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This is one of the most intelligent and gripping thrillers that I’ve seen in recent years. The only one that I still like a little bit better was “Stranger,” especially the first season. However, that shouldn’t throw anyone off, as it only goes to show how few great thrillers are actually out there.

20 years ago, a young woman if found in a reed field with her fingertips cut off. Lee Dong Shik is the suspect. He’s a young man who has a twin sister, although it’s clear that his sister can do no wrong, and he can never do anything right by anyone. Because his guitar pick was found near the body, he’s arrested.

Cut to present time, and Inspector Han Ju Won is assigned the post of the small, rural town. He also happens to be the son of the Deputy Police Commissioner, the 2nd most important man in the Korean police force. Right from the start, we can see that Han Ju Won’s father doesn’t think much of him, and perhaps, never has.

Inspector Han is partnered with the now Assistant Inspector Lee Dong Shik. It’s a tenuous partnership at best. Inspector Han doesn’t like to be touched or share anything with people (utensils, bowls, cups, etc.). He’s also a bit of a clean freak. It’s a bit of a mystery as to why Inspector Han has chosen such a remote area, given that he could have picked anything anywhere. They find a body in the same reed field. Lee Dong Shik’s sister went missing 20 years ago, and Lee Dong Shik wonders if it might be her. Thus, these two inspectors are suddenly thrust into cold cases, a serial killer, corporate and political corruption that is somehow all tied together.

Lee Dong Shik knows people and how to play them. That is his greatest strength. Han Ju Won’s specialty is as a strategist, and using that prowess to catch people. These two men bicker and fight like two old ladies, and it’s clear that neither likes or even trusts the other, especially when Han Ju Won suspects Lee Dong Shik of being the serial killer. What makes this dynamic work so well is that Lee Dong Shik knows that Han Ju Won suspects him, but he’s never rattled or even upset at the insinuation. Instead, he practically dares him to prove it. And believe me, don’t be surprised if you find yourself suspecting Lee Dong Shik and half a dozen other people before the pieces slowly begin to fall into place. That is how tautly written this series is.

The second half of the series focuses on how these two men are able to trap and catch the people responsible for all this, as well as finding out how Lee Dong Shik’s sister was killed and who did it. There are enough twists and turns in this series to keep even the most savvy person guessing. And once you do figure something out, you realize that it’s only one layer of the onion with many more to peel back.

Shin Ha Kyun (Lee Dong Shik) and Yeo Jin Goo (Han Ju Won) are brilliant together. They play off each other perfectly. It’s like watching two professional tennis players going back and forth.

The series also does a great job of demonstrating how low people will sink and the deplorable things people do to each other. There are some scenes that may be difficult to watch. It’s always hard to watch people suffer.

If you’re looking for a great mystery thriller, you really can’t do much better than this series!