THE CROSSWORD MYSTERIES: RIDDLE ME DEAD
US, 2021, 85 minutes, Colour.
Lacey Chabert, Brennen Elliott, Barbara Niven, John Kapelos, Jon Cor, Lane Edwards, Lucy Walters, Peter Kelamis.
Directed by David Winning.
This is the fifth in a series of murder mysteries, being solved by Tess Harper, played by Lacey Chabert, whose task is to create crossword puzzles for a newspaper in New York. With her crossword ingenuity, she is involved in investigations, becomes aware of clues (in this case noticing sign language from hearing-impaired people in the street), taking initiatives, often in danger. And there is her tense relationship with Logan, Brennan Elliott, who was given reasons to be somewhat jealous in this episode when Tess encounters a man she was previously engaged to.
The focus of the film is a television quiz show, Riddle me This, and arrogant compere, a participant winning thousands of dollars and accused of cheating, the busy producer, the Station Manager, a loyal technician.
As with the other films, also in the story are Logan’s father, Chauncey (John Kapelos) and Tess’s aunt Candice (Barbara Niven). There is a late summer romance between the latter two.
This is light entertainment in the vein of Murder She Wrote and the Sister Boniface mysteries, like light, a number of suspects, the murderer being the initially leased suspicious, and continuing the vein of a non-professional female solving the mysteries.
1. The popular television series of mysteries? Tess Harper, her detection work? Romance with Logan? Her aunt, Logan’s father?
2. The New York setting, the newspaper, preparing the crosswords, the staff? The television station, the riddle me this show, behind-the-scenes? The background of the expense of poker games? The musical score?
3. The title, the play on the gameshow? The scenes of the gameshow, the compere and his brusque manner, before the show, to Tess and Candace, his death? The accusations of cheating? The former competitor and his intrusion? His girlfriend, assistant to the compere, his firing her? Her lies, investigation, the interrogation of her boyfriend?
4. The suspects behind the scene: Hunter, the past relationship with tests, the engagement, breaking it off, his charm, reuniting with her, his friendship with the compere, his ambitions, the cheating, the revelation of his knowing the truth? The producer of the show, her wanting to leave, the clash with the compere, not knowing about the cheating? The technician, behind-the-scenes, collaborating, his concern about the producer, his motivations? The candidate, his answering the questions, so much money, suspicions of cheating?
5. The investigation, Logan, his father, Logan’s partner, on the job, the interrogations, the theories? At the television studio? The poker game, testing for trading, glamour, money, poker face, the suspect? The police raid, the interrogation? His getting the car from the compere?
6. Tests, investigations, discussions with Logan, the tension between Logan and Hunter, tests and the sign language, the understanding of how the cheating happened?
7. The threat on Tess’s life, the falling light, her suspicions, interviewing the technician, his threats, recording the confession, saved?
8. The popularity of this kind of easy murder mystery and investigation? And the non-professional female investigator?
