This series, ‘The Marnow Murders’, is based on a novel by Holger Karsten Schmidt and is loosely based on true-life historical events. The TV series is set in modern-day German, though.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
And as is often the case where the television adaptation is based on a pre-existing novel, the characterization is exemplary – as is the acting. This really is an intriguing series and one to watch.
So, what’s it all about? The two lead detectives, Frank Elling (Sascha Alexander Geršak) and Lona Mendt (Petra Schmidt-Schaller), are called out to two different murders. Firstly, a man – Alexander Beck – is discovered in his apartment hanging upside down, his throat slit and the words “child molester” tattooed on his scalp. His decomposing body is covered with roaches and flies – it’s truly a gruesome scene. Further investigations lead the authorities to believe he may have been a member of the Stasi, the now defunct Ministry of State Security in East Germany, which existed between 1950 and when the wall came down.
The second murder takes place at a high-end retirement home. A masked man brazenly walks across the beautifully manicured lawn in broad daylight and cuts the throat of an elderly resident in a wheelchair, before making his escape.
Are the two deaths connected, or could there be two killers going around killing men by cutting their throats? And what’s the role of the well-dressed gentlemen we see discussing the killings in the grounds of a grand country house? One of them, we know, was in Beck’s apartment and has clearly tampered with the scene – but why and what are they trying to hide?
It’s an intriguing plot – made all the more extraordinary as it’s based on true events. But that would be nothing without good characters. Thankfully it has that covered, too.
We see a lot of Elling in the opening episode and get to understand some of the pressures he’s facing in his personal life. He is experiencing some financial difficulties, but he also suspects his wife, Suzanne, of having an affair. And his mother is suffering with dementia. The poor fella has enough on his plate without two grisly murders.
His partner – the mysterious and seductive Mendt – is a very different kettle of fish. She’s a loner who lives in a caravan and rides around on a powerful motorcycle. But together, her and Elling make an engaging and watchable partnership.
The acting here is really first rate. Both Geršak and Schmidt-Schaller won awards for their performances in this series at the prestigious German TV Awards in 2021 – and justifiably so. Geršak in particular is superb as the troubled lead detective and family man trying to cope with the pressures of work and domestic life.
This might just be the best we’ve had from Walter Presents in some time. A really fascinating story, excellent characterization, and superb acting. Who could ask for more?
Walter Presents: ‘The Marnow Murders’ is available as a full boxset via C4 Streaming from Friday 16th June 2023.
