The murder of a mortician and the discovery of corpses at a crematorium lead the detectives to a family man claiming to have a consulting business but suspected of being a contract killer with a penchant for perfection. Goren attempts to prove this by setting up a scheme that puts his "fear of making a mistake" in jeopardy.
The double murder of a social services worker and a deputy mayor lead the detectives to suspect a couple who may have a grudge against the social worker for taking away their children. When they learn that the social worker had taken special interest in a child prodigy being considered for admission to a prestigious, accelerated school, they examine both the boy and his obsessive father.
As Goren and Eames sift through the likely suspects in the murder of a university president and his assistant, they discover that the culprit is a wily adversary who has more than these crimes to hide.
The detectives follow the trail when an assistant district attorney confronts and kills a hired gunman following a series of death threats. They first suspect his wife, a prominent defense attorney, through a convict whose case was being prosecuted by the A.D.A. and the rumors of her romantic affairs. When they realise that there are cracks in their seemingly airtight case, Goren has to keep Carver in the dark about some details to prove his theory.
After a mother of two is shot dead in Chinatown, Goren and Eames first believe that her death may be connected to the Tianamen Square massacre, but then their investigation leads them to a smuggling ring dealing in antiquities.
A robbery that involved two fatalities leads to the discovery of a long-running case of tampering with drugs. Goren and Eames have to figure out a way of catching a pharmacist who has been diluting cancer medication without using the exhumated bodies of patients who had been given the medicine.
The detectives investigate a triple murder, including the son and daughter of a wealthy businessman, that occurred in his apartment. After investigating the childrens' stepmother (his second wife), they turn to a pair of nannies, one of whom works for the family. However, the detectives must reach back to the nannies' history as children, and a television soap opera, in order to better understand the motives for the crime.
The detectives are called to investigate the adult daughter of a retired officer which takes them to a case of terrorism involving someone she knew that includes a shipment of explosives.
Goren and Eames run a con of their own on a phony motivational speaker whom they suspect exploited a fragile disciple by convincing him to commit murder for profit.
When an airline baggage supervisor is found murdered in the trunk of her car, the detectives investigate the employees listed in a sexual harrassment complaint which leads them to a scam involving credit cards and credit reports with foreign links.
After the tyrannical owner of a Manhattan luxury hotel is found submerged in her bathtub, evidence seems increasingly to indicate that the woman's death was the work of her deeply frustrated, long-suffering daughter.
While probing the seemingly random murders of several homeless men, Goren and Eames uncover a scam involving a crooked insurance agent. However, an unsual twist leads the detectives to an unlikely suspect.
The murder of a woman in her apartment results in her son, recently paroled after serving 15 years for murder, becoming the prime suspect. Having consulted with the lead detective on the old case, Goren and Eames discover he was involved in a cover-up to rush other cases to closure.
After the trophy wife of a recently released prison inmate is murdered, Goren plays on the man's paranoia to find a connection to another inmate with a hit list.
When a woman suing her brother over the disposition of their father's remains is found murdered, Goren and Eames discover a concealed parentage and a man willing to go to any extremes to ensure his legacy.
When a father and son have their throats slit, the detectives discovers that a group of adolescent boys have disappeared from the same neighborhood. When the locals don't cooperate with the investigation, the cops think the boys are being used by someone operating a bicycle theft ring. The cops are led to a studio owner who brainwashes the boys to prove their worthiness.
The detectives try to figure out a mystery after an old woman dies in a fire. The mystery gets deeper when a young woman who is left some of the old woman estate is killed. The case takes them to a state public administrator who has invented a form of grave-robbing. The detective suspects the administrator has a weakness for valuable cars, but to make his case work, he has to exploit his quarry's personal relationships.
The detectives investigate a murder of a math student who worked in a poker club as a card-counter. Their case brings the detectives to a group of computer nerds, but later they discover a computer gambling system which has tougher suspects. The detectives discovers that even there own workstations are hit by the ringleader of the group, who had bigger plans for his horseracing and other scams.
Goren and Eames enter the closed world of a thieving Irish Traveller clan when they investigate the death of a Ann Lawson, a probation officer who was run over three times after meeting a friend at the bar. They soon learn that Ann, a probation officer, had been involved with Malcolm Bryce, the father of Paul, one of her charges. It appears as though Ann is also very close with the thieving Irish Travellers they are investigating, determined to save a young girl from their style of life.
The investigation into the murder of a crooked cop leads to a preening veterinarian and his friend, an obsessive doctor whose ex-girlfriends who have all been infected with a rare disease.
Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a former nurse and discover a possible anthrax terrorist plot. The case takes a turn for the worse when Goren is blamed for driving a suspect to commit suicide. Now disgraced, Goren learns that a cunning adversary from his past may be involved.