Bruges chief inspector Pieter Van In, grumpy head of detectives, is even less friendly as his bank is about to foreclosure on his house due to systematic mortgage payment delays. New substitute (assistant public prosecutor) Hannelore Martens soon flirts with him, while taking an instant dislike to politically connected, ambitious veteran magistrate Joris Creytens, who invokes his experience to wave routine forensics and close cases without proper investigation. The city is hit by a wave of violent crimes, including an apparent terrorist bomb at a statue, which the ...

A child digs up an old skeleton on the land of a former farm, converted into a bordello, later semi-donated to a shady charitable foundation which sold it to the present owner couple, former whore Linda Aerts and the husband William she reports missing and cleared out a bank account she claims joined and has the banker compensate privately, as price for privacy. Van In soon suspects the key is the link to the murky activities of the foundation and its rich main donor's present 'executive' bordello, formerly managed by William. It turns out he's presiding a committee ...

Jeweller Ludovic Degroof is burglarized. Nothing is stolen, but a note is left behind, a letter with a mysterious square.

A crazy high-profile poison murder recalls the old ritual cases of the Church of Asmodeus, so far believed defunct for a generation. About to be pensioned off forensic chemist Raf Geens arouses Van In's interest, not just for spotting a usually undetected rare poison. The only trail is to the cult's mysterious master, who goes by the Latin pseudonym Venex, the only probably useful witness junkie Jasper Desender, estranged son of a tycoon, whom Pieter takes in at home, but returns on shopping mission for Hanne to his dodgy church contact and dealer Richard Coleyn, ...

Rich investment adviser Patrick Claes is strangely reserved and uncooperative after the robbery of his expensive antique guns collection. The workaholic cares little about his wife Judith Claes-Noordervliet's open promiscuity, all the more about exclusive clients, as their 'privacy' is compromised by the real loot inside the gun cabinet: a CD with his secret accounts if illegal dealings. Later author client Olaf Asselberghs is murdered, Russian mob super client Serov posts his henchman Diego Cardoen who poses as Claes's butler. Judith is missing, actually locked in ...

Van In delegates security for a museum visit by the daughter of Spanish prime minister Aznar to Neels, while he and Versavel suspects links between violent crimes and the security breach at that very Gruuthuse museum, where security chief Ferdinand Boedt waves a warning, while his wayward son Olivier is a next victim. Van In's fanciful acquaintance, the Spanish director of Bruges' 'College of Europe' (post-graduate EU studies) next door, is somehow connected with the ETA terrorist cell that plans lucrative and political crimes.

Hannelore's niece Merel visits Bruges with her Chilean-born US husband Silvio Pavez, who comes direct the Dutch version 'Vagevuur' of his hit play Purgatory, freely inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet. Van In sends Versavel on holiday to make up with his gay partner, feeling he can cope without his right hand in the case of the amputated finger found in the Concertgebouw (theater) subterranean parking. It doesn't belong to Frank Lernout, the petty criminal wrongly assumed to have died in the his home's arson. To chief De Kee's fury, Van In focuses on Shakespearean drama...