Law & Order: Criminal Intent

The murder of an aspiring author triggers a police inquiry. During the investigation, Detectives Goren and Eames begin to suspect that a once‑celebrated writer, now experiencing a decline in his career, may be potentially involved in the crime and its cover‑up.

Self-Made is a programme episode that sits squarely within the stand‑alone instalment genre. It forms part of a series that delivers self‑contained stories, each concentrating on a distinct set of characters and circumstances, and is characterised by its focus on crime and investigation. The narrative launches when a budding novelist – an aspiring author with a promising future – is found murdered. The discovery of the body triggers a thorough police response, and the ensuing inquiry sets the investigative wheels in motion, drawing law‑enforcement attention to a case that quickly proves to be anything but straightforward. Detectives Goren and Eames are assigned to the matter, and as they sift through the evidence they begin to suspect the involvement of a celebrated writer. This literary figure, once perched at the pinnacle of fame, has seen his career tumble into decline, leaving him vulnerable and potentially desperate – a circumstance that fuels the detectives’ growing suspicion. The episode follows the pair as they trace the connections between the slain novice and the fallen literary star, navigating interviews, forensic analysis and the writer’s personal history. Their pursuit underscores the tension between past glory and present desperation, gradually piecing together a picture that could explain why the once‑renowned author might be implicated in the murder.