Taggart

- Season 19

(2002)

Investigating the discovery of a mangled body at a Clyde shipyard, DCI Burke and the team soon find themselves dealing with a case of murder.

A young nurse is found strangled in her home, with no sign of forced entry and two glasses of wine on the table. On finding a large quantity of cash hidden in her flat and signs of an affluent lifestyle, Burke and the team begin to suspect that the murder victim had a secret double life. Meanwhile, a mysterious and sinister person is following and filming Burke with a camcorder.

When a boxing promoter is found strangled with wads of bank notes stuffed in his mouth, the team investigate. Successful fighter Andy Corbett was having an affair with Elaine, the victim's widow and the ringside doctor, Dr. Heron, has also been behaving suspiciously in trying to get rid of the boxers' medical record. Following another death, however, the motive appears to stem from fight fixing.

A top research scientist is blown up in his car having arrived in Glasgow to address a medical conference. There has been opposition to his research and initially, this is where the investigation heads. However, it soon comes to light that there are others within the scientific community who could benefit from the murder.

A Kurdish taxi driver is murdered and the team is joined by D.S. Fairchild, who is experienced in the matter of racially-motivated crimes. Whilst the rest of the team get on well with her, Burke is peeved as he believes that political correctness is hampering the course of the enquiry, particularly in view of the fact that noone seems any closer to establishing a motive for the killing.

When an anonymous victim is shot dead in a local park the only clue on him as to his identity is a library card for a city college. This in turn leads to a half-way house for recently released criminals, some of whom are known to the team. Unfortunately the hostel warden is not keen to cooperate.

When a doctor at a clinic for women which advocates birth control is murdered the immediate suspects are a militant fundamentalist group who oppose abortions. However, drug links between the clinic and a local crime boss extend the scope of the investigation further, though Stuart believes the murderer may have had a more personal reason.