MR BROOKS

Earl Brooks is a well-respected businessman in Portland, Oregon. Seemingly, the biggest issue in his life is the unexpected return of his spoiled daughter Jane Brooks from her freshman year in college with the announcement that she's dropping out. But the biggest issue in his life is that he is a serial killer who targets young couples in the act of making love. He is coined the Thumbprint Killer because he leaves thumbprints of the victims at the scene using their own blood. Earl knows he has a problem, that the urge to kill is a compulsion. He is constantly being egged on by a voice in his head he calls Marshall. The only way he has been able to manage his "addiction" is to attend AA meetings, which resulted in two years without a murder. Detective Tracy Atwood, the lead police investigator, is going through her own problems: an heiress worth $60 million, she is going through a messy divorce and her philandering almost-ex is demanding millions in the settlement. His and his lawyer's contention is that the settlement is for emotional distress from her job, especially as Thorton Meeks, a violent criminal she put behind bars, has recently escaped, vowing revenge. As Tracy decides how to handle her divorce, which could place her current cases in jeopardy, Earl has his own emerging problems. First, he is being blackmailed by a man calling himself Mr. Smith, who has photographic evidence of Earl being the Thumbprint Killer. And second, he eventually learns the real reason why Jane returned home. These two issues, plus learning whatever he can about Tracy, lead to what he considers the best decision for his life.