Irene Huss: Episodes 7-9

Episodes 7-9 Of A Stylish Swedish Crime Series With A Strong Female Protagonist
As witnessed by the slate of popular procedural programs on network television, we can't get enough of solving crime! I really enjoy having the opportunity to sample International programs, and the chilly Swedish mystery series "Irene Huss" deserves to be discovered by a larger worldwide audience. The creation of crime novelist Helene Tursten, there have been 12 independent mysteries prepared for television between 2007 and 2011. The first six episodes have been released to DVD previously, but now the remaining two sets are being dropped that should complete your collection.

Previously released:
Irene Huss 1-3: Includes (1) The Torso, (2) The Horse Figurine, and (3) The Fire Dance.
Irene Huss 4-6: Includes (4) The Night Round, (5) The Glass Devil, and (6) The Gold Digger.

New to DVD:
Irene Huss 7-9: Includes (7) The Hidden Watcher, (8) The Treacherous Net, and (9) The Man With The Small Face.
Irene Huss 10-12: Includes (10) Ring of Silence,...

Selectively Stupid
For all the clips they show of Irene practicing Judo, she is forever getting thrown down, knocked over the head, caught without her gun, and allowing people to sneak up on her. Oh where did that bad man go? Too late, he appeared out of nowhere to kick the gun out of my hand. The show has a good cast but the writing consistently leaves them looking like knuckleheads.

HUSS Explores The More Domestic Side of Violent Crime
As any purveyor of crime stories will tell you, these days the police procedural isn't so much about the crime as it is the chief detective and his or her `team' of professionals. In fact, one could argue that, no matter where the crime takes place, what matters most is the `local flavor' or `color' provided by the lead detective. For example, Las Vegas - with its seedy underbelly - has the criminal forensics experts known as CSI. The American heartland has Raylan Givens, an old school cowboy tracking down the baddies in backwater Kentucky. Sweden has its own handful of like-minded sleuths, one of the more popular as of late has been Irene Huss. I had the good fortune of taking a gander at one of the latest releases from MHz Networks.

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and characters. If you're the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last...

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