Murder in a Small Town

 

by Pa Rock

Reader and Watcher

I am a fan of crime fiction, things like murder mysteries or detective stories, whether it is presented on the page or through the lens of a camera.  For years I have subscribed to two pulp magazines - "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine" and "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine" - which are sister publications that come out every two months, and each features a nice variety of stories from an ever-changing roster of new and accomplished authors.  The stories in those magazines have been my bedtime reading for many years.  

Crime stories are also my go-to comfort zone for television viewing.  I subscribe to Brit Box which features television shows that air on the various channels of the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) and ITV (Independent Television).  The Brits do several types of shows very well, and, in particular, historical (period) dramas (Poldark and Downton Abbey, for instance), comedies (which are sometimes referred to by American viewers as "Brit Coms" - shows like Keeping Up Appearances and Absolutely Fabulous), and crime and mystery dramas (Midsomer Murders and Vera, just  to name a couple).

IMHO, no one does any of those genres better than the Brits.  I have been a subscriber to Brit Box for fifteen years and have literally viewed my way through almost its entire catalogue of shows.  I've seen so much of the British fare that I have lately been forced to spend more time foraging throught the offerings of Netflix and Prime in order to come up with something new to watch  And it was on Netflix where I recently discovered a gem of a crime show, two seasons of a new offering from Fox entitled Murder in a Small Town - with season three due out next February.  It is so good!

Murder in a Small Town is set in the community of Gibsons, which is presented as being in Washington state but is an actual community along the "Sunshine Coast" of British Columbia, Canada.   Gibsons is beautiful and isolated.   

One of the two central characters is Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) who arrives in town as a worn down police detective from Minneapolis and who has just been hired as the new Chief of Police.  He is freshly divorced, no doubt due to the rigors and hours of police work, and has left his ex-wife and two young adult daughters back in Minnesota.  Chief Alberg has only been in town a few days and not yet met many of the town's residents when he registers with an internet dating site and winds up meeting an attractive woman for coffee and the town's main coffee shop.

Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk), the town librarian, is the attractive stranger the chief meets for coffee.  She is single and in his age range - early forties - and by late that evening they are wrestling in the sheets at his place.  They form a unique and strong couple, one that fits well into the community of Gibsons.  When Cassandra gets elected to the town council in her personal push to increase funding for community arts, tensions begin to develop in her relationship with Karl due to his need for increased police funding.  

And the town doctor, who is also the mayor, keeps the tension going by manipulating the town budget to her (the mayor's) own advantage.  Doctor/Mayor Holman is portrayed by Marcia Gay Harden.

All of that is skillfully draped over at least one very clever and original murder per show - and a psycho serial killer even rampages through a couple of episodes.  The plots are all highly original and twist and turn with enough force to keep viewers engrossed, guessing, and not leaving the room without pressing "pause."

The first two seasons contain eighteen episodes, with each being a complete show in and of itself - no annoying continuations.  If you're looking for clever and satisfying entertainment to go with hot chocolate or mulled wine on a cold winter's night - so you don't have to worry about the wolves circling the cabin -Murder in a Small Town might be the right option.  It is surprisingly good.