Polizei Bern #1 with Linder and Donatelli
Shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger Award
One of only twelve 2022 police procedurals to receive a Kirkus starred review
Finalist for Killer Nashville’s 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Mystery
“A standout debut for 2022!“
—Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author
More about Polizei Bern’s Pesticide:
In Pesticide, a street party in Bern morphs into a brutal riot. Hours later, with the medieval downtown a shambles, a young man is found beaten to death with a policeman’s club. That same day, twenty miles away, an organic farmer turns up on his land, dead and drenched in pesticide. Swiss homicide detective Giuliana Linder and her younger colleague Renzo Donatelli start out on two separate cases, but it doesn’t take long before they find links between their victims. Working together on what has become a single, puzzling case, the two can no longer ignore their attraction to each other.
Click here to order Pesticide: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Pesticide/Kim-Hays/9781645060468
Praise for Pesticide from writers
Kim Hays brings a sparkling new voice to police procedurals, giving us engaging and realistically drawn detectives who struggle to balance their personal lives with the demands of a gripping investigation. Set against the fascinating backdrop of modern Switzerland, Pesticide will delight crime fiction fans—a standout debut for 2022!
Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novels
Kim Hays hits it out of the park with her debut novel, Pesticide, giving this twisty police procedural lots of heart by creating characters that the reader truly cares about. It is a must read for mystery lovers, especially those who prefer their intrigue with an international edge.
Allen Eskens, bestselling and award-winning author of The Stolen Hours and six Max Rupert and Joe Talbot mysteries
A highly original police procedural, set in Switzerland, with a charming cop heroine who is also a mum, and blending drug deals and organic farming to produce a first-rate yarn.
Martin Walker, editor-in-chief emeritus of United Press International and author of the Bruno, Chief of Police series
Giuliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli make for one of the sharpest, most compelling police duos you’ll ever read. Their conflicted attraction bristles with true emotional depth and poignancy as they lead a rich ensemble cast through the surprisingly nefarious world of organic politics. A remarkable procedural set in Bern, Kim Hays’s Pesticide is Switzerland’s answer to Scandinavian noir. Fresh and oh so readable, you won’t want to put it down.
James W. Ziskin, author of the award-winning Ellie Stone mysteries
Kim Hays delivers a superbly written mystery set in Switzerland. Two murders, one in the old town of Bern, the other on a nearby organic farm, test the wits of veteran police detective Giuliana Linder and her handsome junior colleague, Renzo Donatelli. The setting is fresh, the characters richly developed, and the plot as intricate as the inside of a Swiss watch. Enjoy!
Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, co-authors of the Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler mysteries
A convincing and compelling page-turner in a unique and authentic setting, Pesticide is a cleverly-plotted mystery that manages to be well-researched, intriguing, and entertaining. Kim Hays writes complex characters and suspense equally well, and her investigating duo, Giuliana and Renzo, are sure to win the hearts of readers everywhere.
Clare O’Dea, author of Voting Day
Praise for Pesticide from reviewers and readers
Swiss detectives dig into the cutthroat world of organic farming in Hays’s twisty murder mystery series starter. . . . [Her] plotting is first-rate as she keeps the sleuthing believable and offers up earned revelations, which make sense of the clues even when they go in unexpected directions. Her punchy, evocative prose looks beneath Switzerland’s veneer of antiseptic quaintness, . . . [and she] is equally good at painting the inner worlds of her characters, from overworked cops and worried parents to fog-brained criminals. The result is an engrossing page-turner, . . . [and] an entertaining whodunit that finds plenty of toxic rot in a seemingly wholesome setting.
Kirkus (starred review)
Both Linder and Donatelli are excellent and committed detectives – and very likeable characters . . . Kim Hays has written a fascinating police procedural, chock full of details, with the sure hand of a veteran. It will be on my shortlist of best first mysteries of 2022.
George Easter, Deadly Pleasures
Set against the backdrop of Bern, Switzerland, this gritty, humane detective thriller brims with an intriguing whodunit mystery, a touch of romance, and a host of vibrant…characters. [Police detective Giuliana] Linder is a wonderfully developed and complex protagonist that readers will relate to and root for. The suspense, both procedural and romantic, as well as some shrewd twists and turns, will keep readers guessing until the satisfying conclusion. Readers of thoughtful crime fiction will hope this debut is the start of more novels featuring this Bern cast. Takeaway: A tense, character-driven crime debut perfect for fans of thoughtful police procedurals.
BookLife (Publishers Weekly)
Kim Hays…is not only convincing as the architect of a clever plot, she can also write dialogue and…give a touching emotional depth to her investigator duo, who try with difficulty to balance their private and professional lives.
Berner Zeitung
I loved this mystery set in Bern, Switzerland….The tone is dark and gritty, the prose sharp and even-handed, a pure pleasure to read. Compelling and suspenseful, interesting for both the settings and the…seamlessly [conveyed]…mechanics of farming,…I highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to more, and I’m putting Kim Hays on my favorites list.
Coffee and Ink
Kim Hays 