Both the problem and the strength of this two-part police procedural is that it's based -- quite closely, it would seem -- on a string of three actual murders. As a result, it feels very real, especially as to police errors and inefficiency, as well as to the long time involved in bringing the case to a close. To its credit, it is anything but "neat."
On the other hand, thanks to its apparent allegiance to the truth, the case itself isn't terribly gripping. Obviously any serial-killer drama will have inherent interest -- we want to see the monster brought to justice -- but I doubt you'll come away entirely satisfied.
Worse, the characters (as some have complained here) are bland, and their dialogue consists almost entirely of exposition, often of one cop telling another something the latter would already know, simply to explain the progress of the case to the TV audience. (There's also one cringeworthy little attempt to inject some romance into the plot.) Sometimes the task of exposition is left to a local TV reporter who conveniently keeps popping up. She's rather annoying.
Brief as it is, the entire series feels at least half an hour too long, with too much uncomfortable time devoted to the grief of the victims' bereaved families. And there's something just a little off, even a little amateurish, about the direction; cast members tend to stand with unnatural stiffness as they exchange their curt, exposition-laden dialogue.
