Scene of the Crime

The Austrian Bankverein causes a stir with an exhibition of watercolors by the famous Austrian painter Egon Schiele. Even before the opening, the paintings pique the interest of Ester von Steinhof, an American Jewish woman who travels to Vienna specifically to clarify her inheritance claim to two of the works. A scandal erupts at the vernissage: Dr. Manfred Reichelt, the lawyer she has retained, skillfully provokes the crowd, thereby winning the press over to his client's side. Although Mrs. von Steinhof does not approve of this tactic, it certainly achieves its intended effect—after all, various restitution claims regarding "Aryanized" looted art continue to occupy lawyers and courts to this very day. [Eisner]

After a law student is shot on a college campus, Max suspects her hot-tempered ex-fiancé - but Freddy senses something more sinister. Directed by Christiane Balthasar, 2001.

A tragic family murder rocks Ludwigshafen, but for Detective Inspector Lena Odenthal, the case becomes personal when her mentor and police chief, Karl Kaysser, dies in a supposed car accident. It quickly becomes clear: it was murder.

After a badly-beaten child is left unclaimed at the ER, Ballauf and Schenk discover a flawed system unable to prevent child abuse. Directed by Claudia Garder, 2001.

While Moritz Eisner is visiting his Innsbruck-based colleague, Roxane, the housekeeper of the young parish priest in the small Tyrolean village of Oberleis, is found bludgeoned to death. Everything points to a burglar who was caught by surprise. However, it soon becomes clear to the young detective that this cannot be a simple murder.

When the daughter of a biker is brutally raped and murdered, Ballauf and Schenk must overcome their prejudices to make sure justice is served. Directed by Kaspar Heidelbach, 2001.