Hannah’s showdown with the culprit showcases a unique approach, setting her apart from Hallmark’s typical leading mystery ladies in the way she unravels the truth.
Aurora “Roe” Teagarden, Hannah Swensen from Murder She Baked, Tess Harper from Crossword Mysteries, Hailey Dean from Hailey Dean Mysteries…what do all these women have in common? In every episode I’ve seen on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, one thing stands out: these women simply cannot hide their reactions when they discover the culprit. They make it unmistakably clear to the killer that they know who did it. For instance, in the first Hailey Dean movie — where Hailey, a former prosecutor turned therapist, unravels the case — the moment she identifies the murderer she reacts so plainly and immediately that there’s no mistaking her certainty.
When Hannah uncovers who murdered Ron in Murder She Baked A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery, the killer realizes Hannah has unmasked them. When Roe discovers Sabrina is behind the killings in A Game of Cat and Mouse: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, Bri immediately recognizes that Roe has identified her as the murderer. I knew I needed to ensure Hannah stood out from these other leading ladies.
When we first met Hannah in Deadly College Murders, we quickly learned she aspired to be like Sherlock Holmes — eager to unravel a good mystery. After serving time in jail for the murder of Professor Gonzalez, she is now more determined than ever to unmask the real killer and prove who set her up. A recurring theme throughout the books is the premonition-like dreams that haunt her nights, and how nearly every person she has crossed paths with insists that, had she continued to devote herself to painting, she would have avoided all of this turmoil. What sets Hannah apart from the usual Hallmark leading ladies is simple: she moves with calculated caution. Hannah takes deliberate steps to keep the hooded figure from discovering that she is investigating, and she knows clever ways to distract and mislead that shadowy threat.
With Roe and the other Hallmark leading ladies, they make it obvious to the killer: their eyes widen, they fumble for an excuse — the tired cliche, “I left the cookies in my oven.” Hannah Walker, by contrast, flips the script and becomes the blackbird. She deliberately feeds the killer false information to draw them out, choosing to be strategic and intentionally dangerous rather than naïvely exposed. By keeping her cards close to her chest and setting calculated traps, she outsmarts the culprit. That’s also why she constantly reminds Rafael that new dangers are coming every day, never letting them forget the threats that lurk around the corner.
