TROUBLED WATERS

Kelly Reilly and Rafe Spall must catch a killer before their coastal town is consumed by the sea

- SEAN MARLAND

An ex-cop and her former partner on the force must race against time to solve a chilling murder in a dark and atmospheric crime drama that has drawn comparisons to hit US series True Detective.

Set in the fictional Welsh coastal town of Morfa Halen, six-parter Under Salt Marsh begins with schoolteacher Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly) discovering the lifeless body of one of her pupils, Cefin Hill, in a drainage ditch.

It’s a devastating moment for Jackie and also brings back terrible memories of her final case as a detective, when she failed to find the person responsible for the disappearance of her nine-year-old niece, Nessa.

Jackie is also dismayed to learn her former colleague, DS Eric Bull (Rafe Spall), with whom she has a troubled history, is returning to lead the murder investigation in a community still scarred by their failure to solve Nessa’s case three years earlier.

While Eric has continued with his career, Jackie left the police force in a bid to build a new life, and it’s soon clear that she still feels a sense of betrayal towards her old partner.