Romance in the Dark

There is not much that can be used to lure Husum ex-Commissioner Piet Becker out from behind the dike. But when his music combo beckons a few appearances, the northern lights even embark on a journey into the deepest Harz: His half-brother and band bassist Hannes has the lead singer Piet, the guitarist Paula and the drummer Rüdiger a three-day engagement in a small, fine one Spa mediated. However, shortly after the arrival it turns out that the music is actually playing somewhere else: a "professional colleague" of the notorious marriage swindler Hannes was found dead. The circumstances are still unclear, but since the deceased - just like Hannes - had chosen the fun-loving millionaire Anette Bistrop as a generous victim, this could come under suspicion of murder as the cause of death. Apart from that, Anette has been threatened by a stranger for some time. Both Hannes and her slick private secretary try to convince Anette to take a bodyguard - too late: the next day her body is found. This time it's clearly murder - and there is only one possible prime suspect: her windy lover with the long criminal record. Piet knows, of course, that his half-brother is a boiled rascal, but by no means a murderer. While the local police are eagerly collecting evidence against Hannes, Piet starts investigations on his own, actively supported by Paula and Rüdiger. And with cunning, talent for combination and dry humor, the rock trio succeeds in convicting the real culprits.

How can a seemingly ordinary looking nickel be so valuable? An eccentric and worn down PI becomes mired in a case that only gets more complicated when an old flame re-surfaces. A tightly constructed short that is the first step of a larger plan, this comic modern noir is both a celebration and deconstruction of the genre. Nickels is Fletch meets Chinatown, Thomas Magnum meets Double Indemnity, Axel Foley meets The Maltese Falcon. He's a Dick. And he solves mysteries.