The only thing about Christmas is when this is happening and when mom died 5 years ago. Also, there really isn't a romance here.

Granddad likes creepy games and this one fits that. This game is in honor of his dead daughter, Claire's mother. There are some interesting twists. Perhaps I should have guessed the outcome, but I didn't. The clues needed context which came as the movie progressed.

Claire is a saint, apparently with no flaws, granddad's favorite. (That's fine with me because Jennifer Finnigan is a favorite of mine.) Just about everyone else has a skeleton in their closet . Some are revealed early and others late in the game.

True, there are some glaring plot holes like that the best raw detective handling evidence and putting fingerprints all over it, but perhaps the thinking was that the family would never let the police investigate. Or the same person wandering around alone and unarmed knowing there was something very dangerous going on. There are some other flaws like that also.

Still, I liked this a lot better than many of the other amateur detective movie series. Hallmark M&M should give Finnagan more like this even though I'm pretty sure this isn't Hallmark.

This is hands down the worst TV movie I have ever seen and it's bad even for TV movie standards. There is absolutely nothing good that comes from watching this movie.

The plot's supposed to be a mystery, but the only mystery that viewers need to solve is how a bad story can see the light of TV day! The story follows a cantankerous old man who gathers his family on an island, the scene of his daughter's death five years ago. Dear old Daddy is fond of making his family play out some weird Christmas puzzle game. He decides to bequeath his wealth to the person who can solve the puzzle and this kicks off the movie.

Each character representing the extended family has a slight checkered history, all apart from the nice girl next door, goody two shoes, puzzle expert grand daughter. Sadly, there is nothing interesting about any of the characters, all of whom are absorbed in themselves. What makes things worse is that once the puzzle game starts no one does anything. Instead the characters sit around, either moping, drinking themselves into a stupor or trying to have sex on the kitchen top. The mystery is finally solved by some inane bumbling and blind luck and is not even worth revealing.

Aside from the super poor plot, the acting is way below par. No one makes an effort to rise above the story and no one character really tries to take the center stage, even the Nancy Drew wannabe granddaughter.

This is a definite ignore, unless you happen to know of the cast members other roles and are big fans.

This must be a Hallmark Suspense Movie. Just enough mystery to make it interesting with a few bits of cheesy romance.

Was a break from actual true crime dramas