-the-scenes legal work to get the rights. She shows her crazy going on a rant about why she should have the necklace. At this point, Shannon knows that Althea/Andrea is a few apples short of a bushel. In a truly spectacular move, Shannon left the necklace out in the open on the lighthouse deck. The moment Althea/Andrea picks it up, the wood panelling gives out beneath her.

Shannon used her knowledge to stop Althea/Andrea from retrieving the necklace and getting away with murder. She didn’t fall far, but she fell far enough to sprain her ankle and drop the gun. Right there waiting for Andrea/Althea is Mac. (I was wondering where he was during the confrontation.) He kicks the gun away and from Andrea/Althea and picks up the necklace. Showcasing even more of her intelligence, Shannon deduces where Jennifer is being held captive. She recognized the stone in the background (when Andrea/Althea held up her phone to show Shannon proof of live). Shannon bursts into the room to find Jennifer with a police offer trailing in behind her. She did it. Shannon solved the mystery.

The movie ends with the museum being given the necklace just as Jesse intended, Jennifer thanking Shannon for saving her life, and Shannon and Mac being cute (he calls her amazing!). As the town celebrates the opening of a new exhibit, Mac asks Shannon about his fixer upper. The book and movie title coming back around to tie everything together with a cozy bow.

That’s everything! I’d love to know what you thought of the movie. Please tell me your thoughts in the comments.

Also, if you have a favorite Hallmark book to movie adaptation, I would also love to know which one has stolen your heart.

Thank you for reading! All the love and hugs to you!