Death al Dente: A Gourmet Detective Mystery (TV Movie 2016) Poster

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6/10
Well done...this franchise collection is certainly moving in the right direction
Ed-Shullivan2 September 2017
All right. all right....I am glad to see that the chemistry lessons that failed in the first two films of this Gourmet Detective franchise collection have been overcome and as a result Mrs. Shullivan and myself found the third entry in the Gourmet Detective franchise series to be quite a tasty treat.

Music Director, James Jandrisch, certainly was listening to his critics and/or to his own music scores from the first two films as his background music was toned down considerably in this his third entry in the Gourmet Detective franchise series. In this entry, we were actually able to hear the conversations that were taking place, the romantic cat and mouse chasing was limited, and this time, the murder occurred earlier in the film, so that these two sleuths could start investigating the whodunit which provided more of a murder/mystery plot than what was offered in the two earlier films of this franchise collection.

This was by no means a slam dunk find the killer, but a more intriguing story line as the charming Henry Ross discovers that an old boyfriend of Detective Maggie Price's comes back in to her life and he has quite a bit to offer her besides his good looks. This mystery old boyfriend went to school with Maggie and he was also there when Maggie's first marriage fell apart, and he also happens to be a San Francisco break and enter detective.

So Henry finds that he now has some serious competition to woo Maggie's affections and Henry realizes he not only has to crank up the old love candles, but solve this latest murder of a third generation Italian restaurant owner pretty darn quick so that his competition for Maggie's affections need no longer be involved in their tag team murder case.

Mrs. Shullivan and I quite liked this third installment the best so far and we are waiting for the fourth installment to be filmed and released to see if gourmet chef Henry Ross and Detective Maggie Price's relationship becomes more than just business and leads to continued personal pleasures. Let's see what these chefs cook up next. In the meantime this third installment raises the bar once again, and I must say in the right direction. I give the film what a dish best served cold would get and that is a 6 out of 10 rating.
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6/10
Diamonds are a girl's best friend
bkoganbing20 March 2018
Dylan Neal our full time gourmet cook and part time amateur sleuth recommends a new chef who is working out well in Ben Wilkinson's Italian restaurant which is something of a bay area institution. But things are not going well in his marriage because wife Jordana Largy has been fooling around with that selfsame new chef Matt Hamilton.

Wilkinson is shot by someone who tried to break into his house and later he's finished off in the hospital. Someone clearly did not want this man to live. But there's more to this story than a bad love affair. There's a rumored fortune in diamonds from the old country and a lot of people are looking for them.

As mysteries go this one isn't all that hard to figure out. But in an unusual twist to the Hallmark mystery formula, the amateur detective is a guy who assist the professional woman, in this case SFPD homicide detective Brooke Burns. Neal and Burns have a nice chemistry though in this case another police detective is moving in on Burns.

Nice chemistry, but no real mystery.
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7/10
Very Similar to Castle
bangel33224 August 2020
I really like this film series. I think the two leads work really well together and it's very reminiscent of the relationship between Beckett and Castle in 'Castle'. In this movie they've even used a line from one of the Castle episodes. Of the Hallmark mysteries this one might be favourite with Aurora Teagarden a close second and then Picture Perfect Mysteries. It's just really light and fun with some suspense thrown in.
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7/10
Best in the franchise (so far)
t-092533 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Best movie of the franchise so far. The plot was interesting and finally having the two lead characters kissing was a nice end for the movie, especially after all the jealousy each one causes the other.
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7/10
Amateur detective, amateur story
Jackbv12310 January 2019
I mentioned in reviewing an earlier installment that it seemed like these productions don't have a technical adviser because they seem to have no concept of police procedures. In this episode, Maggie executes an illegal search and later another. There are many other such problems. And this is not about police procedure but Steve commits blatant sexual harassment (Maggie's resulting tension is palpable), but Maggie just rolls with it.

But so it goes with most of the amateur detective movies. We don't watch them for good police procedure. It's just annoying for it to be so blatant.

Both leads have egos, but Henry's is huge. I can't believe actual police detectives stood there and let him boss them around including telling Steve to get lost.

The mystery in this one is not bad, but the hook in the series is the relationship between Maggie and Henry. That and their banter. So far as this installment begins they are still in stage of dancing around their feelings, but they are starting to recognize that there is something there. There is definite chemistry.
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8/10
Such a resemblance to "Castle"....
ronalamont-9147220 April 2019
This third movie in the series is really fun and enjoyable since the formula, chemistry and characters are coming together well and the mystery unfolds well too. The similarities to "Castle" (which I loved for the first 7 series) are glaring though. The pairing of attractive, bossy female Detective and attractive, kinda goofy Writer (foodie blog), the two of them solving cases in the field while her TWO colleagues do the background work at the station and most of all the character, dialogue and humor of the Gourmet Detective. I could have sworn I was watching "Castle" during the whole sweet ending of the movie. I guess it's the "Canadian" version supposedly set in San Francisco but I'm getting used to and enjoying it as such.
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6/10
There is a lot going on in this mystery...including a little jealousy.
cgvsluis31 August 2021
Detective Maggie and Chef/Consultant Henry are back in this the third entry in the Gourmet Detective series, Death al Dente. Henry is teaching Maggie's mom to make a crown roast. Henry and Maggie are funny and sweet together...almost as sweet as her meddling family's not so subtle meddling. Maggie and Henry end up going to a fancy restaurant called Carmela's where Henry is friends with the owners. After describing a break in to Maggie, another break in occurs and this time it ends with Leo getting shot and in a coma. Enter the B&E detective who just happens to be one of Maggie's ex's. Maggie has the case declared an attempted and pairs up with the B&E unit...allowing Henry to have a front row seat to the two detectives' flirty banter.

I really appreciate the mature relationship between our protagonists Henry and Maggie where they are allowed to be equal partners...(and they share some good witty and flirty banter of their own).

This was a fun case that involved some interesting clues and a kiss between colleagues.

One of the better Hallmark Mystery offerings. I recommend. I hope they continue this series.
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4/10
One of the Poorer Series on HMM
sarajimi18 May 2021
This series seems to wax hot and cold. Watched the first one and didn't want to watch more because Maggie was such a witch, I didn't understand what he saw in her. Roux the Day was better. But while her character has improved, the quality of the plotting has taken a major nose-dive with this entry. Maggie has no problem conducting two illegal searches but balks when the guy wants to break into someone's home then says the evidence he found is probably inadmissible only because he removed (stole) it from said residence, one that wasn't a crime scene? Hallmark movie watchers may be loyal and willing to put up with much but we aren't dumb.
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5/10
Poor Man's "Castle"...Puh-leeze.
edward-0525423 June 2022
It was really hard to ignore the blatant similarities. It was like having enjoyed the national brand and then buying the generic store brand version of something. It reminds you of the original, but not as good...and cheaper.

We've got the hard-nosed lady detective with the supermodel looks and the "charming wise-cracking consultant" who is ever-present, completely out of his element and always bickering with her while trying to get in her pants. On Castle, he always brings her a large coffee...even buys an expensive espresso machine for the 12th Precinct. Here he brings her a small. (Like I said...cheaper.)

Throw in the two goofball caucasian and ethnic "utility detectives" (complete with "exploding fist bumps"), activities focussing on the "murder board," the (also appropriately ethnic) female "coroner buddy" and the occasional appearance by a female tough-gal captain and there you have it. Here, however, it's the detective who's the one with the live-in mother and teenage daughter, not the pseudo-Castle.

It's Nathan Fillion's Castle with a food theme. I'm just trying to determine when Hollywood completely lost its creativity.
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5/10
So-so
jml19882 December 2019
This series is nothing excited and not particularly well acted, but the chemistry between the leads is a bit charming. I'm glad it was a short series, as I probably wouldn't have watched many more of these. Only one left!
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