Movie Review: Sugar and Vice - A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Entertaining mystery

Cons: Usual dose of Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Party in a storm

Of course there’s a dead body

Entertaining film

“Never Been Here for This Part Before.”  “What Part?”  “The Part Where You Find the Dead Body.”

Hallmark has gotten a late start with new mystery movies in 2026.  But we finally got a new one, and it’s a new entry in their long running Hannah Swensen Mysteries.  Since I’ve been a fan of the books since the first and the movies turned me on to Hallmark’s mystery movies, I’m always anxious to watch the new one.  Sugar and Vice was entertaining as always.

At this point, the movies are pretty much their own thing.  We aren’t even trying to follow the books anymore.  This is true with the characters as well as the plots.  For example, this one claims to be based on Sugar Cookie Murder, but the victim is different.  And the people running the Lake Eden Inn and Spa aren’t the characters from the series.

And that’s about all the thought I give it.  I’ve accepted that, and I sit down to watch and enjoy this version of the characters I know and love.

As this movie opens, the Lake Eden Inn and Spa is about to have their grand reopening.  While all the work isn’t done, enough is that they can show off their remodeling.  They are planning a costume contest with cookies provided by Hannah (Allison Sweeney).  While she will be working, she will also be a guest, enjoying the evening with her new boyfriend, Chad (Victor Webster).  Naturally, her mother, Delores (Barbara Niven), will be there, too.

But, part way through the event, Hannah finds another dead body – this time a member of the staff.  With a storm brewing outside, the guests are trapped.  Can Hannah figure out what happened before the killer strikes again or the roads are cleared from the storm?

While we just know about the storm from characters talking about it, it does allow the movie a good opportunity to cut out some of the supporting characters without being too obvious.  Yes, we get some scenes that aren’t at the party, which made me happy.  But we can focus on the suspects and the mystery unfolding.

I’ve got to admit; I thought I had things figured out fairly early on.  I was right about part of it and wrong about part of it.  I was impressed with how the mystery unfolded.  And the climax was great.

As is often the case with these movies, we definitely have a low budget cheese factor.  It wasn’t as much the sets in this case, but in some of the performances.  Allison Sweeney not only starred but also wrote this movie, which is one reason why most of the dialogue seems to work.  Anyway, if you’ve been watching these movies, or Hallmark movies in general, you pretty much know what to expect when you sit down to watch this movie, and that’s what you get.

I’m happy to see that another Hannah Swensen movie is in the works.  I’ll be back to see what she bakes up next.  But, in the meantime, fans will delight in Sugar and Vice.