Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major (2023)

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Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major is a Hallmark movie based on the book, Murder in G Major (Gethsemane Brown Mystery 1), by Alexia Gordon. I have not yet read the book, so my review is only based on the movie with no comparison. After watching this movie multiple times and enjoying it each time, I definitely want to read the series.

Gethsemane Brown (Tamera Mowry-Housley) relocates to Ireland when she is hired as the new choir at a prep school. Her new cozy cottage where she will live happens to be the former home of a legendary Irish composer, Eamon McCarthy (Risteárd Cooper) and his partner, Orla O'Dell. (Orla has a small role in this movie and I cannot find the name of the actress anywhere. If you know her name, please let me know and I will insert it.) Years before Gethsemane moved into this home, Eamon and Orla were found dead. Their deaths were ruled a murder and a suicide.

Suddenly, soon after she moves in, the ghost of Eamon shows up and it turns out, Gethsemane is the only one who can see him. Eamon tells her that he did not kill Orla, nor himself. After her shock of seeing this ghost wears off, Eamon convinces Gethsemane to find out what really happened so that he can reunite with Orla in the afterlife.

I cannot express to you enough how much I adore this movie. It may even be my number one favorite Hallmark movie, non-mysteries included. I chose to re-watch it and finally review it today, St. Patrick's Day, because it was filmed in and is set in Ireland. Not only is the scenery stunning, but they found a way to incorporate it into the movie as if it's its own character. We sometimes see Gethsemane with Eamon or Inspector O'Reilly (Adam Fergus) walking around the picturesque landscape. Gethsemane lives in a cozy cottage, which has a certain kind of beauty of its own. I even enjoyed the pub scenes, and this is coming from someone who does not drink alcohol. It makes me feel like I'm there every time I watch it.

No mystery will receive five stars from me if the mystery element isn't strong, and it certainly is in this movie. I did suspect the whodunnit early on, but I also second guessed myself throughout the movie thinking it could have been someone else. The mystery is well-crafted and engaging. There are enough suspects to consider, but not too many to overwhelm the viewer. There are also lots of twists and turns as clues are revealed along the way. It was a fun ride figuring out how everything would come together.

Gethsemane makes for an intelligent, perceptive, and likable amateur sleuth. She's friendly, but determined to get answers. And I love that her vehicle is a bicycle, not a car. This was a surprise even to her. When she is riding, we get to enjoy the scenery even more so than if she were in a car. Her sidekick in this movie, Eamon, is also charming. He's a friendly and likeable ghost who I was rooting for throughout the entire movie. I really wanted him to have the closure he deserved.  He also provided just the right amount of humor. Gethsemane and Eamon are charming together.

Of course, this being a Hallmark movie, there a bit of a romance brewing. At one point, Eamon mentions the "triangle formation", referring to the beginning of a possible love triangle between Gethsemane, Inspector O'Reilly, and another teacher at the prep school, Griff (Marco Grazzini). It certainly wasn't too much and it distract from the mystery, but there is enough there to work with in possible future installments.

The end of this movie is bittersweet and it brought tears to my eyes. It wrapped up in such a touching way, bringing closure to this installment, but opening up the possibility for more. And I'm happy to say, Hallmark is filming more movies in this series. I don't know when, but I will definitely be there to watch it.

In the meantime, I highly recommend watching Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major. It is streaming on Hallmark+ and sometimes airs on Hallmark Mystery. It is also available on DVD. Every aspect of this movie makes it worth watching over and over again.