Along Came a Spider

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This article is for the novel Along Came a Spider. For the film of the same title, see Along Came a Spider (film).

[edit] Plot

Along Came A Spider is the first book in a series written by James Patterson featuring detective, psychologist Alex Cross

The book begins with the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby by a 12 year old boy near Princeton, New Jersey in March 1932.

Then it moves to present time, in a theme that will run through all the books, of Alex Cross playing his piano from his Washington DC home. The phone rings and it's his partner JOHN SAMPSON, who informs him that there is another murder at Langley Terrace. Alex is the Deputy Chief of Detectives. Alex Cross is an African American Washington D.C. homicide investigator and forensic psychologist who also has a doctorate of Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Cross is investigating the brutal murders of 2 prostitutes (Mother & Daughter) as well as an infant 3 year old boy. The women were slashed with a razor, their pubic hair shaved off and their breasts cut off.

At Washington Day School, an exclusive school for the rich and privileged with tuition at $12,000, GARY SONEJI, the math teacher, interrupts the class of Ms. Vivian Kim. He tells Megan (Maggie) Rose Dunne and Michael (Shrimpie) Goldberg that the Secret Service has received a threatening call and for security reasons the children must be relocated. Goldberg is the son of the US Secretary of Treasury. Both kids normally ride together after school, so Soneji says he will take them to the drop off point for the Secret Service. Once inside his mini van he takes a small canister with chloroform. Once they are asleep, he drives off with the kids.

Alex is trying to understand this twisted and complicated criminal act of the murdered prostitutes when he is pulled of the case by his boss, Chief Pittman, to investigate the kidnapping. Cross is upset and feels that this move was racially motivated and that no one cares about dead black prostitutes.

Reluctantly, Alex and John go to Washington Day and meet Chief Pittman there. The place is full of FBI and Secret Service Agents. The 2 men do not get along. Their problems started over an article at the Washington Post about Alex Cross. The 2 argue but Pittman reveals the Mayor asked for Cross.

Jezzie Flannigan arrives on her motorcycle. She is the secret service supervisor. She had been on vacation. She arrives and yells at her 2 agents assigned to protect those 2 children, Charlie Chakely and Mike Devine. She then goes to see Mr. Goldberg who is with the Mayor, FBI Agent Roger Graham, Cross and Sampson. By now everyone knows Soneji took the children. Mayor Munroe meets with Cross later. Mayor Munroe explain to Alex why he wants him on the case and nothing Alex can say will change his mind.

At night, Soneji's van parks to an old farmhouse where he buries the children alive in special coffins he made for them. Soneji feels real proud of himself. Inside the house Soneji watches the television and loves to see himself. He became upset with what he perceived as disrespect from FBI Agent Roger Graham, as he was interviewed. Gary went to the bathroom and removed the brown, balding wig, then the thick mustache, and finally the contact lenses.

Later that night, FBI Special Agent Roger Graham arrives late at his home when a reporter starts asking him questions. The reporter was Soneji who takes out a knife and stabs Graham. Soneji did not like the spotlight being on Graham.

Later that night Cross, Sampson and the FBI search through Soneji's apartment, discovering Soneji's obsession with kidnappings. They also discover a note taped to a mirror with the phrase "I want to be somebody!"

Hours later Cross and Pittman get into an altercation, Soneji contacts the FBI tells them he killed Roger Graham.

They also discover Soneji lied about his resume and identity period. Cross meets with Maggie’s parents. They also want him involved. A few months have passed and the body of Michael Goldberg was discovered around Christmas time.

A few days later the Dunnes’ receive a telegram from what they believe was Soneji asking for $10 million . It came from Miami. Cross, Sampson and the FBI head down to Florida to investigate. It was in Florida where Flannigan and Cross start become involved.

At the same that the team is in Florida, Soneji is at a toll booth in Maryland. Soneji is disappointed in the manhunt.

In Miami a message arrives. $10 million to be delivered to Walt Disney World in Orlando. Dr. Cross is to deliver the ransom. Cross wonders how Soneji knows about him or that he was even involved.

Once inside Disney, Alex is approached by a man with a hat and jacket who said he would take him to see Maggie. Once outside the FBI surrounded them. He threatens to have Maggie killed unless they let him go. The man takes Alex with him to the airport.

They board a small airplane. The Man was also the pilot. They took off and landed on a small island. Cross did not know where they were. The pilot waited for night to hit and took off. He headed to North Carolina , landed, took the money and left Alex there. Maggie was never delivered. The FBI shows up soon after.

Cross is removed from the case and sent back to work the prostitutes death.

On the farmhouse where Soneji kept the children, two police officers find the empty graves where Maggie and Michael were once held.

Later Gary returns to his real home, in Wilmington, Delaware where it’s revealed he’s married and has a daughter. We also learn that his real last name is Murphy, not Soneji and he was abused by his stepmother her children.

Cross and Sampson return to Washington DC, they are no longer wanted in the case. They are to work the murder of the dead prostitutes. Here we learn Alex volunteers at St. Anthony’s Soup Kitchen 3 days a week.

By now, it’s been about 6 month since the kidnapping.

Back in Wilmington, We learn that Gary wants to kill his family.

Jezzie visits Alex, to let him know she was sorry he was taking the blame for the ransom gone bad.

In Washington DC, Soneji, dressed as a public utility employee, murders Vivian Kim, the teacher from Washington Day, in hopes of sending a message.

Cross & Sampson are sent to the scene, Ms. Kim has had her breast cut off and pubic hairs shaved, just like the other murders. They also find Maggie’s shoe on the scene. Cross know Soneji is also the murderer he was looking for.

Cross & Sampson are walking the neighborhood where the hookers were murdered. They come across Ms. Scott, an elderly lady who recalls a man driving around the neighborhood several times. Ms. Scott also remembers that same man going door to door selling heating systems. Ms. Scott recalled the company was Atlantic Heating out of Wilmington. Cross & Sampson are going to Wilmington.

In Wilmington, the Murphy’s are having a birthday party for their daughter. Outside are the FBI with Cross & Sampson are on a stakeout. They all decide to move in and rush the house, when they go in Soneji is nowhere to be found. Soneji managed to escape when he went to get pizza at the door from a delivery boy.

Cross and the FBI set up shop at a local hotel, this is where Alex & Jezzie become involved.

A day later Gary walks into a McDonald’s and holds the people inside hostage. When the FBI hears that the man holding the McDonald’s was Soneji, they rush to the scene. A trooper took a shot at Soneji, but Alex saved Soneji as Cross believes Soneji knows where Maggie is. Soneji promises Alex he will regret saving his life.

The trial period lasted about 11 months (January when Soneji was captured & November when his verdict was read.) Alex Cross is brought back to the case when Soneji asks for him. During this time Cross hypnotized Soneji several times speaking with both Murphy and Soneji and he gets inside Soneji/Murphy's head and gets him to tell him of all his terrible little secrets. Murphy was a tender man, Soneji a sadistic, evil monster. After Soneji gets captured and put into prison, Cross and Jezzie fell in love. Despite the defenses best effort at an insanity plea Soneji was found guilty.

After the verdict, Jezzie meets her lover (not Cross) at lake house.

Cross returns to work, questions a woman about Soneji, where she tells Cross that someone had been following Soneji. Someone knew about the kidnapping. Cross wonders about Mike Devine and Charley Chakely.

Cross meets with Soneji, who confirms he may have been followed, Soneji didn’t make the connection until he recognized the man at his trial. Mike Devine.

Cross meets with the FBI, they also had their suspicions and were running an investigation. The FBI believes Mike Devine and Charley Chakely took the ransom money. The pilot from Florida was a drug runner hired by Mike Devine and Charley Chakely that was found dead. The FBI has no proof Mike Devine and Charley Chakely did this but still keep them under surveillance. Then they drop a bomb on Alex. Jezzie was involved with Mike Devine for years and are lovers. They also believe Jezzie was in it from the start. Cross begins to connect the pieces. The FBI was right.

Jezzie and Devine meet. They plan to wait it out.

Cross, Sampson and the FBI begin to plan on getting Jezzie and the guys.

Soneji escapes from prison with the help of a guard that he eventually kills.

Alex takes Jezzie Flannigan on a Caribbean getaway.

In Washington DC, Soneji, dresses as a FedEx employee visits Mike Devine. He tortures Devine to find out that the money was still in DC. Upon retrieving the money Soneji returns and kills Devine.

Alex finally confronts Jezzie and tells her he knows what she did. Since they were both wearing bathing suits, Alex showed her he wasn’t wearing a wire and demanded to know how and why. She explains that Secretary Goldberg was threatened by a Colombian cartel and demanded protection for his family. Devine and Chakely noticed Soneji making passes at the Goldberg house. Since then they followed Soneji everywhere, including the Maryland Farm. It was Jezzie’s idea to do the ransom, they removed Megan after the Goldberg boy had died. He demanded to know where Megan was, at a distance Sampson, holding a long distance microphone revealed himself. The FBI was there also.

It had been 2 years since the kidnapping. Megan was held by people in Uyuni Bolivia, South America. Uyuni was a village near the Andes Mountains.Megan was finally rescued.

The story was not over yet. Soneji attacks Alex in his home. He planned to kill Nanna and the kids. After a fight, Soneji manages to escape momentarily, but is trapped near the White House. He is holding hostages again, 2 children. Soneji was about to shoot Cross, but Cross is saved by Sampson, who manages to shoot Soneji instead. Gary was wounded…but alive.

Epilogue. Jezzie Flannigan was executed by lethal injection. Six weeks earlier Charlie Chakely had been executed. Soneji was still alive. Due to his mental state he would be held at a mental institution. Soneji leaves Cross a letter. At the end, Cross plays the piano and heads to St. Anthony’s. The peanut butter man lives.

[edit] Notes

• The adventures of Dr. Alex Cross continue in Kiss The Girls.
• This book also introduces FBI Agent Kyle Craig, who becomes an important character in later Cross novels. Craig plays a very small role in the book and only appears in a few chapters.
• The book introduces all of Cross's supporting characters like Nana, his grandmother, John Sampson, his partner, Janelle and Damon, his children.
• Cross severely dislikes his boss, Chief Pittman.
• It reveals Cross' wife, Maria, was murdered in a drive by shooting but her murder was never solved.
• Alex has been best friends with John Sampson since childhood.
• Alex volunteers at St. Andrews soup kitchen where he is known as the Peanut Butter Man.
• The book takes place over a 2 year period.