Sea of Love

A man is found shot in bed, naked, while a 45 rpm record of Sea of Love plays. The grisly scene opens a new serial-killer case and sets the investigative tone. Detectives note three clues: a lipstick-smeared cigarette, a rhyming want ad, and the killer’s unseen fingerprints.

Another man dies in the same manner, confirming a pattern across boroughs. The killings escalate the urgency and connect the cases to the ads, not random violence. The investigators widen the search to uncover the link between the victims.

Detective Sherman Touhey from a nearby precinct proposes that Frank Keller team with him to tackle the case. They pool resources and share insights to solve the murders tied to lonely-hearts ads. The partnership marks a shift from solitary work to a joint investigation.

The team confirms all victims placed rhyming ads seeking dates, creating a common thread. They also note the three pivotal clues: lipstick-smeared cigarette, the ad itself, and the usable fingerprints. The pattern suggests a single killer targeting these men.

They track down Raymond Brown, the only other man with a rhyming ad. He is married and admits placing the ad but swears he never saw anyone and never kept letters. His evasive answers add to the suspicion surrounding the ads.

Frank decides to publish a rhyming ad and socialize with respondents at restaurants to collect fingerprints from their drinking glasses. The plan is designed to trap the killer by matching prints to the ads. The precinct keeps watch as the operation begins.

Brown is found dead in the same manner as the other victims, confirming his connection to the murders. The death raises the stakes and validates the investigators’ approach. Keller and Touhey push harder to identify the killer behind the ads.

Keller hosts dinners with several women while Touhey, posing as a waiter, collects fingerprints from their glasses. The exercise intensifies the hunt and builds a database to compare prints with those linked to the ads. The operation blends social interaction with forensic collection.

One woman, divorcée Helen Cruger, shows no interest in Keller and leaves without taking a drink, so he cannot obtain her fingerprints. Her aloof behavior makes her a potential mismatch in the pattern. The case remains open as other suspects surface.

Keller encounters Helen again at a market, and this time she is warmer. Their connection grows into a romance, leading them to Keller’s apartment where passion deepens. The relationship complicates the investigation as personal and professional lines blur.

Their relationship deepens, but trouble arises when Helen learns Keller is a police officer. Keller grapples with whether to reveal his role and the truth about the case, while Helen resists admitting any involvement with the victims’ ads. The trust between them frays as suspicion grows.

Helen’s ex-husband Terry bursts into the apartment, stalking Helen and killing the men she dated. He forces Keller to lie on the bed and imitate his acts, before Keller overpowers him. In the ensuing struggle, Terry is killed by being thrown through the bedroom window.

Weeks later, a newly sober Keller meets Touhey at a bar and reunites with Helen. She forgives him, and they resume their relationship. The case ends with a fragile peace as personal and professional lives move forward.