I am not a mystery person. Never got into Nancy Drew when I was a kid, thought the Hardy Boys were annoying. Mysteries on television? Always been a hard pass. The point of telling you this? Well, it’s to tell you I have always hated mysteries, so we both are surprised when I have nice things to say about this movie. Because shocker to us both, I actually enjoyed A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swenson Mystery.
Besides my fear of not liking the movie based on my dislike of mysteries, I had another hesitation to watching this movie. Growing up, my Grandma used to sit me down to watch Days of Our Lives with her, so I am very familiar with Alison Sweeney’s work. I do relate her to Sammy Brady every time I see her.
Oh and then I worried because I had never seen any of the Hannah Swenson Mysteries.
But honestly, none of this came into play when turning on the movie. I settled in bed, turned on the television and started to watch.
Hannah has a new bakery and it’s quite cute. She loves her life and loves baking. Her Mama is quite eccentric and just wants her daughter to put some effort in and find herself a man. Mother, thinking she knows best, comes in with Chad, and is basically throwing Chad at her.
I have to admit, that this is what got me thinking that this movie would be something enjoyable, because Barbara Niven was absolutely adorable. I hate when people say that someone over acted, but I would say that she did and it worked. She was so dramatic that I couldn’t help but laugh and also relate. Yup, it’s definitely a Moms move for their kid and as a first time viewer of this franchise, I needed that to be able to watch.
What I mean by that is that Nivens performance was what made me think that even though I have not seen the rest of the movies, I didn’t need to. Throughout the movie, you would be filled in on little things that will make you understand each character and their role in the town.
Hannah’s bakery caters a reunion, where there is some chaos. Darcy, who seems to be a hot mess and causing all the drama in the group, is way drunk and needs to be taken home. Lonnie, who is dating Hannah’s sister, takes her home and is the last person to see her alive.
Yes, Darcy was murdered.
Of course, this means that he’s the primary suspect in the murder. Hannah and her family aren’t going to let that stand and even though they are told not to, they decide to investigate what happened to Darcy.
I have to admit, that Alison Sweeney pleasantly surprised me. She was different than anything else I had seen her in. The way that she played Hannah came across as personable and relatable. She made Hannah seem approachable and kind. I mean, I even would have spoken to Hannah and I don’t speak to a lot of people.
Part of the reason that this movie worked, in my opinion, was the relationship between Hannah’s family. So many times you see movies where families aren’t supportive or don’t work together to solve an issue. However in this movie, each family member has a role and they do what it takes to fulfill their role, but also support each other.
I think that the mystery is important, don’t get my wrong. But what’s even more important is the relationship between everyone in this community. It’s a small town and everyone knows everyone, but that isn’t really a hinderance like it could be. Instead, it’s a moment to see that people in the community mean something to each other and that they believe in each other. In todays world, that feels rare.
As Hannah and her family unravel the mystery, I found myself a little shocked. Why? Because I thought I knew who the killer was, but I was wrong. Yes, I didn’t figure it out. The predictability factor wasn’t there (even though I was close, I was still wrong) and it was one thing that threw me off. I mean, who would have know that a street lights color would make everything different and change for me.
But it did.
Overall, A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swenson Mystery, was pleasantly surprising. Not only was the acting a good time, the pacing of the movie is what kept me watching. Me, a person who would rather have my toenails taken out than watch a mystery, will happily watch another one in the series.
That’s high praise from me.
