I love a good mystery program. I like it even better when I can borrow and download one *for free* from one of Rocky River Public Library’s digital streaming services.
On Hoopla, I’ve been enjoying the first two seasons of My Life is Murder, starring Lucy Lawless, best known for her role in Xena: Warrior Princess. In My Life is Murder, Lawless doesn’t fight mythical beasts, but she does kick butt as Alexa Crowe, a former homicide detective turned police consultant.
In the first season, set in Australia, viewers meet Alexa, a widow who has left the world of police work behind her and has turned to baking bread for a living. She reluctantly agrees to look over one baffling murder file at the request of one-time colleague Detective Kieran Hussey and she finds that she just can’t resist helping him out. Alexa’s good instincts and her skill at crime solving quickly make her Kieran’s go-to investigator, in cases ranging from a dead culinary student who slipped in oil, to the death of a teacher that puts Alexa back on the grounds of her former high school.
In season two, Alexa has moved back in her home country of New Zealand—and hopefully, she thinks, to a quieter life away from murder and mayhem. Unfortunately, tales of her legendary investigative skills (and her tech-savvy sidekick Madison) follow her to Auckland, where Alexa finds herself back in the business of busting murderers. Her investigations are just as exciting in round two, with the added bonus of some famous guest stars, including William Shatner.
My Life is Murder is a lighthearted show that is filled with plenty of humor to balance its high, but mostly bloodless, body count and there is a fresh crime for Alexa and her friends to solve each episode. Fans of Columbo and Agatha Raisin or those looking for a fun, breezy, and well-acted mystery series, won’t want to miss this one, which has just been renewed for a third season.
-Carol
Read it or Weep 