As this thirteen part Argentinian thriller opens protagonist Daniel Perodi is meeting the man who has kidnapped his seventeen year old daughter; the man then kills her. He is caught and sent to prison but is released a few years later. Perodi, a former policeman who now working as a criminologist, is determined to find out when the killer was released so soon. He traces the public prosecutor, Diana Quaranta, who apparently ordered the release but she denies signing for his release. As the series progresses it becomes apparent that the killer is part of a larger cult-like organisation that is involved in a variety of crimes and for some reason is targeting Perodi and those close to him.
After initial suspicions Diana joins Perodi's investigative group which includes his friend and mentor Ernesto Montes, lawyer Malena Sanz, computer expert Diego Sosa and psychologist Marcos Setter. This puts her in danger and she is raped in a private swimming pool; only surviving because Perodi arrives before the attacker can kill her. The group make some breakthroughs but each time it is followed by a setback; things aren't helped by the fact that Ernesto is showing signs of dementia and there is the possibility that somebody close to the investigation isn't who they seem to be.
This series, part of Channel Four's 'Walter Presents' strand in the UK, was a real surprise; I didn't expect a series made up of half hour episodes to be so gripping as the genre tends to stick to episodes of an hour or even two hours. The story is dark in tone without being heavy going and moves along at a decent pace without rushing. The cast are impressive; Gabriel Goity is particularly good as Perodi, capturing his dogged determination as well as his despair when things go horribly wrong; Ana Celentano does a fine job as Diana and Mario Alarcón puts in a fine performance as Ernesto as the character starts to realise he is unwell. The settings also add to the atmosphere; most notably the claustrophobic swimming pool that often features and the bookshop the investigators work from. Overall a really good series that had me wanting to watch the next episode as soon as the one I finished was over and when I finished watching the final episode I thought it was one of the bleakest endings I've seen.
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