I wanted to see this because I liked the show "The Pretender" starring Michael T. Weiss, who appears in this film, "Written in Blood." Weiss plays Matt Ransom, a police detective. In the beginning, we see clearly that he and his wife are not getting along. He gets a call from his partner, John Traveler (Peter Coyote), telling him to get over to his place. There, Ransom finds Traveler's wife and lover dead in the bedroom, and Traveler is holding the gun. The man murdered was the son of another detective. Traveler is convicted, found guilty, and imprisoned for life. Ransom's testimony helped get the conviction.
Though his boss wants him to go on leave, Ransom wants to keep working, especially due to a couple of strange new cases. His boss doesn't think they're connected; he does. He brings the details to Traveler as a way of reconnecting with him and also to keep him going while he's in prison. Traveler points out that the clues left at the scenes are from Sherlock Holmes stories. On the personal end, Ransom's marriage is over, and Traveler's daughter is attracted to him and wants a relationship.
This is a low budget film with parts probably filmed at a 19.99 per night LA motel. Some of the acting isn't very good, particularly from the actress who played Ransom's wife, and Peter Coyote's role should have been bigger to give the film a little gravitas. Weiss is good, sporting a long greasy haircut one might wear undercover, but he wasn't.
An interesting story, not a bad film given the cast and finances.