When the adult daughter of a retired cop turns up missing, Detectives Goran and Eames stumble upon a related case with more ominous implications as their search for the victim's boyfriend leads them to a shipment of explosives destined for terrorists who are planning an attack. As the clock ticks down and they work their way through a link of suspects -- including an American schoolteacher -- the detectives team with federal authorities hoping to find all of the homicide bombers.
Detectives Goren and Eames discover that the underpinning of the contract murder of a woman about to leave her husband was not his infidelity, but a secret agreement made with her mother-in-law.
After a university president is found bludgeoned to death, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) do their homework on a variety of likely suspects - including a promising African-American candidate (guest star Reg E. Cathy) for a department chairmanship - but their attention is focused on an underachieving grad student (guest star Daniel London) and a self-assured professor (guest star Olivia d'Abo) whose murky background intrigues Goren. As the campus probe continues, the police investigators suspect that at least two of the possible culprits might be romantically entangled which results in a second murder.
Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) immediately suspect the attorney/wife (guest star Susan Floyd) of a prominent assistant district attorney (guest star David Marshall Grant) when he confronts and kills a hitman hired to kill him in his home after a series of death threats. But while the cops of the Major Case squad can track her to a convict whose case was being prosecuted by the A.D.A. -- and rumors of her romantic affairs abound -- cracks soon appear in the seemingly airtight case against her.
Murder compounds interest in shady accounting when a financial executive (guest star Cindy Katz) in a major land-holding company is framed for the slaying of her lover and then blackmailed to sign the quarterly corporate statement to cover up any hint that the company's stock was illegally used to generate profits. Meanwhile, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) wonder why the exec remains mum about the suspected phony accounting -- until they discover that the eyewitness who conveniently cleared her of the murder rap is related to a key bigwig at the company. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When a mortician is found murdered in ritualistic fashion, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) first suspect cultists until they investigate a suspicious crematorium -- and discover a graveyard of decomposing bodies in a nearby field that were never incinerated. More clues, including a passage in the Bible book of Exodus and DNA evidence, point to the business owner's (guest star Jim Gaffigan) odd association with an efficient mob hitman (guest star Jay O. Sanders). Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When the sale of an old family house reveals the body of a young woman missing for 20 years buried underneath, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) seek out the drug-addicted brother (guest star Danton Stone) who used to live there -- but their instincts tell them that the dull boy must have had a smarter partner-in-crime. The cops trace the suspect's association with an old college chum (guest star Jim True-Frost) who is now a successful and control-oriented businessman known to suddenly disappear for a while from his family. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When the daughter (guest star Alla Kliouka) of a jailed Russian mob boss is found decapitated, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) suspect the murderous hit was a result of her tattletale book -- but further investigation reveals that one of her previous private school classmates had an even more sordid reason to execute her. They discover that an uptight, self-tortured real estate magnate (guest star David Thornton) might have feared exposure of his own dark childhood secrets and kinky alter ego if a second bestseller had been published. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance star.
When the girlfriend of a married, high-profile judge (guest star Michael Murphy, "Nashville") is murdered, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) can't link him to the slaying but instead find a ratty little ex-con (guest star Bruce MacVittie) -- with links to another rival judge (guest star George DiCenzo) -- as their most probable suspect. However, even when the cops arrest him, the likely killer won't cooperate, forcing Goren and Eames to devise an elaborate ruse to lure out another man who was equally responsible. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When a bisexual woman is slain, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) note similarities between an incarcerated serial killer's (guest star Jack Gwaltney) methods -- prompting them to suspect a mousy human-behavior researcher (guest star Jenny Bacon) might have fallen under his spell and committed the copycat murder. However, while D.A. Carver (Courtney B. Vance) stalls to prevent the release of the imprisoned man, the detectives discover a hitch in their theory that might point to a most unlikely suspect. Jamey Sheridan also stars.
When the philandering, drug-abusing wife of an arrogant plastic surgeon (guest star Robert Knepper) disappears, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) suspect the doctor's earnest efforts to find her are bogus -- especially when they find he has a lover (guest star Penny Balfour) of his own. But even when the body of a decomposed woman washes ashore weeks later, the cops can't crack the doc's airtight defense -- and their only hope might be to turn his ego against him. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star. Donna Hanover guest-stars as a defense attorney.
When a prominent doctor is murdered at his son's bar mitzvah, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) first suspect the victim's estranged wife but their probe widens when evidence involves a warped forensic psychiatrist (guest star Michael Gross, "Family Ties," NBC's "ER") who wanted to impress the dead man's pretty in-law (guest star Stephanie Seymour, "Pollock"). However, the attempted prosecution turns thorny when the primary suspect craftily makes an unexpected plea. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When a man is found beaten to death, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) learn that the deceased was a European con man who swindled investors -- and romanced their foolish wives -- but further evidence reveals the victim might also have suffered from mistaken identity. As the cops press on, Goren enters a war of wills when he tries to lure out the killer before he disappears by appealing to his considerable ego. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When a mysterious "angel of death" poisons a series of hospital victims with cyanide, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) suspect a nurse (guest star Susan Bruce) who fits the typical profile - but when others fall dead outside the care facility, the investigators must widen their search. Even when the cops discover the source to be tainted, over-the-counter painkillers, the victims continue to pile up, and they can't gain any traction with their case until they find a motive -- or at least a source of the killer substance. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
When a multi-million dollar diamond heist leaves two murdered victims in its wake -- along with the body of one of the slain robbers -- curious Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) chase down blind alleys, unaware that their quarry is a cold-blooded and manipulative master criminal (guest star Jake Weber). Eventually, the cops suspect that their killer has imposed his girlfriend (guest star Michelle Hicks) on his gang and ponder if the murderous thieves have a mob connection that would permit them to quickly cash in on such a large haul of stones. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) sort through a palette of colorful characters when they probe the slayings of a museum curator and an art authenticator, and they soon discover evidence of copied masterpieces that makes an arrogant Austrian dealer their prime suspect -- but the key hinges on finding the elusive forgerer. Meanwhile, as Goren reveals a surprising knowledge of art -- and the German language -- the investigators figure that the best way to find a forger is to enlist the aid of another forgerer. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
A millionaire philanthropist is reported missing after announcing the winner of his highly coveted medical research grant. Goren and Eames determine homicide when the investigation reveals the victim's body was switched with a medical cadaver from the very institute he was funding.
A sitcom star turned Broadway actor is killed performing a stunt in a controversial and highly technical Broadway musical, and the real drama is trying to figure out who wanted the leading man dead.
After a man is thrown to his death off a building, Goren and Eames discover an ongoing war between two private security companies. As the detectives investigate the lucrative business of intelligence gathering, the true agenda of the victim and the mystery behind his death is revealed.
A hugely successful investment banker is killed and Detectives Goren and Eames target multiple suspects including his nemesis, a working class girlfriend and others whose paths he crossed. TV