Mystery Woman: Snapshot (2005)

Good For a Rainy Day

Mystery Woman is a nice series which proves you can have a crime series without people firing rounds of bullets, offensive language, and lewd behavior. It is a tribute to Kellie Martin, whi is known to play strong and wholesome charecters. She is the type of person you would want to bring home to meet the parents and the parents would like her. September 10, 2007

"I think we need to hire a plumber..."

Kellie Martin fans will love this warm and fun series of mystery films. "Snapshot" is a good entry with just the right balance of whimsy and murder. While they are a bit pedestrian, the look and setting of the series and a great cast make for an enjoyable time.

Samantha Kinsey (Kellie Martin) owns the Mystery Woman Book Store and seems to always get involved in some very real mayhem, much to the chagrin of Chief Connors (Casey Sander), who would rather not have her nosing around his cases. When her friend Barbara (Patty McCormick) claims to have been swindled out of half her brother's fortune upon his death, then is shot down while entering her home, Chief Connors thinks it was just a burglery gone bad.

Samantha, however, has other ideas, and with the help of her mysterious pal Philby (Clarance Williams III) sets out to discover why her friend was killed. A roll of film Barbara entrusted to Samantha with a picture of her brother's vintage Bently may hold the clue. Philby's mysterious past comes in handy, as does her other pal, Assistant D.A. Casandra (Nina Siemaszko).

Kellie Martin's abundant charm and a nice supporting cast drive this as much as the mystery itself. There is a fun side story and some amusing moments as Philby, for once out of his element, tries to fix some very old pipe problems in the store. George Stanford Brown, familiar to television fans as one of "The Rookies" way back when, directs this one quite nicely so that the most is made of what's here.

Created by Michael Sloan and written by Joyce Burditt, it's hard to go wrong with pretty Kellie Martin in the middle of it all. Mystery fans will find this a very pleasant distraction on a Saturday afternoon. April 23, 2007

Great afternoon movie

I love these amature mystery sleuth movies. There's nothing complicated about this one in particular, which makes it perfect for a cold and rainy day (with lots of popcorn and butter!)

Great movie! January 23, 2007

Solid Entry

MYSTERY WOMAN: SNAPSHOT details the murder of one of Samantha Kinsey's book club members. Barbara Sommers, one of the town's wealthy, has always been a conspiracy junkie, believing in UFOs and coverups. At the reading of her late brother's will, she finds out that she's left with none of the family company. Barbara insists that a conspiracy is in play, that she's being robbed of what's hers, and that her brother was murdered. After leaving a roll of film with Sam that Barbara tells her contains a clue to the murder, Barbara goes home and is murdered. Sam and Philby, the ex-CIA agent that was her father's friend and who shares her love of doing investigations that aren't quite legal, take up the chase for the murderer.

Kellie Martin (E.R.) stars as Samantha Kinsey. So far, A&E have made eight MYSTERY WOMAN movies, but not all of them have made it to DVD. The series was created by Michael Sloan, a staple in the mystery/adventure TV field. Georg Stanford Brown stars as Philby and even directs this one.

As a mystery, SNAPSHOT was so-so. There weren't enough suspects and the field narrowed pretty quickly once the initial murder kicked the play off. Still, Sam and her cronies are endearing characters and it was fun to watch them work.

Some of the usual confrontations with the local police was missing, and the stakes never truly rose above the solution of the murder. Philby even has his own little mystery to solve while he works on the pipes in the shop, but the solution comes out of left field and the viewer never had a chance at it.

MYSTERY WOMAN: SNAPSHOT is another great little mystery to watch in the casual comfort of home with a fellow sleuth. Perhaps the mystery will solve too quickly, with even the twists and turns telegraphed, but the characters are fun to watch and still worth the price of admission. June 20, 2006

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