Maria Wern is a widowed Swedish police inspector who takes her two young children from Stockholm to the east coast island of Gotland to start a new life.
Gotland is a beautiful island, but any hopes Maria may have had of pursuing the perpetrators of minor traffic breaches is soon dashed as a number of gruesome murders take place in this Scandanavian paradise and Maria at times needs to ensure the security of her kids. I think Norse mythology and the occult permeate the Scandanavian culture and identity and if you watch Swedish crime as often as I do then you'll expect the occasional plot line to have its genesis in some bizarre ritualistic obsession. Having said that, the stories in the Maria Wern series are fascinating and well scripted and the supporting actors are all first class. But Eva Rose is a genuinely accomplished actress and her screen presence throughout the series makes viewing each episode an enjoyable experience. And although an old flame of Maria's appears in a couple of episodes, the producers have opted for a series without distracting romantic entanglements.
As far as I am aware the seven movie-length episodes contained in the Maria Wern DVD complete the series. I hope for a second set to be produced but that seems unlikely. If you like this series you'll enjoy the comparable Irene Huss series, which is located in Gotenburg on the west coast of Sweden and offers a similarly talented actress in Angela Kovacs. 8/10
