This series of TV mysteries is really a thinly disguised, but fictionalized, autobiography of Nancy Grace’s life, and the only reason we’re watching them at all is because my sister is dating the producer.

Last night we watched “Deadly Estate”:

The city in the background is supposed to be Atlanta, Georgia. But because filming is less expensive in British Columbia, Canada, all outdoor shots (except for the establishing city views) are filmed in and around Vancouver. Such is the Hallmark way. (Last night, for instance, I caught sight of a shop awning in the background which displayed a telephone number: the area code was 604.)

And speaking of area codes, I finally got an answer to a long-running question about 808 State. 808 is slang for ‘disturbing the peace’, but when used as an area code is represents Hawaii.

Kellie Martin is exactly suited for playing Hailey Dean. She speaks Nancy Grace’s words firmly and forcibly, but without her bombast. And she keeps her face calm, unless someone points a gun at her (as seen in the recurring nightmare of her boyfriend being shot 10 years earlier). She is also willing to enter the fray without backup, should needs must. In other words, Nancy’s there, but Kellie plays her gently.

Nancy Grace gets to appear in every Hailey Dean Mystery. In this one she was a gossipy real estate office receptionist. She plays her cameos for laughs.

But she deserves kudos for writing her story down and sharing it with the world.