Pesticide

Bern, the medieval capital of Switzerland. Known for its neat cobblestoned streets, charming thirteenth-century clocktower-and vandalism, riots and murders?

A street party in Bern morphs into a fierce riot one hot summer night when many hours and canisters of teargas later, a young man is found beaten to death with a policeman's club. That same Sunday, twenty miles away, an elderly organic farmer turns up on his land in the village of Haldiz, dead and drenched with pesticide.

Bernese police detective Giuliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli, her younger colleague, are thrown together by the merging of the two murder cases. Despite her boss's new allegations, Giuliana isn't convinced, especially when Renzo uncovers some new pertinent information. Is anything really as it seems, or will some new evidence expose an elaborate scam in Haldiz?

As she pursues the two deaths, Giuliana's home life is worrying her as much as the investigation. She and her husband, a freelance journalist, are at odds over the Bernese cops' behavior during the riots, which led to the arrest of their teenage daughter. As Giuliana feels her husband pull away, she grows closer to Renzo, and when he confesses his attraction to her, she is tempted to start an affair. But is it worth the risk to her career and both their marriages?

The problem is, she can't stop caring for Renzo. Which means that when his life is in danger, it's Giuliana who goes looking for him.