by Doward Wilson

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has done an entertaining adaption of A Bone To Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery by Charlaine Harris. I have not read this series, so had no preconceived notions about the movie. Candace Cameron Bure is Aurora, and Marilu Henner is her mother. I have enjoyed both of these actresses in other roles, and this was no exception. I found the entire cast fun to watch, including Aurora’s ex-policeman boyfriend and his very pregnant detective wife.

Aurora and her friends in the Real Murders Club meet to discuss real-life murders. When friend and fellow club member, retired librarian Jane passes away, Aurora finds that she is the sole beneficiary of her estate, including a hidden human skull that indicates that the person was murdered. Following notes left by Jane that indicate it was a neighborhood murder, Aurora and her friends work to solve the puzzle of who it is, where is the rest of the skeleton, and who did it?

Both Aurora’s concerned mother and the snarky detective want Aurora out of the investigation, but she can’t stop. Having figured out who the murder victim is, she is now checking out all the neighbors.

This is an entertaining adventure, just as a cozy mystery should be!

Real Murders: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery is another entertaining entry in Hallmark’s Movies & Mysteries lineup. Candace Cameron Bure and Marilu Henner continue their roles as an adventuresome daughter and a protective mother. We have the same snarky detective, a police chief who doesn’t like nosy amateurs, and a new love interest.

The wife of a member of Aurora’s Real Murders Club is found dead in a setting that resembles the murder the club is currently discussing. The husband and Aurora’s new boyfriend become suspects. Tension rises as another murder is attempted. It also follows the lines of another book the Real Murders Club has discussed.

Again, I found the characters charming and entertaining. The mystery plot is well done and will engage your attention completely. This is another delightful cozy adventure that you watch rather than read.

Check out Hallmark Movies & Mystery Channel to find even more cozy mystery novels turned in to movies!

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section.

Doward Wilson is retired after 48 years of working, starting when he was 13, and helping out on his grandparents’ farm. He devours mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy and enjoys a variety of television shows ranging from Bones to Dr. Who, especially the mystery movies from the Hallmark Channel. He has been a movie projectionist for indoor theaters and drive-ins, a waiter, a secretary/administrative assistant, a restaurant manager, and an office manager. He has lived in San Francisco, Philadelphia, the Jersey Shore and Southern Iowa, and currently resides in Independence, MO, where I grew up.