Reese is feeling at a loss with Finch having been kidnapped by Root aka Caroline Turing, the woman who the machine had identified as a person of interest, but who had set the machine up so that she could find Finch. Reese however does discover that Finch had set the machine up to use him as the contingency if anything were ever to happen to him, although it takes some deciphering on Reese's part to discover how the machine communicates the numbers. Reese hopes that the next number will be for Finch as the next person of interest. That's why Reese is disappointed when he learns that the next number belongs to Leon Tao, an accountant who stole $8 million from gangsters, an arm of the Aryan Nation. With Fusco's assistance, Reese tries to protect himself and Leon while getting Carter to do some legwork on Alicia Corwin's death, which is the primary lead they have on Root and Finch. They are unaware that there are other factions working against them, those faction who are hiding aspects of... Written by Huggo

While Reese leaves his newly acquired dog, Bear, with Fusco who will continue to investigate Alicia Corwin's death in New York, Reese and Carter head to Bishop, Texas to follow a lead about Root, and hopefully a still alive Finch who also hopefully did not need to divulge how to access the machine to Root in order to stay alive. Reese believes that Root's real name is Hanna Frey, who went missing in 1991 at age fourteen. In the eyes of the authorities, Hanna, who spent the evening at the library the night she went missing and was reported to have gotten into a man's car after her stint at the library, is presumed dead. Reese and Carter manage to speak to many of the still alive players associated with Hanna or that evening, including Hanna's father, Barb Russell the librarian, Sheriff Landry, and Cody Grayson, a boy at the library that night who is a suspect in Hanna's disappearance since he had previously followed her home. The information they are able to collect - including from ... Written by Huggo

Finch's recent abduction and captivity by Root has affected his psyche, which may or may not be helped by adjusting to life with his new roommate. Despite Finch's problems, the machine still dispenses numbers, the latest being for twenty-one year old Sofia Campos, the daughter of Brazilian diplomat and aspiring Brazilian presidential candidate, Hector Campos. Following Sofia may be Reese's biggest challenge to date, as she is a smart but spoiled young woman with a mind of her own who dislikes the overly protected life of a diplomat and potential presidential candidate's daughter. She would rather go shopping on her own, or clubbing or hanging out with her friends, most specifically her best girlfriend Gabi, and her American boyfriend, Jack Hughes, of whose existence her protective father is unaware. Reese figures the best way to stay close to Sofia is to get a job as her bodyguard. As Sofia tries to lose Reese at every turn, she may inadvertently set herself up to that unknown threat,... Written by Huggo

Reese and Finch are pretty certain that the person associated with the next number dispensed by the machine is going to be the perpetrator of the upcoming crime. He is mob enforcer Riley Cavanaugh, who works for a mid level gangster named George Massey. That is why they, but especially Finch, have mixed feelings when they learn that Riley is the intended target. Reese, however, looks at the bigger picture when they learn that Riley is protecting an innocent party, she being Annie Delaney, the widow of one of Massey's former thugs. Massey had always been attracted to Annie, but instead Annie and Riley fell in love after the death of her husband, about which Massey does not know, or so Annie and Riley believe. The difficulties of this case include different people targeting Riley and Annie which means that Reese and Finch have to keep abreast of these different groups; Riley having no qualms about killing even Reese, the mysterious suited man following and seemingly helping him; and ... Written by Huggo

Protecting the latest number that the machine dispenses will be difficult for Reese and Finch because of the large number of potential perpetrators of the crime due to the enemies she's acquired through her work. She is investigative New York Journal reporter Maxine Angelis, who has a bulldog mentality when it comes to getting the story. She is working on three stories concurrently, each which have its potential perpetrators. The first is illegal campaign fund-raising for current New York City councilor and mayoral candidate Ed Griffin, who is running against idealistic district attorney Landon Walker. The second is uncovering the head of HR, which has several New York City police, formerly including Fusco, in its back pocket. This aspect of the case places Fusco in a difficult position in his current role as Reese's inside man into HR. She gets an anonymous tip that the head of HR may be Christopher Zambrano, the son of a mafia don, a lead which she follows relentlessly. And third, ... Written by Huggo

Reese is out of his element with their next number belonging to Graham Wyler, a seemingly straight laced family man who lives and owns his own small hardware store in suburban Far Rockaway, New York. Reese learns that surveillance in the residential suburbs is much different than it is in the city. That's why Finch sets up a cover for him as a suburban family man who moves in across the street from the Wylers. It is up to Reese to find his own wife, who he chooses being an old friend who owes Reese, but to who the suburbs are equally as foreign. As they dig a little deeper, they learn that Graham Wyler is an assumed identity - one taken from a dead man - that Wyler's wife Connie and their teenaged daughter Izzy are probably unaware. As they discover who Graham Wyler really is, they believe his past will come back to haunt him, with Graham having the options of taking the right path to a somewhat happy ending with his family, or the wrong path into a violent life of crime. Meanwhile,... Written by Huggo

The latest number the machine dispenses belongs to heart surgeon, Dr. Madeleine Enright, known as the best in her field. That is why wealthy businessman Oliver Veldt chooses her for his heart surgery, which is kept secret from the public and for which the entire wing of the hospital is to be kept secure for his safety. Finch and Reese are certain that she is the intended target. But they quickly learn that she is the unwilling perpetrator. Just before the operation is scheduled to begin, she is threatened by a mysterious Brit named Alistair Wesley to kill Veldt on the operating room table and make it look like an accident, or else Wesley will get one of his many operatives to kill Maddy's wife, Amy, who, during the duration of the operation, is left vulnerable in a wide open and busy public space, where the many unknown operatives can monitor her movements. Reese and Finch also learn that Wesley has at least one operative somewhere in the hospital monitoring what Maddy is doing in the... Written by Huggo

The machine unusually dispenses two numbers simultaneously belonging to husband and wife, Daniel and Sabrina Drake, who own their own small but lucrative publishing firm. Their marriage is despite their differing backgrounds, Sabrina who had a privileged upbringing, while Daniel grew up in working class Flatbush. Reese and Finch believe they are the intended targets, most specifically of Maryland militia leader Wade Huggins, on who their firm published an exposé. However, they eventually learn that the Drakes are not only the targets, but they are also the perpetrators, as each has contracted a hit on their spouse. The latest issue in their now troubled marriage centers on Daniel's want to sell controlling interest of their business, while Sabrina wants to retain control. After coming to the conclusion that they do need to protect both husband and wife, Reese and Finch realize that they not only have to stop the respective hit men from carrying out their contracts, but have to figure ... Written by Huggo

Reese and Finch's next number may be their most difficult to date if only because there is not on the surface any clear indication who he may be a target of or who he may be targeting, and because of the large number of non-connected people he encounters every day. He is Fermin Ordoñez, who defected to the United States from Cuba as a major league prospect, leaving behind a wife and child in Cuba in search for this better life for them all eventually. An injury ended his pro ball aspirations, and now he ekes out a living as a cabbie. He is trying to smuggle his family out of Cuba, but his contact is requesting more money than he has available. As Reese tails him, Carter learns that one of his recent fares is found dead, with the Secret Service involved. Through that murder, Reese discovers that the murder was because of something that was left in Fermin's cab that may be a breach of national security. Reese and Fermin have to find that now missing item as leverage to protect him ... Written by Huggo

Reese and Finch's latest number is twenty-six year old Abby Monroe, who they expect will be the target based on basic information they have about her. She is a past honor student having received a degree in engineering. She worked the past year for Homes for Our Returning Heroes, a military charity that supports returning veterans financially, that job Reese and Finch surmise in honor of her brother who was killed in Afghanistan. She, however, left that job to work instead for the city planning department. Their belief that she will be the target does not diminish when they and Carter find out that she was fired from the charity for stealing, that she committed a minor theft while at the planning department, and that she is associated with a veteran name Shayn Coleman, who too has committed some major thefts of late. Abby seems like she has been trying to live off the grid for the past week, leading to their belief that she is running away from someone or something. When Reese and ... Written by Huggo

Special Agent Donnelly has Reese, along with three other men, in seventy-two hour custody on Riker's Island. With Finch's help, Carter is in unofficial charge of helping Reese get out of custody without disclosing to Donnelly that Reese is indeed the man in the suit that Donnelly considers the most dangerous man on the loose. Although Carter has a plan to do so, she may find that tenacious Donnelly may not let Reese and the other three go so easily if he has not yet found out which one is the man in the suit. Meanwhile, Finch, largely with Fusco's help, is handling their next number, that of Brooklyn high school student Caleb Phipps. Caleb is an average student and comes from a poor family, living alone with his single alcoholic mother, whose drinking problem may stem from the grief over the death of Caleb's older brother, Ryan, two years earlier. Ryan, who was with Caleb at the time and who witnessed the incident, was pushed into the path of a subway train, although official ... Written by Huggo

Fusco is alone working on the next number the machine dispenses, but in certain respects he doesn't mind when he sees who she is. He is working solo as Finch and Carter are trying to get Reese out of Riker's, where he is still being kept prisoner by Donnelly, along with the three other men captured in the bank basement, as Donnelly is determined to find out which of the four is the man in the suit, who he considers the most dangerous man alive. Donnelly places Carter in the position of chief interrogator, which gives Carter special opportunity to help Reese but which is also under Donnelly's ever watchful eye. Other obstacles Finch and Carter face in helping Reese are: the three other men, who are unaware that Donnelly's primary interest is to discover the identity of the man in the suit, and not the goings-on in the bank; and three other prisoners in Riker's who know who Reese is, but one who Reese does not know. The next number the machine dispenses may also affect whether ... Written by Huggo

As Donnelly escorts Carter and Reese to their incarceration, they are ambushed, their attacker who kills Donnelly and abducts Reese. That attacker is Reese's old and supposedly deceased ex-partner, Kara Stanton. Reese is not the first old colleague who she has abducted, the other being their old boss, Mark Snow. She has bombs strapped to their chests, and places them on a collective task, which she monitors remotely, and threatens to blow them up if they don't comply. They have to figure out her motives to uncover what her mission is. Meanwhile, Donnelly's death places Carter in an emotional conundrum of self-preservation versus leaving the scene of a crime. Finch convinces her that she needs to leave the scene, so that they plus Fusco can try to find Reese to save him before Kara completes her task and/or before she kills Reese. Written by Huggo

The next number Reese and Finch work on is that of Logan Pierce, a self-made billionaire, whose social networking website, friendczar.com, which he founded and still operates with his best friend and partner, Justin Ogilvie, is going public in 72 hours. This IPO has the potential to be the largest in history. Reese and Finch believe Pierce is the intended target as his reckless and win-at-all-cost mentality has resulted in him making many enemies. These potential enemies include competitors, all of whom friendczar has crushed many in immoral ways, and his own company colleagues who feel that he is too reckless to be an effective CEO and is thus a liability. Reese quickly learns that it will be not easy to follow Pierce as he lives by his own rules, which is made all the more easy for Pierce by his extreme wealth. As such, Reese decides a different than traditional tact is required to protect Pierce. But Reese and Finch also realize that being a wealthy computer expert, Pierce has the ... Written by Huggo

Reese and Finch get jobs as a bellhop and concierge respectively at the upscale, 700 guest Coronet Hotel where the next number, Mira Dobrica, works as a maid. They figure that whatever will happen by or to Mira will happen at the hotel since she works 60 hour weeks there. Mira is a streetwise woman, who arrived in the US in 1999 as a refugee from the war in Kosovo. Reese and Finch believe she will be the target. Figuring out who the perpetrator is will be difficult as the 700 guests are primarily unknown. After their initial stint at the hotel, they believe the case will have to do either with the illegal side operations of the hotel's front of house manager, the overly officious Derek Fowler, something in Mira's background from the Kosovo war, or whatever their old friend Zoe Morgan is working on, she who is wandering around the hotel. What they are unaware of is that they have an outside threat from two different parties that have been tracking them. Meanwhile, SAIC Brian Moss, ... Written by Huggo

Sam Shaw and her associate Michael Cole receive numbers from the machine much like Finch and Reese, but they receive the ones relating to terrorist threats, which they are to extinguish. Working as field agents for the US Government, they, however, do not yet know the source for the numbers. Shaw and Cole end up being the next numbers Finch and Reese receive. Despite Shaw and by association Cole having killed many in the past, Reese and Finch receive their numbers as the intended targets. The perpetrators are insiders who want to dispose of them because they are questioning and thus getting close to finding out the source of the numbers. Shaw specifically is initially unaware that she is targeted because of where they are heading toward in that questioning. As Shaw tries to find out who gave the kill order on her, Reese and Finch have problems keeping her safe if only because of her suspicious nature as a killer agent, and her loner attitude. What they all are also unaware of is that ... Written by Huggo

Coinciding with a storm hitting the eastern tri-state area which may require evacuation of coastal residents, the machine has not provided any numbers in three days, leading Reese and Finch to believe that there might be something wrong with it, especially what Stanton may have done to it prior to her death. When the machine does provide a number, it provides six men simultaneously, five who are officially missing or have ceased their electronic footprint. Reese and Finch decide to focus on the sixth, Jack Rollins - Finch at his New York apartment, Reese at his rented home on Owen Island just off the northeast tip of Long Island - while Carter is tasked with finding out more about the missing or off-the-grid five. Their early guess is that their unknown perpetrator has killed the five taking over their identity moving from person to person, Rollins the next on the list. A common bond between their three individual investigations is Special Agent Alan Fahey, an FBI paper pusher. By ... Written by Huggo

Reese and Finch head to Atlantic City for their next number, that belonging to Lou Mitchell, an irascible, widowed and retired watch repairman, who, like many of his age, has a small electronic footprint, meaning that Reese and Finch will have to use other means than electronic to follow him. In viewing Lou's activities, Reese sees a man living on a fixed income but who is constantly at the casino and constantly losing, over the past few months in the order of several hundred thousand. But Reese also sees some visual signs that he may have been involved with the mob in his younger days. But in following Lou's movements, Reese and Finch see that Lou is not alone in his goings-on although he does not acknowledge those others, who are all seniors like himself, and they don't acknowledge Lou or any of the others. When Reese and Finch learn what Lou is up to and why his number came up, they want to intervene through the casino to prevent the incident involving Lou from happening, but ... Written by Huggo

The next number the machine dispenses is for Monica Jacobs, a senior vice-president with Rylatech, a computer networking firm. Monica is highly regarded as a rising star in the business. She is seemingly fiercely loyal to the company, which was built from nothing by its now wealthy owner, Martin Baxter. Because of the nature of the business, Finch is more qualified than Reese to go undercover within the highly secured company. Finch sees what he believes is corporate espionage on Monica's part, but learns that she has uncovered information about the death of a junior colleague, Justin Lee. It's her digging up this information that has made her the target. Finch has to discover the nature of Lee's death to find who is trying to kill Monica and why Lee was killed. Meanwhile, Carter, with Fusco's help, tries to figure out if Beecher is directly involved in Szymanski's death. Finch knows that Elias is working behind the scenes in maneuvering around this issue. And Reese helps a past ... Written by Huggo

Reese first catches up with the latest number, Dr. Richard Nelson, when he is being awarded the title of professor emeritus at a lavish dinner banquet. Dr. Nelson is a well respected and renowned cardiac surgeon and researcher, with his credentials suggesting that he is the target. That is indeed the case, but Reese and Finch are too late: someone has poisoned Dr. Nelson after he ingested something at that banquet that was slipped into his food or drink. Dr. Nelson first believes that Reese is the culprit, but Reese convinces him that he is only there to help find who did it, even if Reese cannot save him as he finds out the poison is radioactive, which is eating Dr. Nelson's insides and which also means that he will probably die within 24 hours. Reese, Finch and Dr. Nelson have to find out what Dr. Nelson ate or drank that was the source of the poison, and wade through the many facets of his life to find the killer. Among the suspects are Dr. Nelson's estranged daughter Molly, or ... Written by Huggo

It's been ten days since the machine has provided a number, which means Carter has had ten days of dead bodies piling up. Finch discovers that a company called Decima is responsible for the virus which is causing these problems of inconsistency. The machine finally does dispense a number, it belonging to Ernest Thornhill, whose business of late has been buying up pay phone companies. As Finch and Reese track Thornhill, who they have yet actually to see, they find out some important information about him and exactly why the machine dispensed his number. But also aware of that fact is Root, who, using her own brand of persuasion, convinces Finch that they need to work together to battle Decima and the virus. Reese becomes aware that Root is back in the picture, he who gets some help from an old acquaintance in tracking Finch and Root. Their competing goals will all come to a head at midnight Eastern time, when the virus is scheduled to do its job. Meanwhile, Carter, in conjunction with ... Written by Huggo

Carter is dealing with internal affairs about a possible wrongful shooting on her part which resulted in a fatality. During the process, Terney shows his true colors to her. She has to figure out how to get herself out of her predicament, as well as prevent HR from carrying out its grand plan, even if it means helping the enemy. Meanwhile, the machine has rebooted itself, and has provided Root with 24 hour unfettered access to what it sees. The one thing it will not tell her is where the machine is located, which is her ultimate goal so that she can set it free. She seemingly has Finch assisting her. Although she knows that Reese is following her, she is unaware that Finch also maneuvered the machine in providing Reese, and by association his current sidekick Shaw, who he tells from where the information is coming, that same unfettered 24 hour access. Beyond the location of the machine, what Reese also wants to know but which the machine will also not divulge is Finch's whereabouts.... Written by Huggo