Part of Alex Cross, book 32
First published 2023
Alex Cross receives an urgent call from DC Metro Police dispatch. A plane has crashed and exploded at Reagan Airport, and both the chief and FBI need Cross and John Sampson on scene immediately. The weapon that brought down the aircraft turns out to be a remote-controlled machine gun from the Vietnam War era. This attack connects to an ongoing case Cross and Sampson are working. A serial killer has been targeting young men in what police call the "Dead Hours" murders, striking without warning using machine gun fire. The stolen weapon is a .50-caliber machine gun that requires specific training and expertise to operate. Few people possess these skills, giving the detectives a narrow list of suspects. Cross and Sampson must work against the clock to identify and stop their heavily armed opponent before another mass killing occurs. The killer has already shown a pattern of looking to the skies for targets.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: DC, Reagan Airport, Vietnam
Period: 21st-century
416 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder