Part of Alex Cross, book 13
First published 2007
Alex Cross makes a pivotal decision to rejoin the Washington DC police force. Two deadly killers have emerged in the capital, each more twisted than any adversary Cross has faced before. One psychopath operates with a desperate need for public attention, turning murder into performance art. The other killer proves equally diabolical, creating a dual threat that pushes Cross to his limits. As the detective navigates his return to the police department, he must decode the motives driving these separate but equally dangerous predators. The investigation forces Cross to confront not only external evil but also his own reasons for stepping back into the line of fire. Patterson delivers a case where the hunters become the hunted, and Cross discovers that some killers refuse to stay in the shadows.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation
Setting: Washington DC
Period: 21st-century
389 pages · Hardcover · Little Brown and Company
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder