Cut, Color, Murder (2022)

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Cut, Color, Murder is a new mystery that premiered on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in 2022. I really liked this movie and I honestly don't know why it's taken me so long to post a review. I've already watched it three times and I have enjoyed it equally each time.

The small town of Golden Peak is getting ready to host their annual beauty pageant. When someone is found dead before the big event, local hair stylist, Ali Reed (Julie Gonzalo), uses her amateur sleuthing skills to help the authorities find out who the killer is.

This was a strong start to what I had hoped would become a series of movies. Our amateur sleuth, Ali, is well-respected by the authorities and they cautiously welcome her perceptiveness and attention to detail in helping to bring the killer to justice. As a hair stylist, Ali sees a lot of clients, especially around the time of the beauty pageant. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that hair stylists do like to talk to their clients, so this gives her the perfect opportunity to find some answers. Although, she does some sleuthing in other ways too.

This is not to say that the authorities are not competent, because they certainly are. There is a nice balance between the authorities effectively doing their job and welcoming Ali's thoughts. It always makes me happy when this balance can be achieved in a cozy mystery.

There are quite a few suspects to consider and I did not figure out who the killer was. Of course, when I watched it the second time and third time, I did know who it was and I picked up on clues I had not noticed before. The answer was right in front of me and I didn't even realize it the first time! It was especially difficult to figure out who the killer was since this was the first time we met all of the characters. I didn't know who was truly a friend and who had ill-intentions. Also, lots of people had reasons for wanting to hurt the victim. In addition to this, I enjoyed trying to differentiate between legitimate clues and red herrings.

I love how the movie also goes a little deeper into Ali's personal life. We find out early on that she is a grieving widow and we learn how her husband died. Rightfully so, there is only a small hint of romance. This was handled very well. Ali needs the time to grieve and I'm glad it was written this way.

It's been two years since Cut, Color, Murder premiered, so I'm not holding onto hope that there will be a follow-up. This is unfortunate because it is set up perfectly to continue as a series. This is one of my favorite mysteries on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. It's definitely worth watching more than once.