Movie Review: Dead Over Heels - An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery with a creative hook

Cons: Confusion on one relationship; usual Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Body falls from plane

Roe must work to clear boyfriend

Fun light mystery

“Next Time, Can We Do This in a Diner Cause This Feels Way Too Much Like a Spy Movie.”

When you read and watch a lot of mysteries, you start to appreciate creativity in the execution.  That’s exactly what we get in Dead Over Heels, the latest Aurora Teagarden mystery movie from Hallmark.

One night, after her shift at the library, Aurora, Roe to her friends (Candace Cameron Bure), finds Captain Burns (Craig March) waiting for her.  He is desperately looking for Aurora’s boyfriend, Martin (Yannick Bisson), but Martin is out of town overnight.  When Roe offers to help, Burns tells her to stay out of it, whatever it is.

The next afternoon, Roe and her friend Sally (Lexa Doig) are working outside of Roe’s home when a low flying plane goes overhead.  To their horror, they see someone fall out of the plane – Captain Burns.  While some people would react in horror, Roe takes this as a personal challenge.  When the hotshot new detective in town is determined to pin the crime on Martin, Roe begins to dig in to find the killer.  Can she do it?

The murder method really is creative, and that helped get my attention.  Of course, as the movie unfolded, I was drawn in to the investigation.  The story includes several good twists and it really did look like Martin was guilty before Roe figured everything out at the end.

Adding to the fun, we get some police department politics as a sub-plot that just add to the complication of the investigation, and since we know a few of the police officers involved, we actually care about that.

It’s been a year for the characters since we last visited them, and that is reflected in some of their relationships.  However, I am scratching my head over Roe’s mother (Marilu Henner) and her relationship with her significant other.  They glossed over what is happening with them, and since their relationship was a big sub-plot of the previous movie, that’s a disappointment.

This is a Hallmark movie, which means the acting is a bit off.  It’s not bad, and I certainly find myself getting lost in the story.  And yes, some of this is the writing as well.  As long as you remember this going in, you’ll be fine.

Both of those complaints are minor.  If you’ve been enjoying these movies, Dead Over Heels will keep you entertained and guessing until the end.  And isn’t that why you are watching it in the first place?

This movie is part of the Aurora Teagarden DVD Movie Collection.