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2 Above Suspicion mysteries gripping, well-acted, brutal

— What is it? Above Suspicion, Set 1, more than four hours’ worth of mysteries on two discs from Acorn Media.

How much? $39.99

When? Now

Who is above suspicion? Some very important people with some very unsavory hobbies.

It’s the job of rookie police detective Anna Travis (Kelly Reilly) and her gruff boss, Detective Chief Inspector Langton (Ciaran Hinds), to help catch them and put them behind bars.

This set includes two separate, feature-length mysteries:

Above Suspicion: Over the course of 12 years, prostitutes have been brutally murdered. When the body of a young student is discovered, killed in exactly the same way, Anna is pulled off a desk job for her first murder investigation, only to find she has to get close to the prime suspect to help solve the case.

The Red Dahlia: Anna’s more established and more seasoned now as she has re-teamed with Langton to solve a particularly heinous murder - one that bears more than a passing resemblance to the infamous Black Dahlia case of 1940s Los Angeles.

What’s this series like? Well, for starters, it’s based on books by Lynda La Plante, the creator of the popular series Prime Suspect.

Like that earlier series, it’s part police procedural, part character study and the main character is a woman.

Like Jane Tennison (the Prime Suspect central character portrayed by Helen Mirren), Anna is smart and determined.

But Anna is much younger than Jane. Coming some 30 years later to the force, shedoesn’t have to fight the same level of blatant sexual bias on the job. Boss Langton is tough but supportive of her efforts and she gets on relatively well with her colleagues.

Anna is also very eager but very green. How green? She throws up at her first crime scene and faints during the subsequent autopsy.

Is it good? Yes. The mysteries are engrossing (if disturbing) and the actors are quite good with great chemistry - particularly Reilly and Hinds.

It’s the relationship between Anna and Langton that forms the emotional center of the show. The exact nature of that relationship, though, is vague, complicated and somewhat unprofessional.

Also, consider yourself warned. The killings are brutal, grisly affairs and this series doesn’t spare the viewer when it comes to details.

The writers and actors throw in some nice character touches and bits of humor to keep things from getting too dark, but expect some very disturbing scenes.

Are there extras? Yes. There are a series of interviews with various cast and crew members as well as with La Plante. In total, over the two seasons, it adds up to nearly an hour of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. It’s rather choppily organized, but the subjects do have some good insights to share.

New this week: CatDog, Season 1, Part 2; Eureka, Season 4.5; I, Claudius, 30th Anniversary Edition; Mystery Science Theater 3000, Set XXIII; South Park, Season 15.

Next week: 3rd Rock From the Sun, Seasons 3 and 4; Bob, Complete Series; Designing Women, Season 6; Great Expectations, Miniseries; Roseanne, Seasons 3 and 4; That ’70s Show, Seasons 3 and 4; Torchwood, Miracle Day.

Style, Pages 46 on 03/25/2012

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