The Abigail Mysteries takes the viewer on a wild ride through a Nancy Drew-type murder mystery with Abby Broukes (Ansley Gordon) as the resident sleuth. Abby has spent years struggling with purpose, peace, and forgiveness, and when her marriage falls apart and she suffers the loss of a pregnancy, she flees to her childhood hometown to regroup.
The viewer happens upon Abby setting up house in the small, picturesque town of Prescott, and becoming reacquainted with family and friends, especially Matt (Bret Green), her partner in crime when they were children – now the local policeman who reluctantly joins her on her escapades. Abby is also thrilled to have moved next door to Marian (Karen Abercrombie), who is beloved by all, but is soon shockingly murdered by lethal injection early on, which is shown on-screen later in a flashback. Abby takes it upon herself to investigate this mystery, and she continually stumbles upon clues throughout, which appear in the form of Bible verses, often left by Marian herself, that inspire Abby to keep searching, against all odds, making connections through prayer, conversations, and even an appearance by an angel.
While the narrative surrounds a murder, there is an air of innocence about the film, as the Christian nature of the dialogue and consistent reference to God and Jesus are overt. Ironically, Abby begins to find solace in this search for her own personal struggles of shame and guilt around life choices that involved divorce and how she handled her trauma, which raises questions for the viewer about how the grace of God interacts with these circumstances. While one of the themes revolves around a violent crime, on-screen sipping of wine takes place on several occasions, a gun is held on characters, and a knife put to one character’s throat, as well as one, short, on-screen kiss, this film raises important questions for older, mature teens about how to approach God in times of trouble and personal struggles.
Dove Take
The Abigail Mysteries is a suspenseful adventure that also takes the viewer on a spiritual journey that explores the mysteries of justice, truth, love, and forgiveness.