Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (TV Movie 2017) Poster

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7/10
A fun movie to watch
A lot of reviewers seem to forget that these mystery movies are Hallmark productions, which probably means low budget. Don't expect a Kate Hepburn performance from the leading lady! Another common complaint is that the movies don't follow the book. Well, duh! How many movies based on books actually follow the book? And they also forget that is based on a 'cozy' mystery, meaning lighthearted (well, lighter than usual) murder mystery.

If you view this movie as a stand alone and don't try to compare it with a book, it's an enjoyable murder mystery without tons of blood and gore. The acting isn't world class, but it isn't intended to be. Remember, it's a Hallmark movie, not a mega bucks production. If you do that you may surprise yourself and actually enjoy it.
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7/10
The death of the police chief!
Reno-Rangan14 November 2017
The fifth film in the Aurora Teagarden Mystery, based on the book of the same name. Another fine film in the film series, but not as good as the previous one. It all started off well, like usual intentional, that does not bother. Even the mid section stood to the expectation. But only the final event, that twist, that explanation did not convince me. Well, I'm not pointing out how the crime was solved, though the who did and the reason for it was not enough to wrap it up in a style.

So keep it yourself, if you see what happens in the first three minutes of the film. Because that's how all Aurora Teagarden Mystery rolls out. What follows after are the most crucial, in which these films has done so well. As I said, now this series is well settled down. I liked so far how all the characters worked out their differences with our lead, Aurora. In that, her mother, Aida and the police chief, Jack Burns are the only ones yet to come into resolution. But that's the twist, because Burns is the victim here.

His body was dumped in front of Aurora from a small plane while she was in her front yard with Sally. It was a deliberate act, but no one knows why, that's what they have to find out. Aurora, who goes after unsolved crimes, this time it came to her. This is where nobody can stop her, not even her mother. For the first time Aida sided with her daughter by giving some useful information. Except the main ones, most of the characters from the previous films were retained to fill the screen and give a broad view, particularly to make suspenseful. But there were also a couple of new ones added as the story demanded to extend the suspense.

❝You are the only person I know that could have a near death experience and immediately start solving the crime.❞

A few unavoidable clichés. It was how the characters behaved during the probe. Because if it would not have been suspicious enough, the film had not lasted long. Basically, we call that the plot drag, but the polite way to say is, development. Happy to see Martin still hanging around. That looks does not change in the future as well. But this part somewhat discarded the romance sect. The other side of the story was going strong so. It had one fight sequence too. The television fights are not that impressive, but okay. Especially this being a woman oriented tale, that scene was the least expected. But in this kind of thematic, all are possible.

Much improved on the cops' perspective of the crime that Aurora interested in. Mainly because of this was an open case. Lynn was the one who always shining, but they tried to bring Arthur, the Aurora's ex into some actions. The narration kept the mystery moving towards the final section. During the middle, it was a bit slow. And the end twist, not the best one. Since how the story and characters were designed together, there's nothing they could have done it differently. Because you can change the path, but the destination is still the same, which I think let the film down.

Other than the ending, it was a nice film, enjoyable with the beautiful characters and settings. The director's second straight stint in the franchise. His previous one was by far my favourite. This one too a decent one, if you had liked so far of the series. Nice performances, particularly the other librarian had more scope in this. That makes Aurora had worked out with everyone, which makes more interesting how the next film and all the following would roll out. The next one is the final, the remaining books are yet to turn into films. I'm not too far from reviewing that, before my wait begins for the rest.

6.5/10
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6/10
Not The Best In The Series... though not a bad story...
P3n-E-W1s327 March 2018
Aurora (Bure) is having plumbing problems and with the help of her friend, Sally (Doig) they set about fixing it. While checking out the well's pump in the garden, the body of Chief Of Police, Captain Burns (March), falls from an aeroplane... at their feet. Being the compulsively curious amateur sleuth she is, Aurora sets out to track down the cop killer...

Storywise, this isn't as solid as previous instalments of the enthusiast crime solver. In a few scenes, it feels especially contrived. Specifically where the two sisters are concerned. The reaction of Bess Burns' (Cairns) reaction to her husband's death is kind of unbelievable. She doesn't appear to mourn him and at times even sees a bright side to his death. Then there's her sister, Lillian Tibbit (Harvie), who has an episode where she's the complete opposite of her normal personality, This would have been okay had Bess been more realistic. But to have two strange personalities in one story is one too much. This does pull the audiences attention away and out of the story and film.

This though is pretty much the only downside to the movie. The rest of the story is strong and sound. Filled with red herrings and false suspects. Though it shouldn't be too hard for you figure out whodunnit... though you may find yourself changing your mind a couple of times.

There's nothing too interesting in the direction, it's pretty standard stuff. Also, the special effect of the falling body looks cheap and nasty. Luckily it's at the start of the film and over in a couple of seconds.

It's the acting along with the story that will keep the attention of the audience. Just like the previous episodes, the acting is above average and nobody stands out more than anyone else. Everybody has the limelight, allowing the story to take precedence and helps to extend the mystery (there's nothing worse than having some actor or actress walk on screen and you know they're the bad guy or gal).

If you're a fan of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries you will like this chapter of her life. You needn't have watched the previous episodes to enjoy this film, though you would probably get more enjoyment if you had.
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6/10
Too many holes, too many questions
wjspears1 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This, by far, is the least fun of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries thus far. There are just too many plot holes that are never dealt with, to make this an enjoyable episode.

How did the murderer take up Captain Burns prop plane, without anybody at the air strip noticing who it was? How did the murderer--first time in the area--know where Aurora Teagarden lived to drop Captain Burns body on her front lawn?

Unless I missed it, it is never explained why the librarian, Lillian Tibbett, was attacked in the first place.

It certainly looks like the new police captain, Arthur Smith, was at the posthumous ceremony for Captain Burns at the end. Why was his wife, Lynn Smith speaking and handing out the medal?

What happened to Detective Lambert after his incredible breach of protocol regarding Martin Bartell? We don't see Detective Lambert at the posthumous ceremony at the end of the episode. Are we supposed to take from that absence that Lambert has been put on leave or worse. After spending so much time building up Lambert as a villain, why not show some resolution?

The main characters are still enjoyable to watch. Both Candace Cameron Bure and Lexa Doig are still a delight to watch, especially when they are in a scene together. Marilu Henner's character is growing on me.

The only weak character for me is Yannick Bisson, who more suited, imo, playing the slightly stiff, but charming Detective William Murdoch in Murdoch Mysteries.
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6/10
Murder Drops In
bkoganbing29 July 2017
In the last Aurora Teagarden Mystery our librarian sleuth bought a house that turned out to be a cold case crime scene which of course she solved. In this one Candace Cameron Bure first gets a heads up kind of visit from a police captain whom she's never been on friendly terms with. He was looking for Yannick Bisson formerly of the CIA and Aurora's steady. The next day he drops in on Cameron or rather his cadaver is thrown from a plane and lands in her front yard.

Now she's really part of the crime itself and our librarian with the aid of her sidekick Lexa Doig who as a newspaper reporter actually covering the story who can ask needed questions she decides to find out who went out of his way to involve her and more important try to frame Bisson. We learn also just what Bisson did at the CIA and he does have the skills to commit this and other homicides related to this crime.

On a side note Jim Thorburn a detective just returned to the force is trying awful hard to close the case on his own with an unofficial parallel investigation which is aimed at Bisson. You know that Roe Teagarden won't stand for.

The only clue I'll give readers is that this is someone with the skills to kill and the skills to frame.

Fans of the series should be pleased.
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10/10
One of my favorites
mjgbusy9 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I am so pleased of your adding Yanik Bisson to Aurora Tea Garden Mysteries. I have seen all of the Murdock mystery series he stars in so far and several other shows he starred in. You have chosen well. This actor is perfect for The show. Hope you keep him around for a long time. Just cannot get enough of this man and his talented portrayals. The twists and turns in the show keep me guessing 'till the end. Luv this series.
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7/10
Why are the main characters redheads now?
karens-windsong4 January 2021
I've been enjoying this series but now with this episode, 3 of the main female characters now all have the same shade of red hair? Did the budget not all Candace her usual bleached blonde?
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9/10
Love these mysteries
somelikeithotz20 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In this one Candace Cameron Bure first gets a heads up kind of visit from a police captain whom she's never been on friendly terms with. He was looking for Yannick Bisson formerly of the CIA and Aurora's steady. The next day he drops in on Cameron or rather his cadaver is thrown from a plane and lands in her front yard.

Now she's really part of the crime itself and our librarian with the aid of her sidekick Lexa Doig who as a newspaper reporter actually covering the story who can ask needed questions she decides to find out who went out of his way to involve her and more important try to frame Bisson. We learn also just what Bisson did at the CIA and he does have the skills to commit this and other homicides related to this crime.

The only clue I'll give readers is that this is someone with the skills to kill and the skills to frame. Fans of the series should be pleased.
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5/10
Disappointing Script
rbr-4129921 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This Aurora Teagarden mystery, typical of the genre on Hallmark, was generally enjoyable, even though the lovable Teagarden character continues to interfere in police investigations without being charged for it, and engages in stupid and reckless behavior in her obsessive pursuit of solving the mystery. I tuned in primarily because of the addition of Yannick Bisson (of "Murdoch" fame). His appearance in the mystery "Three Bedrooms, One Corpse" elevated the overall appeal of the series in my view.

Unfortunately, the movie contained some deficiencies that reduced its quality, perhaps owing to the change in writers. The widow, Bess Burns, is depicted as in love with her husband but showing no grief whatsoever, thereby making her an early suspect to Teagarden. I guess it didn't occur to the writer that a murderous widow could feign grief to allay suspicion. The story then reverts to the plot device of "Three Bedrooms" by having the murderer make a concerted effort to frame Martin for the crime. The story introduced another obsessive character, that of Detective Lambert, who believed manufactured evidence and decided that Martin was the culprit. Toward the end of the story Lambert violates due process and police procedure by taking Martin as a hostage at home, thereby endangering any case he might want to bring against him. Lambert also stupidly secures Martin to a banister with a zip tie instead of using his handcuffs. Worst of all this police harassment is not resolved at the end with an apology to Martin. It's totally ignored as if it never happened.

In the next to the last scene a police medal of valor is presented posthumously to Captain Burns' widow. This was a gratuitous addition to the plot. First, it was the wrong medal to award. The medal for valor is given for an act to save or protect human life without regard to one's own safety. A murder investigation does not qualify for the medal. Captain Burns could have been awarded a meritorious service medal for his years on the police force. Second, the medal depicted was not a police medal at all. (Just do an Internet search on police medals and you'll see what I mean.) In fact, the medal shown was the Department of Defense Joint Meritorious Service Medal. (I know because I received one when I was in the Army.) Third, to have the widow essentially reject the medal by giving it to Teagarden was thoughtless and dishonorable to the recipient. Her excuse that she couldn't take it with her to Paris was ridiculous since she had a lot of personal property that wouldn't be going on that trip. Badly done all around.

By the way, I noticed that IMDb failed to include Miranda Frigon (the detective), Bruce Dawson, Peter Benson (detective), Ellie Harvey (librarian), Leah Cairns (Bess Burns), and Catherine Lough Haggquist (Mayor) in the list of cast members.
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8/10
A falling corpse brings Martin under suspicion for murder.
cgvsluis11 June 2023
Martin is away on a business trip when the police chief Captain Burns approaches Aurora telling her he needs to speak to Martin as soon as he gets home. The next day Aurora is trying to fix a leaky outdoor faucet with Sally when a small plane flies overhead and dumps Captain Burns' dead body in front of them.

Meanwhile Martin and Ro introduce Sally to one of Martin's old CIA colleagues, Tim Prentiss. The two actually hit it off, joining Ro and Martin for dinners out and attending the True Crime meetings together.

Arthur gets named as the new police chief and then ends up stabbed at Chief Burns' memorial. Martin is being framed for murder...and the True Crimes club is on the case!

Martin and Ro's romance is heating up, in spite Aida planting the seed that Aurora is afraid of commitment. Aurora finds a ring box in Martin's pocket...which has her behaving a little uncharacteristically and she seems to have a secret admirer...oh! And Martin is allergic to cats.

The best part of this series is the large but tight supporting cast. The writing and romance development is wonderful. I love that they continue to use the same actors for all of the supporting characters. I love Candace Cameron Bure and she together with Yannick Bisson have wonderful chemistry. This is the third in the series with Martin. I love the relationships between family, friends and colleagues. I wish there were more mysteries on Hallmark like this.

"I should spend more time in book stores."-Martin.
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5/10
Dead over heels
coltras3530 June 2023
Part-time librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden never liked Detective Sergeant Jack Burns, but she also never wanted to see him dead- especially not dropped from a plane right into her own backyard. But when other strange things happen around her, ranging from peculiar (her irascible cat turns up wearing a pink ribbon) to violent (her assistant at the library is attacked) to potentially deadly (her former lover is stabbed), she must decipher the personal message in the madness before it's too late.

Rather average episode, which is fairly watchable. There's an odd way Aurora stumbles on the body - or more accurately it stumbles on to her, thrown from a plane. It got the usual Martin playing bodyguard to Aurora, telling her not to get involved in the case, her mother not agreeing with her snooping etc.
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pleasant
Kirpianuscus27 February 2022
Not exactly the murders are the axis of story but situations, slices of humor, reactions of characters and Hallmark familiar ingredients , served by lighthearted misteries. A comfortant episode about new hunt of proofs and chain of theories of the same Aurora Teagarden , so charming acted by Cameron Bure.
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8/10
Good murder mystery movie..!
kamalbeeee6 September 2023
Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2017)

A body fall from a small private plane beside detectives house and detective Aurora starts to investigate about the murder... Soo she realize her husband also include in that murder and lot of mysteries revealed... More suspect list but unpredictable climax twists... Must watch investigation thriller..!

Other review...

In Lawrenceton, librarian Aurora Teagarden - Ro to her friends - and her best friend, newspaper reporter Sally Allison, are in Ro's yard one winter day when a body flies out of a single engine airplane and lands dead on the ground, only feet from them. The victim is Lawrenceton Chief of Police, Frederick Burns, who Ro saw only yesterday, when he asked of the whereabouts of Ro's boyfriend, business executive and ex-CIA Martin Bartell, to who he wanted to speak about some undisclosed issue which Captain Burns warned Ro, a real murders buff who has often insinuated herself in murder cases in town, to stay out of. Captain Burns is survived by his wife, Bess Burns, the sister of Ro's officious boss, Lillian Tibbett. Detective Lynn Smith, the senior detective on the police force, is leading the murder investigation and is Acting Police Chief, the latter appointment, protocol, which is to the consternation of Detective Pete Lambert, who feels he is senior detective, he only having recently returned to Lawrenceton after a stint working in Seattle. Despite Lynn not appointing him to the case, Lambert is determined to solve the murder to make a name for himself in the eyes of Mayor Sternholz, who will be appointing the next Chief. Lambert seems a little too eager to pin the murder on Martin. Against Ro's wants, the murder also becomes the topic of the day among her real murders discussion club, as many citizens are concerned that the murder of their police chief could lead to pandemonium in town and a risk to their own safety. Regardless, Ro can't help but try to figure out the murder herself, which would help if she can find out about what Captain Burns wanted to speak to Martin. Another person factoring into the unofficial investigation is Tim Prentiss, Martin's former CIA colleague new to town, he with who Ro would like to see a future with Sally.
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4/10
A drop dead opening scene....then all downhill from that point
Ed-Shullivan15 September 2018
Wow! The opening 10 minutes of this made for TV mystery movie were fantastic. Then as our amateur sleuth Aurora Teagarden (Candace Cameron Bure) and her ex-CIA agent boyfriend (Yannick Bisson) begin to investigate who killed their police captain, the plot just fell apart. Both the writer and the director continued to suggest a new suspect after another most likely to confuse us the audience. In my opinion it was just a confusing storyline that fell apart miserably.

I would suggest you watch the first 10 or 15 minutes to see how our homicide victim, the police captain, is murdered because it was quite entertaining. After that opening murder sequence you may want to switch the channel, because there is no further mystery here, just a confused writer and director with a film that is less mystery and more confusion.

I rate it a 4 out of 10
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1/10
Pure Pap!
bfitzsimmons27 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I managed about 20 minutes of this movie before I wanted to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. Worst acting ever. And why do all the women have the same auburn hair colour? Bure was actually one of the worst actors. And who invites people over for a special family dinner and is plopping a stack of pizza boxes on the kitchen table as they arrive? Awful, awful movies.
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3/10
Too many changes from the book!
jemoore9643 August 2017
They dropped important characters from the book, and added others to provide a romance. The location change - from Georgia to the Northwest is slightly acceptable, but changing relationships from the book - certain characters are already married by now - and in the book Martin is much older than Aurora. I just recently read the book series so was looking forward to seeing the filmed versions. Instead the changes just make me annoyed!
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5/10
Again, juvenile story lines and characters
Originator199421 May 2017
Not one of the great ones and again, a lame story line that drags on for what seems like forever. We are back to the clothing /hair..Still dressing like a 12 yr old with hair that looks like she ran a mixer thru it . Law enforcement dropping out of the sky is a really far reach but if it had to be anyone, glad it was the character least likely to ever win an award for being likable . Still do not understand why she traded in the wonderful house in the city for the dump in the country. To each his own but it tells me the character is not too intelligent . She works in a library when she bothers to show up for work and how hard can that be. I feel for the boyfriend of Henners character as he seems like a weak type with no back bone to stand up to Henners character, which I cannot stand . Miscast character the mother.
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3/10
Disappointing, but no surprise
hilary_mae-912-805611 April 2017
I suspect that Candace Cameron Bure is blackmailing people in order to keep herself working. Her acting is vacant as usual; lacking depth, appropriate mood and emotion. Her presence in the movie was only made worse by the weak script of this movie. The supporting actors are more skilled than Candace, but even they struggle with the weak and error riddled story.

The series hasn't met expectations of a mystery; instead presenting us with vacuous, predictable, and campy stories cracked by technical errors. Each scene has one or two dialogue lines and then it switches to a new scene, so as a result there is no character development, just layer upon layer of "steps"

This series reminds me of the Dummy how-to books. The audience is not stupid; they need to stop making movies for dummies.
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5/10
My least favorite so far
utgard141 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The fifth Aurora Teagarden movie starring Candace Cameron Bure. This time around Aurora is trying to solve the murder of a minor supporting character in the series: the police captain that barks at her about meddling in murder cases. I've remarked on this clichéd character before in my reviews for other Aurora movies, so I'm certainly not sad to see him go. And no, his death is not really a spoiler since it happens in the first few minutes of the movie. Despite killing off this character I didn't like, this is my least favorite Aurora movie so far.

For starters, the terrible love interest Secret Agent Spray Tan McGuyliner is back and I just can't stand this guy. He's obviously going to be around for the rest of the series, which I'm afraid will hurt my enjoyment of them going forward. He's given quite a bit of focus here because....well, I don't know really. Friends in high places at Hallmark, I guess. Then there's the murderer, who is so obvious that I spotted him or her in their very first scene. The red herrings sucked, as well. One in particular was so unlikable that I couldn't help but be disappointed when they weren't arrested for SOMETHING by the end of the movie. The writing throughout is clunky and full of more "suspend disbelief" moments than is personally acceptable for me. I'll let the crappy murder mystery slide most times if the character stuff is enjoyable. But it isn't that great this time. The only highlights are the scenes where Aurora and her buddy Sally (played by Lexa Doig) are investigating together. Unfortunately that's not nearly enough.

Once again, I call on Hallmark to dump the unnecessary metrosexual boyfriend and focus on the two ladies but I already know that plea is reaching deaf ears. Hallmark rulebook states a love interest is required for every one of their films, whether it fits or not. Anyway, I'll continue to watch the series because I enjoy Candace and Lexa and Marilu (when she's given something to do). I doubt any of these movies are ever going to be amazing but they're enjoyable time passers. Even this one has its moments.
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