How sad is this?

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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.

Hannah Swensen again becomes involved in a mystery in "Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery." Hannah (Alison Sweeney) is at it again, running her bakery and cafe in Eden Lake, Minnesota, with her mother trying to set her up with men and encouraging her to glamour up. This time mom interviews her to a new dentist in town, Norman Rhodes, a charming man. But having seen subsequent episodes, I know how it winds up.When her childhood friend Ron, who delivers dairy to the shop, is found dead, Hannah is determined to find out the identity of the culprit. Because Eden Lake isn't used to murders, it brings in Detective Mike Kingston (Cameron Mathison) from Minneapolis.Hannah doesn't appreciate Mike's arrogance, since she feels that she knows the people in town and can help him. However, she pushes ahead. Then there is another murder, this time of a wealthy man who is suspected of being a loan shark.Pleasant enough, and I'm assuming this is the first episode. I like Alison Sweeney and Cameron Mathison, both soap stars of long standing who have strong fan bases. Also it was nice to see Susan Hogan from "Night Heat" after thirty years. Hallmark deliberately keeps these movies on the bland and homey side because of the demographic they want to attract. I'll watch anything that's a mystery but I'd be lying if I said there was anything particularly special about any of these mysteries. Hallmark is like Lifetime - you take the movies for what they are and don't expect anything else.

I like the series very much. Each episode reminds me a little of Jane Austen's novels in terms of the some of the characters and plots. For example, Hannah's mother conjures up Emma and her over-the-top neurotic Romanticism. There is a Pride and Prejudice sexual tension thing going on between Mike and Hannah. Mike is also haunted somewhat by a previous relationship, just as is Edward Ferrer in Sense and Sensibility. And Hannah's mother reminds me of the ditzy Mrs. Bennett in P&P and her inability to completely accept her daughter as-is. I also like the way Hannah and Andrea are close, as are Elizabeth and Jane in P&P. It's a kind of survival mechanism against their mother's pushiness. And Hannah's involvement in murder and mystery tracks with the morbid curiosity of Catherine, the heroine in Northanger Abbey. Just some thoughts for any JA fans out there...!

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.