Crossword Mysteries Movies In Order (2021 Update)
The crossword mysteries is an American television movie series that features five other movies under the crossword mysteries name. The series created by Hallmark is one of the top series and also was a big hit upon release of its first installment in 2019. The movie stars two of Hallmark’s favorites, Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliot, who have previously acted in Hallmark shows. There are currently five series under the name and as it stands, there is no plan for a new installment in 2021 after the two already released this year.
The story follows the story of a brilliant crossword puzzle editor, Tess Harper, who is enjoying her life and work too. This soon changes when police find out that several clues in her puzzles are linked with unsolved criminal cases that are happening in and around the city. As a result, she has to team up with Detective Logan O’ Connor to uncover the cases. The first series in the installment dropped in 2019 and the huge reception it got from audiences gained it a popular name in the series world. The series then continued with sequel after sequel with at least one released each year from 2019 till now.
Crossword Mysteries Order At A Glance
The Crossword Mysteries movies in the right order are;
- Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle To Die For
- Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder
- Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver
- Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent
- Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead
Crossword Mysteries Movies In Order
If you’re looking to watch the crossword series movie, then you should consider starting from the first installment, Puzzle to Die For, which was released in 2019. After that, Proposing Murder follows and the movie was also released in 2019. Continuing from there is the 2020 release, Abracdaver, and the other two installments from the series are Terminal Descent and Riddle Me Dead, both coming in 2021.
All movies star Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliot as the puzzle editor, Tess Harper, and the Detective, Logan O’ Connor. Each of the crossword mysteries movies picks up a story from the end of the previous one and they are also set in a linear timeline so to properly understand the story, watching in the right order would be the best thing to do.
1. Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle To Die For
The movie starts the Crossword Mysteries franchise and was released in 2019. The story starts with the death of Alan Nightingale, who is shot at his New York gallery. Nightingale had a number of enemies or simply people who didn’t like him including his ex-wife and an art dealer. Detective Logan reaches the crime scene and is unable to get the security footage for the place because the guy who is in charge of the cameras is on vacation. He soon draws a list of suspects which includes the camera guy who had been revealed to have a disagreement with Nightingale.
Elsewhere, Tess, a crossword puzzle writer, is preparing for an upcoming crossword tournament. Her aunt, who is a friend of Alan Nightingale, manages to bring her into the case, and then Tess realizes that an oddly filled crossword puzzle was one of the pieces of evidence found. She gets a call from Detective Logan who is working on the case.
Tess believes she can use her knowledge as a puzzle writer to profile the person who committed the crime using the person’s clues. At first, Logan isn’t cooperative with Tess as he doesn’t believe her idea that the killer is passing a message with the puzzle but later on, they get along as they look for the actual culprit.
2. Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder
The second installment from the series and sequel to Puzzle to Die For comes also in 2019. The story starts with the opening scene where a man is stabbed with a kitchen knife after opening his door. It is later revealed that the man is history professor, Lyle, who is a friend of Tess. She had met with him some days before his death. Lyle was getting ready to propose to his girlfriend, Abby, using a crossword puzzle only to later get killed.
Abby becomes a suspect in his death, not only because of her closeness to him but also she is a chef, and remember, Lyle was killed with a Kitchen Knife so it draws her to the case instantly. She also has a tender moment with one of Lyle’s colleagues, Clayton, at work after his death.
Tess and Logan, who are now friends, learn about the case, and even despite Logan not wanting her on the case, he has no choice but to bring her in and work with her again as a result of the clues and information she’s able to gather concerning the case. The two then team up to solve the mystery and find the culprit and also the connection that Abby and Clayton have in relation to Lyle’s death.
3. Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver
The third film in the series and sequel to Proposing Murder drops in 2020. The story starts with Tess, who is now taking classes to help with a crossword puzzle, at a Magic Manor where she is taking the class. As her birthday is ahead, she decides she wants to have a magic show and invites Alistair, the magician at the manor.
Later on, her birthday doesn’t go as planned as Alistair is killed on stage while performing one of his tricks. Tess immediately spots a mystery and she doesn’t believe it is simply an illusion gone wrong. She gets some clues eventually as she is able to learn that Alistair was in a relationship with his assistant, Bianca until it happened that she wanted a more prominent role.
Again, Logan is not happy with Tess’ sleuthing and warns her to get off the case. Logan had been at the party after being invited by Tess’ aunt. He eventually lets her in on the case as she happens to be good at getting clues. They are able to work together with her previous clue relating to Bianca and also a conversation she heard between her teacher and Alistair. Logan and Tess, who are already good friends, team up again to uncover the mystery and also deliver the identity of the real culprit.
4. Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent
The fourth installment in the crossword mysteries series was released in 2021. The story follows the death of Morgan Daniels, who is a tech entrepreneur and CEO of XCal Communications planning to sell his expensive AI program, BigBrainX, or BB. Morgan gets into the elevator where he meets his death. Tess, who had met with Morgan before his death, as she was also planning to participate in a crossword competition with BB, smells another mystery and is able to come up with clues as usual.
Logan, who is known to always kick her to the sides initially, welcomes her input in the case. The two have now grown a fondness and are seemingly in love with each other.
During her visit, Tess saw a Landscaper at XCal and tells Logan about it as a potential clue. Logan then goes on to do his findings in the company. He figures that Paul, the vice president, and Vivian, director of Public relations and a friend of Tess, have the most access to BB.
He also finds out about a Programmer, Jesse, who was not happy with Morgan’s decision to sell BB to the government and had an argument with the deceased before his death. To find more clues and information to be able to solve the case, he goes on to see Morgan’s wife, former partner, and his professional rival.
5. Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead
So far, this is the last movie in the Crossword Mysteries series and it was also released in 2021. The movie currently ranks as the best crossword mysteries show on IMDb with a rating score of 7.2. The story follows Tess who has just been invited to join her aunt’s favorite show. Her aunt is a big fan of the show “Riddle Me This”.
Tess, however, has now become quite popular in New York following her help in uncovering many criminal cases in the city. She has also developed a serious and strong relationship with Logan.
Tess’ invitation to be a guest on the show doesn’t go as planned as the host of the show turns up dead. Tess, as always, smells a mystery and cannot help but look into the show. She is able to get some clues as she realizes that a couple of the show’s crew members didn’t like the host and in fact had a beef with the host.
One of the crew members is Hunter, her ex and he also seems to have a beef with the host. Logan joins her on the case, as he no longer wants her off any of his criminal cases and enjoys working with her. Together, they team up again to uncover the mystery and get the real culprit.
