The town Svartvattnet (Blackwater) is fictional, though the name is used about several Swedish lakes. The place where the novel and series take place is reminiscent of the town Valsjöbyn in the Hotagen district of Jämtland, where the author of the novel, Kerstin Ekman, lived.
Real life mother and daughter, Pernilla and Alba August, respectively portray mother and daughter in the series. Pernilla's other real life daughter Asta plays the younger version of Pernilla's character in the series.
The novel was inspired by real events, a murder case from Appojaure in Nordbotten in 1984.