Upamanyu Biswas
‘The Åre Murders‘ follows Hanna Ahlander, a Stockholm police officer who is dealing with a recent job suspension and being dumped by her boyfriend, Christian. With nowhere to stay, Hanna moves into her sister’s vacation home in the scenic town of Åre, Sweden. However, her brief period of respite is interrupted when a local girl named Amanda Halvorsen goes missing on an icy night. Subsequently, she joins up with the local police force in a bid to get to the bottom of the truth and find out Amanda’s whereabouts. As the investigation progresses, Hanna learns about a cleaning company named Fjällstäd Cleaning, which is run by an affluent couple within the township. The more she digs into the company, she realizes that it may be the lynchpin to the mystery surrounding Amanda and what happened to her.
Fjällstäd Cleaning is a Fictional Company Facing Financial Troubles
Fjällstäd Cleaning in ‘The Åre Murders’ is a fictional company crafted by novelist Vivica Sten. It is a small business operating within the township of Åre in the narrative. The company originally appears in Sten’s 2020 novel ‘Hidden in Snow,’ one of the inspirations for the story. Like its show counterpart, it is described in the book as a shady organization employing some ethically dubious business practices. It is also the employer of a migrant worker named Zuhra, who is Hanna’s and Amanda’s cleaning lady. As Hanna probes deeper into Amanda’s mysterious murder, she realizes that Fjällstäd is at the heart of the case. It is owned and run by local residents Annika and Bosse, who are in the middle of a financial crisis despite maintaining the illusion of wealth in their social circles.
Although the company does not exist, a similar cleaning service can be found in real life. The Fjällstäd & Servicetjänster is a house cleaning company in Sweden that offers services akin to the fictional company. However, the two remain separate because the real-life company is not located in the pristine neighborhoods of Åre. Instead, the connection between the two is only superficial. Also, it is worth noting that Fjällstäd Cleaning plays a specific purpose within the narrative and directly influences Amanda’s fate. The company’s illegal activities force Amanda to act against it, especially after she learns how they are mistreating Zuhra. She ends up visiting Bosse to confront him about his seedy business practices, which ultimately cost her life.
Worrying that Amanda might spill all the information about the human exploitation being carried out by Fjällstäd, Bosse takes matters into his own hands and tries negotiating with the girl. When she refuses to accept his demands, he strangles her to death in his car’s passenger seat. Subsequently, he dumps her remains on the ski lift chair, only to be found later. Thus, the cleaning company ends up being intrinsically tied to the central mystery running through half of the show. It is a significant player in the unfolding drama and has numerous recurring appearances, solidifying its importance. However, despite its prominence, it remains a fictional company with no factual basis.
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