Sleuthers have loved trailing Hannah Swensen to solve murders since the mystery series debuted on Hallmark Mystery in 2015.
Cameron Mathison starred in the first eight of the cozy mysteries based on the novels of Joanne Fluke before leaving the network for a multi-picture deal at Great American Family. His departure dismayed many fans, who have been less than enthused about the two consecutive Swensen movies without him.
Despite Victor Webster being a beloved Hallmark hunk, viewers aren't as intrigued by Chad's budding relationship with Hannah as they had been with Mike's.
Hallmark claims that it was inevitable that Mike be written out of the series because Hannah never tied the knot with him in Fluke's books, which the network has tried to follow closely. It would appear, however, that this could be a cover story to deflect from the fact that Great American Family, Hallmark's chief competitor, dealt them a hefty blow when they inked a deal with Mathison.
What Is A Sprinkle of Deceit About?
While catering a party at a local hotel, an argument breaks out between Darcy Hicks and her boyfriend. Without a ride home and too inebriated to drive, Lonnie, a member of the police department and the beau of Michelle, Hannah's sister, loses a game of rock, paper, scissors which lands him the job of escorting Darcy home safely. He's the last to see Darcy alive and becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Hannah and the local police force work to clear his name.
Chad, who initially resisted Hannah's interference in a previous investigation, comes to appreciate her resourcefulness and warms to the idea of her assisting the department. He even jokes about getting her deputized.
Meanwhile, Delores, Hannah's mother, flirts with acting while she helps Hannah solve their latest mystery.
Hannah and Chad Grow Closer in A Sprinkle of Deceit
In their previous movie, One Bad Apple, Hannah is unable to break through Chad's rough exterior, but in A Sprinkle of Deceit, she makes significant progress.
Chad asks for her number, pretending it's for professional reasons, but the viewer knows that a slow burn romance is on the horizon.
Unbeknownst to Hannah, Delores invites Chad to see her play in an attempt to stage an unofficial date between the two. It's embarrassingly obvious, though Hannah tries to make light of it by noting that a real date would include dinner. Chad capitalizes on the moment by asking Hannah on an official date, which will include dinner, and that's where the movie ends.
RomCom Review's Take on A Sprinkle of Deceit
Not as many red herrings are included in A Sprinkle of Deceit compared to past installments, though there are a few. The culprit ends up being a surprise, so I appreciate the unexpected twist.
Three pivotal scenes are completely dumb. First, Hannah, who meets Darcy for the very first time at the party, is tasked with delivering a morning tonic to help her with a sure hangover. When Darcy doesn't answer the door, Hannah does what any normal person would do--she reaches through the cat door to grab the house keys off the floor to let herself into a stranger's home. Second, Hannah follows a suspicious convertible to a remote location (the sleuthing starts during daylight and magically becomes pitch black in 60 seconds) and is then foolish enough to leave her secure vehicle to walk up the driveway to the parked car, which naturally becomes a regrettable decision. Third, as expected, Chad comes to the rescue, even though Hannah never told him her location.
Overall, the movie is a disappointment.
Webster and Sweeney deliver lackluster performances, almost as if they are going through the motions in a genre that no longer interests them just to be cast in a movie that will pay their bills.
Sweeney tries to act a little breathless and flustered by Chad's presence, and her acting in these swoon-attempted scenes is cringe. Webster seems like he'd rather be anywhere than on the set.
There is ZERO chemistry between Hannah's sister, Michelle, and her boyfriend, Lonnie. This most likely due to DEI casting rather than pairing people together who actually share a spark.
Worst of all is Barbara Niven's character, Delores. In a stab to include light-hearted humor to offset the darkness of a murder plot, Hallmark has turned Hannah's mom into a complete imbecile. The diva-like drama is beyond ridiculous. It doesn't track that level-headed women like Hannah and her sisters would have a mother so off the rails.
The award for best acting should go to Lisa Durupt, who plays Hannah's sister, Andrea. Durupt is colorful and slightly quirky but in a fun and balanced way.
It's clear that Mathison's absence combined with a below-average script and actors themselves who seem weary of the franchise, the Hannah Swensen mysteries are losing steam.
A Sprinkle of Deceit is Based on Fluke's Novel, Coconut Layer Cake Murder
It's interesting to see how closely the movie parallels the novel upon which it's based. Here's the book's synopsis on Amazon. If you've already watched the movie, you'll catch the differences right away:
When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle's boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she goes straight from a movie studio sound stage to the Los Angeles airport.
Back in frigid Minnesota, she discovers that proving Lonnie's innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe. Lonnie remembers only parts of the night he went out to a local bar and ended up driving a very impaired woman home. He knows he helped her to her bedroom, but he doesn't recall anything else until he woke up on her couch the following morning. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, he was shocked to discover she was dead.
Hannah doesn't know what to believe--only that exonerating a suspect who can't remember is almost impossible, especially since Lonnie's brother, Detective Rick Murphy, and Lonnie's partner, Chief Detective Mike Kingston, have been taken off the case. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it'll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to toast a flaky killer...
If you didn't find the movie especially engaging, try the book--it's undoubtedly better.
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