Gripping, fascinating, brutal, ‘Painless Acts’ is an intriguing television crime drama about an intense, cryptic relationship between a killer, an obsessively religious mother and a cop who is seemingly targeted at random. It has a fast-paced story-line and is an excellent read. Samantha Blaketon is a lowly detective in the police’s minor crime team going nowhere when she is randomly contacted by a serial killer from an unsolved 40-year multiple murder case. The killer, born from an abusive mother, clearly hates women, killing many over decades with little effort, leaving no evidence, no forensics and no motive. The women seem unconnected, and all killed with a large kitchen knife. Why has the killer now chosen Samantha, could this be the career break she so desires, making her the key to solving the case or is the killer playing a dangerous game and hiding in plain sight of the police?