Robert Graysmith

Living… in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Free Love hippie movement is in bloom and people are allegedly happier than ever. Except for the fact that a serial killer who calls himself The Zodiac is stalking around and sending threatening letters to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Profession… political cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle. When he solves some of The Zodiac’s puzzles, he starts getting the attention of other reporters. His interest is still shot down by his boss, who tells him, “Graysmith, don’t you have cartoons to finish?” Even though he isn’t initially taken seriously by top crime reporters like Paul Avery, eventually the two team up to delve deeper into the case in an attempt to catch the killer before more people are killed.  

Interests… solving puzzles, writing, drawing cartoons, and investigating, even though he’s by no means a professional detective. When asked by a curious and snarky police officer if he thinks he’s some sort of boy scout or something, Grayson un-ironically replies, “Eagle Scout actually. First-class.”

Relationship Status… divorced. He takes care of his young son, who he feels the need to protect, and is partially his reason for investigating the Zodiac killings. He begins dating a new woman named Melanie during his investigation.

Challenge… solve the Zodiac case. He becomes obsessed with the enigmatic evidence, becoming so engrossed that he even begins neglecting his family duties.

Personality… introverted, shy, mathematical, and obsessed. Graysmith spends most of his time at a desk. He isn’t the most social guy in the world, and would rather spend his time cracking puzzles than hanging out with his co-workers. But many police agree that Graysmith is getting closer than anyone to finding out the identity of their killer.