Los crímenes de Åre

There are times when you come across a show that feels like a hidden gem-a real gold mine. Unfortunately, The Åre Murders isn't one of them.

While the series boasts a fine cast, strong direction, and breathtaking cinematography that enhances the overall experience, it somehow lacks the warmth of your typical Netflix and chill session. And I don't blame the visuals-the real issue lies with the story itself, which never feels truly resolute.

Viveca Sten is undoubtedly a fantastic crime thriller writer, with nearly 20 books to her credit and an international bestseller reputation. However, The Åre Murders leaves gaps that can't easily be ignored. At times, it feels like just another stretched-out episode of CSI-a simple story where characters are grieving, and that's about it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I am going to with a decent 6/10 for this one, you can skip this if you want to.

As Episode 1 of "The Are Murders' (2025 release from Swe3den; 5 episodes ranging from 35 to 57 min) opens, 17 yo Amanda is at a house party in the remote town of Are, Sweden, and then leaves the party. In a parallel story that same evening, we are introduced to Hanna, of the Stockholm PD. Hanna has taken a two months' leave of absence and is driving towards the cabin of her sister's, in Are. Next morning, Amanda is missing... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this TV mini-series is based on the Swedish book series "Hidden in Snow" (which covers the first 3 episodes) and "Hidden in Shadows" (which covers the last 2 episodes) by Viveva Sten. The connection between the two separate stories is Hanna, the Stockholm cop who shows up in Are looking to get away of whatever troubled her in the Swedish capital. The two stories are plot-heavy, so the less said of that, the better. I will simply say that I quite liked the first story "Hidden in Snow", and rate it 7/10. It does not prepare you for the second story "Hidden in Shadows", which absolutely blew me away, and which I rate 9/10, hence my overall rating of this mini-series of 8/10. The (for me no-names) cast is terrific throughout. "The Are Murders" is no-nonsense and gritty, and quite dark (in particular in the second story). I was hooked from start to finish. Now we hopefully await the further adventures of Hanna in the next book(s) from Ms. Sten...

"The Are Murders" started streaming on Netflix about a week ago, and I watched the 5 episodes over 2 evenings. The is currently rated 81% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and there is ample reason for that. If you love a top-notch crime series set in Sweden, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Don't miss these Netflix thriller episodes from Sweden. Three different murder stories well packed and fast paced guessing all the time who the real murder could be. It was not simple to solve but it was interesting to discover with the detectives the traces. It was never boring. Wonderful landscapes offered a special atmosphere for solving these mysteries. The main police woman and the police man delivered a respectable performance and the director had a good hand to create very suspenseful and breathtaking series.

If you like Scandinavian thrillers check out the Valhalla Murders. For all these reasons it deserves 7/10.

Sure! Here's a longer version:

"Åremorden" tries to ride the wave of Scandinavian crime thrillers but ends up as a weak imitation. It starts off promising, as if it's building toward something gripping, but just when it should reach its peak, it completely falls apart. The pacing is uneven, with a slow buildup that ultimately leads to a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. The characters remain frustratingly shallow, offering little emotional depth or development, and the storylines feel half-baked, as if they were never fully thought through. The promised suspense? Nowhere to be found-it disappears faster than snow in spring. Instead of clever twists or psychological depth, we get generic plot points and predictable resolutions. Even the atmospheric Scandinavian setting can't save it from mediocrity. If you're looking for a crime series that truly delivers, you'd be better off picking almost anything else.

Abusive husband busting through a hotel door with an axe to assault his wife and child? Sounds familiar. But it's just a throwaway scene in this rather odd procedural/Scandinoirish series. It's supposed to be a 5-episode season but it's more like two seasons of 3 and 2 episodes respectively, as they pertain to the investigations of unrelated cases. Brevity is the soul of wit or something, and kudos to the show for being efficient and economical. I admit I'm the first to gripe when shows pad the runtime with extraneous twists and goofy red-herrings. Here, however, the show goes to the inverse extreme since the investigations are so truncated and straightforward that their resolutions are banal; plus the characters don't get quite enough development to make an impression.