Since 2023, when I reviewed Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, I have expressed my frustrations over the re-brand of the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series. It got to the point where, by the time I wrote about Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, I wasn’t looking forward to future installments. But that started to change when I saw Pie To Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. Even though the movie was just ok, it was slightly better than its predecessor. Then, when I reviewed Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, I found that film ok as well. As I learned about another chapter in the series, Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, I was ready to discuss the film with an open mind! Would that movie be ok like the previous two chapters? Keep reading my review to find out!

Things I liked about the film:

Incorporation of Delores’ private investigation business: When I talked about One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery in my list of the worst movies I saw in 2024, I criticized the creative decision of allowing Delores to become a private investigator. At the time, I believed this creative choice went against Delores’ character, especially after spending years objecting to Hannah getting involved in cases. But in Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Delores’ role as a private investigator made sense within the context of the story. One of the plots of this chapter is a court case involving fraudulent coins. Not only did Chad use Delores’ evidence in the case, Delores also testified during the case’s trial. Along with making sense, incorporating Delores’ private investigation business into Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery gave Delores more involvement in, at least, one area of the script.

Michelle’s wardrobe: Since her debut in Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Hannah’s younger sister, Michelle, has been known for being a free-spirited and creative woman. These personality traits have been reflected through her wardrobe, with Michelle’s wardrobe in Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery being no exception! When Michelle visits The Cookie Jar (Hannah’s bakery), she wears an outfit consisting of a black shirt, black leather jacket, a short yellow plaid skirt, black tights, and black boots. Michelle even wore a pair of yellow smiley face earrings, providing a nice bridge between the black and yellow hues of the outfit. During another trip to The Cookie Jar, Michelle’s outfit boasts a brown and white color combination. But this time, she wears an ensemble made up of a long brown and white cow print skirt, a white shirt, brown sweater, and brown boots. Earrings were, once again, the statement accessory. However, Michelle’s earrings looked like cowgirl boots. Kelsey Baran, the costume designer of Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, did a great job putting together attire that compliments both Michelle and the actress who portrays her, Tess Atkins!

Utilizing Hannah’s “quirk”: I’ve mentioned in the past how detectives in pop culture, especially those that are more well-known, have a “quirk”. This “quirk” helps set fictional detectives apart from other fictional detectives, whether it’s a catchphrase, special interest, or having a signature style. However, a “quirk” isn’t always utilized in solving cases. Hannah has gained a reputation for being a respected baker, as well as the successful proprietor of her bakery, The Cookie Jar, setting the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series apart from other Hallmark mystery series. From what I remember, though, I don’t recall Hannah using her baking skills to solve a case. But in Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Hannah was able to use her baking skills in her favor! I can’t say exactly the role Hannah’s skills played in the film’s mystery, as I don’t want to spoil the film. What I will say is the way they were written into the story was not only clever, but also unique for the series. Sometimes, a fictional detective’s “quirk” can contribute to their perspective, especially when approaching a case. Hannah’s baking skills certainly achieved this, as she was able to notice details overlooked by other characters! The utilization of Hannah’s “quirk” was refreshing, especially compared to a movie like One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, where Hannah didn’t even solve the mystery.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Lack of urgency: I brought up earlier in this review how one of the plots of Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery is a court case involving fraudulent coins. The other two plots were a murder mystery and a missing person case. While these three plots interconnected with one another, the court case was prioritized in the script. This creative decision caused the story to lack urgency, which seems to be a consistent flaw in the more recent Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen movies. With so much emphasis on the court case, it felt like characters were taking their time solving both the missing person case and the murder mystery. Intrigue was decreased because of the lack of urgency.

Limited number of suspects: Like I just mentioned in my review, the script of Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery emphasized the fraudulent coin court case. Few key characters were involved in the court case, which provided a limited number of suspects. When a mystery story features a collection of suspects, it can add to the fun of trying to figure out “whodunit”, as the audience plays an engaging guessing game. It can also maintain a sense of intrigue to help viewers hold their interest in the film. Sadly, these elements were absent due to how few suspects were in Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. This creative decision made the mystery’s reveal feel a bit predictable as well.

Underutilized part of the story: Toward the beginning of Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Hannah is testing new recipes for an upcoming baking contest. She even offers one of her new pastries to Delores. But other than being brought up in two scenes, this baking contest barely plays a role in the script. In fact, it’s never revealed which pastry Hannah will submit to the contest. I found this underutilized part of the story disappointing because of its wasted potential. I recall the baking contest being international, which could have served either an interesting subplot or main plot. Looking back on Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, as well as the more recent Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen movies, it seems like underutilizing elements of the story is a trend within this series.

My overall impression:

When I talked about Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery in my list of the best and worst movies I saw in 2025, I said if the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series continues in 2026, I’d like to see the quality become more consistent. Reflecting on Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (as well as Pie To Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery and Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery), I would say this consistency was achieved! Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery was, in my opinion, just ok. However, this movie improved upon some of the series’ flaws. Not only was Delores’ antics toned down again, her private investigation business was incorporated into the story in a way that made sense. This latest chapter in the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series contributed its own set of strengths, such as Hannah’s “quirk” becoming utilized within the script. But there are weaknesses in this series, including in Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, I wish were not consistent, like the lack of urgency and underutilizing parts of the story. According to IMDB, ‘Cooked to Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’ is currently in pre-production. There also appears to be an Alison Sweeney and Ashley Williams project in development. Even though no official word has been made about the future of the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series, it’ll be interesting to see where this story goes from here.

Overall score: 6-6.1 out of 10

Have you seen Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery? Would you like to see the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series continue? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at The Cookie Jar!

Sally Silverscreen

IMDB pages I referenced in this review: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40629979/?ref_=tt_mlt_t_1, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34094007/?ref_=tt_mlt_t_7