As Hailey Dean Mystery Month came to a close, I was blown away by the response for my review of Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Marriage Made for Murder. Of June 2018, it is my most popular movie review with 34 views and counting! With that said, I thought it would be appropriate to review the next Hailey Dean movie as well as the final chapter in this specific trilogy of the series. I have to say that Hailey Dean Mystery Month has been such a pleasant surprise for me! The movies in this trilogy have not only gotten better with each film, but the series as a whole has gotten stronger! Now that I’ve seen Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, the moment of truth has come to find out what my thoughts are on the film. Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s solve this case together!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: The cast in Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, as well as the rest of the movies from Hailey Dean Mystery Month, has consistently brought the best of their acting abilities to the table! This is especially the case (no pun intended) for Kellie Martin. Her acting talents were showcased very well in this film and the strength of her talents really shined in the scene where the guilty party is revealed. I was also impressed with Chad Lowe’s performance. Before Hailey Dean Mystery Month, I had never seen any of Chad’s acting performances, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Looking back on all three films, I think that Chad has consistently pulled off a good performance every single time!

The mystery: In Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, the central mystery is centered around who killed Hailey’s fiancé, Will. The only other mystery movie (that I can think of) from Hallmark’s second network that dealt with a cold case was Garage Sale Mystery: The Wedding Dress. This was a very interesting and creative direction for the Hailey Dean series to travel, especially since the character of Hailey Dean usually solves murders that are less than a year old. There were also details and clues surrounding the case that I felt added intrigue to the overall story.

The pace: In both of my reviews for the previous Hailey Dean films, I’ve mentioned that I was not a fan of each movie’s pace. The pace for Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, however, was very steady. This allowed the story and its events to have a natural progression.

What I didn’t like about the film:

The comedy being toned down: Every mystery series on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries either has a character or certain moments that bring comedic relief to that specific film. Most of the humor in the Hailey Dean series comes from the interactions between Hailey and Fincher. While there were comedic moments between these two characters in Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, there wasn’t as much comedy in this film as in the two Hailey Dean films that came before it.

Sabrina’s reduced appearance: In my review of Hailey Dean Mysteries: 2+2=Murder, I talked about how I didn’t like the story that the character of Sabrina was given. I also talked about how Sabrina wasn’t really given a story in Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Marriage Made for Murder. In Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, Sabrina was barely in the film. Like I said in my Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Marriage Made for Murder review, her character could have written out of this movie and it wouldn’t have made a difference.

My overall impression:

I really enjoyed Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill! This was a great conclusion to Hailey Dean Mystery Month! Before the release of Hailey Dean Mysteries: 2+2=Murder, I was skeptical if a month being dedicated to what I thought was Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ weakest series could work. Now that I’ve seen and reviewed all three Hailey Dean Mystery Month films, I can honestly say that I feel this series has definitely improved! After watching Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill, I started to wonder where the story would go from this point? I do want the series as well as Hailey Dean Mystery Month to continue, so hopefully Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will have new Hailey Dean movies ready for next June.

Overall score: 8 out of 10

What are your thoughts on Hailey Dean Mystery Month? Which mystery series would you like to see get its own month? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen