Movie Review: Garage Sale Mystery - Picture a Murder

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery, fun subplots

Cons: Usual Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Antique camera

Captures a modern murder

Makes for fun movie

Clue in the Antique Camera

I always love it when the writers of a mystery series are able to come up with creative ways to work a theme into a mystery.  That was certainly the case with Picture a Murder, the latest in the Garage Sale Mystery movie franchise from Hallmark.

Jen (Lori Loughlin) and Dani (Sarah Strange) are thrilled when they get asked to sell some antique cameras on consignment.  Unfortunately, the cameras are for sale because of the death of Larry Brady, who was collecting them.

One of the cameras contains some old film, so Jen goes to get it developed.  While she is waiting to see what is on the film, Larry’s nephew, Tony, asks to speak with her.  He says that something was up with Larry, but he doesn’t know what.  Then Jen gets the pictures back.  One of them appears to show Larry struggling with someone.  Was his death a murder?  Can Jen figure out what happened?

There is a very strong mystery here with several viable suspects.  The clues that Jen has to go on aren’t much help to her, which makes the case much more fun for us.  Yet, Jen figures it out in the end and manages to escape once again unharmed.  No surprise there, but I enjoy seeing her get out of the close calls she finds herself in.

On the sub-plot front, Jason (Steve Bacic) is trying to help Dani find a temporary employee for the store and Logan (Connor Stanhope) has a secret about a paper he wrote for school this his sister Hannah (Eva Bourne) is determined to uncover.  One of these was fairly predictable, although I should have seen the ending of the other one coming.  I enjoy the supporting cast, so it is nice to see them having something fun to do.

Of course, this does come with my usual Hallmark cheese warning.  But as long as you know you are getting a Hallmark movie when you sit down to watch this, you’ll be just fine.

Using an antique camera to solve a modern murder turned out to not only be a great hook but a great mystery.  So sit back and watch Jen solve her latest case in Picture a Murder.

This movie is part of the Garage Sale Mysteries Collection Four set.