Masterpiece Mystery! Case Histories - Part One

Jason Isaacs ("Harry Potter," "The Patriot") stars as private investigator Jackson Brodie, the tough former soldier and policeman with a heart of gold, in this three-part series based on the acclaimed novels by Kate Atkinson. Brodie, haunted by a past family tragedy, struggles to balance his personal and professional life while coming to the rescue of the bereaved, the lost and the dysfunctional in the Scottish city of Edinburgh.

In the first episode, Scottish private investigator and former policeman Jackson Brodie is busy "investigating" Binky Rain's lost cat when he is drawn in by cries next door. Two sisters have found a blue mouse toy, one that their sister Olivia held when she vanished 30 years ago, and that now has appeared in their deceased father's belongings. Brodie, a father and a survivor of a family tragedy, feels compelled to take the case.

Back at Brodie's not quite bustling office, Theo Wyre arrives tormented by his own tragedy — the murder of his daughter Laura in broad daylight in his office. Who would want to harm Laura, or was the bullet intended for Theo?

While brooding over these cases, Brodie receives a welcome distraction in the form of Shirley Manning. But underneath her romantic overtures are her true motivations — she too needs Brodie to find someone — her sister Michelle's daughter Tanya.

As Brodie investigates this world of lost girls, aided by Marlee, his 8-year-old daughter and eager sidekick, he'll confront obsessions, long-held secrets, and even be drawn back to the missing cat.

Part two will air on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 9 p.m. Part three will air on Sunday, October 30 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV.

Episodes of "Case Histories" will be available for online viewing beginning October 17, 2011.

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