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Review: ‘Loch Ness’ Has a Monster, and an Alluring Mystery

Laura Fraser, left, and Siobhan Finneran in “Loch Ness,” a new Acorn series about corpses and secrets on the banks of Scotland’s famed lake.Credit...Acorn TV

If you didn’t figure out from the title that “Loch Ness” was going to be one of those what-lies-beneath-the-surface mystery series, the first image you see after the credits certainly leaves no doubt. It’s of a dead man floating vertically deep in murky water, feet bound and tied to a weight that’s keeping him submerged.

Yes, this alluring six-episode drama, which begins streaming in weekly installments on Monday on Acorn TV, takes full advantage of its title character and all the history and folklore associated with it. But don’t expect a starring role for Nessie. The monster or monsters here are human.

Acorn TV Original | Loch Ness TrailerCredit...CreditVideo by Acorn TV

The tale is set in a village in Scotland on Loch Ness, a place where, in the “Broadchurch” tradition, everybody seems to know everybody but personal secrets abound. Some villagers are happy to exploit the monster legend by giving boat tours and such, and so are pranksters: Early on, three waggish youths spread butcher-shop castoffs near the water to resemble a giant amphibious creature’s carcass, drawing gawkers and even a little news coverage.

Attention, though, soon shifts from that seemingly harmless stunt, as the body of a music teacher is found at the base of a cliff. The local detective sergeant, Annie Redford (Laura Fraser, who does fine work here), suspects that it is not an accident or suicide, and an autopsy proves her right, in rather gruesome detail.

“Part of the prefrontal cortex is missing,” the examiner tells her. And, the chief inspector (Siobhan Finneran) adds, “It was removed via the nasal cavity while the victim was still alive.”

Everyone is still absorbing the implications of that when a human heart is discovered among the animal remains those young jokers used in their monster-carcass gag. One of those pranksters was Evie Redford, Annie’s daughter, which raises doubts about whether Annie can continue to work the investigation.

By the way, if you’re wondering why Americans should watch a British crime series when there are plenty of decent ones made in the United States, consider this line, said by an investigator in reference to that heart, which had been nibbled on by a wild animal: “Something’s had a wee chew at it.”

Yeah, criminology is different over in Britain.

In any case, all that is merely setting the stage for this mystery, which reaches into many corners of the village. As it does, of course, the idyllic appearance — this show is gorgeous to look at — gives way to side plots of troubled couples, troubled teenagers, troubled personal histories. We learn, for instance, that a resident named Leighton Thomas (William Ash) was convicted of murdering two people 20 years earlier; his effort to return to society rehabilitated is suddenly upended.

The peel-the-onion format here is familiar by now, but Stephen Brady’s script and a group of fine performances keep it intriguing, nonetheless. A fine diversion for summer evenings.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section C, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: In Scotland, Real Beasts Are Outside The Loch. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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