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Just Desserts is the fifth movie in the "Murder, She Baked" Hallmark mystery series. It is based on the second in the books series, Strawberry Shortcake Murder, by Joanne Fluke. This was the first time I read the book before watching the movie adaptation. I enjoyed the book even more than its predecessor, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, but I can't say the same for the movie. Just Desserts is my least favorite in the movie series so far.
In this installment of the movie series, Hannah Swensen (Alison Sweeney) is chosen as a guest judge for the Eden Lake Bake-off. It's all well and good until someone is found murdered. Hannah is once again determined to find the killer.
The characters were all a joy to watch, as usual. I even liked Detective Mike Kingston (Cameron Mathison) more in this movie than I did in the previous ones. There is also a major turn of events in the romance department - one I did not see coming.
However, the overall story seemed clunky and not as "edge-of-your-seat" as the others were. Perhaps part of the reason was because I already knew who the killer was in this one since I read the book first, although I was still interested in seeing how it would all unfold. The book has more twists and turns, though, which makes it more interesting.
I think I was probably at a disadvantage having read the book before watching the movie. I found myself comparing them and feeling disappointed. This is why, most of the time, I prefer to watch movie adaptations before reading the books (in any situation, not just with this series). Or perhaps, it would have helped to wait a long time after reading the book before watching the movie.
In any case, as long as more of these movies are being made, I will always watch them. It's the series that got me hooked on cozy mysteries and on Hallmark movies. Hannah Swensen and her family and friends in Eden Lake will continue to remain close to my heart.
Some series just stick, this seems to be one of them for you.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is! :)
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