The Åre Murders bring mystery, snow, and Nordic noir in two well plotted tales about policewoman Hanna (Carla Sehn) and the cases she works on while in the ski resort area around Åre, Sweden.

The Åre Murders series is based on the novels “Hidden in Snow” and “Hidden in Shadows” by Swedish author Viveca Sten. “Hidden in Snow” takes 3 episodes, while “Hidden in Shadows” has two episodes. The police remain the same in both, but the crime and other cast change.

Hanna is under investigation by the Stockholm PD and is on leave for two months. She goes to her sister’s vacation home in Åre to rest and wait for news about her situation back home. The day she arrives, a 17 year old girl goes missing. Hanna can’t stay away.

By the end of the day, Hanna has introduced herself to the local police chief and has signed up to help out temporarily.

Hanna works closely with Daniel (Kardo Razzazi). He’s an experienced officer with a new baby at home and a partner who thinks he works too much. She also works with Anton (Charlie Gustafsson), a younger officer who is closeted. In the “Hidden in Shadows” episodes, Anton is involved with a man who is a suspect in the murder – a dilemma for them both.

The first case is about the missing girl. The second case is about the dismembered body of a well know skier. Both mysteries are well written. They have interesting suspects, subplots, and twists as Hanna and her partners work their way through clues and problems.

I liked that the suspects were logical and guilty looking as they were investigated and cleared before moving on to the next one. In the process of solving the two murders, the police discovered human trafficking, illegal liquor sales, a perv teacher who raped his students, affairs, abusive husbands, and more. You can see why the suspects were guilty looking – maybe they weren’t murderers, but there were plenty of twisty, dark secrets to uncover.

The one thing I didn’t like much was the attraction Hanna began to feel for Daniel. Nothing happened between them, but I felt like she was willing to let it. To his credit, he chose to honor his wife and child instead. Maybe this was because Hanna left Stockholm with a double whammy – the investigation an a bad breakup. That part of her character wasn’t explored well.

Hanna was an intuitive police woman where lies and abuse were involved and could always sense when a woman needed help. She also noticed details that carried important information about a case. I thought she was an interesting character. I hope Netflix brings more of Viveca Sten’s novels to the screen.

You can see The Åre Murders on Netflix.