The BBC drama Dublin Murders, based on Tana French's novels, has gained a new audience on Netflix. The series combines the plots of two books, In the Woods and The Likeness, into one season, leading to notable differences from the source material.
In the show, Detective Rob Ryan investigates the murder of a young girl, Katie, in the same woods where his childhood friends disappeared. Katie's killer is revealed to be her sister Rosalind, matching the books. However, the fate of Rob's friends is left ambiguous in the novels, while the series offers a hint: Rob's colleague Frank gives him a piece of wood with a picture of the 'Child Snatcher', suggesting a supernatural element.
The series also introduces a wolf and a 'dark force' in the woods, which are absent from the books. This supernatural twist adds a new layer to the mystery.
The second plot involves the death of Lexie Mangan, a doppelganger of Detective Cassie Maddox. Cassie goes undercover as Lexie to find the killer. In the show, the killer is her housemate Justin, while the book involves multiple housemates in the death. Additionally, Lexie's real identity is not explored in the novel, but the series delves into the doppelganger connection.
