Legend of the Lost Locket (2024)

Legend of the Lost Locket Review

Amelia arrives in Wilmaton and it’s not exactly the warmest welcome — her car breaks down (another square on the bingo card). She gets a lift from Marcus (When Calls the Heart alert: these two play the Canfields on Hallmark’s long-running historical drama!), who brings her to a bed and breakfast of historical significance. Which his sister owns. And also he’s the town sheriff. Marcus just keeps popping up — but in a town as small as Wilmaton, it’s hard to avoid anyone.

Except for the town’s archives, that is. Those are impossible to find. And Mayor Hrothgar Mathews (also of When Calls the Heart fame — what is going on here?!) is acting super, super shady about Amelia’s search. Of course Amelia isn’t telling the whole truth either because she knows that if word got out that one half of a missing locket was in Wilmaton, it’d be overrun with antiques hunters in seconds flat. There are many mysteries at play here — including one concerning our girl’s growing attachment to a certain sheriff.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The cozy village vibes are Murder, She Wrote (the sweaters!) through and through, with a little bit of Antiques Roadshow thrown in (Amelia can basically recount provenance by touch) and even some Sleepy Hollow spookiness (who is stalking Amelia?!).

Our Take: I must shout out Beverley Elliot (A World Record Christmas) as Aunt Enid, who simply wants an excuse to ditch meditation class at all costs.

Our perspective: This is the reason why I thought Legend of the Lost Locket should be on Hallmark Mystery instead of When Calls the Heart. And it all makes sense now, because When Calls the Heart season 11 just premiered last week. That’s what we in the biz call network synergy, baby! But it’s not just that; even if you don’t get the Canfield connection, Legend of the Lost Locket is a fun little mystery.

No, it’s not like Legend of the Lost Locket breaks any new ground in the Hallmark mystery genre. The script is chock full o’ tropes you know as well as a few that are becoming more and more commonplace (you better believe they find a way to get the leads into 19th century formalwear!). But that’s okay — because Burnett and Leacock have chemistry for days. They’re a dynamic duo, with Burnett playing a proper Brit who hunts antiques with unmatched fervor, and Leacock playing a small town sheriff who is also a cinnamon roll.

So here’s where I’ll give credit where credit is definitely due to Legend of the Lost Locket: for all its cozy mystery tropes, this movie does actually keep you guessing. Amelia and Marcus keep uncovering mysteries within mysteries — which I guess is also sorta like a cinnamon roll. And I appreciate how well Wilmaton felt like a real place thanks to Lost Locket, populated with different townspeople who could all conceivably play central roles in future antiques-related mysteries. What I’m saying is between When Calls the Heart and my recently-imagined Amelia Scott History Mysteries series, Burnett and Leacock could (and maybe should) spend their entire year working together.

Watch Legend of the Lost Locket For Free On Gomovies.