Cross (novel)

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Cross is the twelfth book featuring the former Washington DC homicide detective and forensic psychologist and current FBI agent Alex Cross.

[edit] Synopsis

"Alex Cross faces the deadliest psychopath of them all - his wife's killer."

From the Inside Jacket:
Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, D.C. police department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. Alex's need for vengeance was placed on hold as he faced another huge challenge - raising his children without their mother.

Years later Alex is making a bold move in his life. He has left the FBI and set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex finally feels like it's in order. He even has a chance at a new love.

Then Cross' former partner John Sampson calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi includes threatening his victims with terrifying photos. Cross and Sampson need the testimonies of these women to stop the predator, but the victims refuse to reveal anything about their attacker.

When the case triggers a connection to Maria's death, Alex may have a chance to catch his wife's murderer after all these years. Will justice be served at long last? Or is this the culminating scene in his own deadly obsession?

[edit] Plot summary

The book begins with Dr. Alex Cross being shot twice and is currently in the operating room. Before going under the anesthesia he asks the surgeon if Michael “The Butcher” Sullivan is dead. The surgeon doesn’t know, she tells Alex that several men are dead and then he asks her to tell his children that he loves them.

Flashback to 1993, where Maria Cross tells Alex that she is pregnant as Alex was rocking his oldest daughter Janelle. Alex and Maria had met in the Emergency Room at St. Anthony’s. She had taken a client of hers that had been shot. She was a social worker. It looked like Damon was in the room also and Alex takes him to bed.

40 miles north, in Baltimore, Maryland 2 young men in their mid 20’s, Michael “The Butcher” Sullivan and Jimmy “Hats” Galatti, enter the St. Francis Social Club Members area smiling and cocky. Inside are 27 capos and soldiers. The 2 men introduce themselves. They are from New York City.

One of the mobsters, who knew who they were, asked what they are doing in Baltimore. Sullivan informs them he has a job in Washington DC given to him by Dominic Maggione, and that silenced the crowd. Maggione was the leader of the New York mafia as well as controlled most of the east coast and knew that Sullivan to be his ruthless hit man. They were amazed at how young he was and looked more like a movie star than to a killer. The name Butcher came from a reporter after one of Sullivan’s victims was found. One of the mob bodyguards made a move toward Sullivan and Sullivan, who, with incredible speed, took out a knife and sliced off the bodyguard’s nose and ear. He walks toward the fallen body and stabs him several times. He tells the mobsters to have a nice day and leaves with Jimmy.

Mr. Maggione had ordered the men to make an impression with the local mobsters, whom he believed had been skimming on him. Once they arrive to DC, they stop at a bar that is frequented by college students. Michael picks up a 20 year old student named Marianne and the 2 begin to kiss and make their way to the men’s room. Once inside he takes out a scalpel and tells her not to scream or she’ll die.

He removes her panties and touches her for several minutes. After he’s done he takes her purse and warns her not to say anything and leaves.

That morning Alex’s grandmother comes by the house to take care of Damon and Janie so Alex and Maria can go to work. Alex drops Maria off at work. The 2 kiss for a few minutes inside Alex’s old Porsche.

In a briefing that morning, Alex and his childhood friend and partner John Sampson learn that the Italian Mafia was making a move to take control of the DC underworld. Local crime bosses were angry, especially Jiang An-Lo, a Chinese drug lord. He had 2 Italian mob emissaries killed the week before and now it seems the Italians sent a hit man or hit team to kill An-Lo. Cross and Sampson were sent to watch An-Lo, and were surprised by the poor neighborhood one of the wealthiest drug lord lived in. They knew about the butcher and suspected he was one of the hit men coming. They see An-Lo being escorted out of the house by 2 bodyguards. Suddenly a car speeds up and the 2 bodyguards draw their weapons but a shot rang out from behind hitting An-Lo in the head, killing him instantly. Cross and Sampson, who are out of the car, see the shooter in a nearby rooftop. The killer takes a bow and leaves.

The Butcher follows Marianne throughout the day and once he knows she’s heading toward her apartment, he beats her there and waits for her. Marianne had talked about what happened to a friend and to a counselor. Once she arrives he grabs her from behind and slashes her throat, taking pictures as she dies.

The next night the Butcher is still in town. He drives around southeast Washington DC for about an hour, until he finds Alex’s house. The mob connections inside the FBI told the Butcher where Alex lived. He comes in through the back door in the kitchen. The Butcher hears a baby crying and heads upstairs and watches as Alex changes diapers. Alex sees him and asks why he’s there. The Butcher does not want to kill Alex in front of the children and is impressed at how cool, calm and collected Alex was. He tells Alex he lucked out, takes another bow and leaves.

The next night Alex picks up Maria from work. As a social worker, Maria was working at one of the local projects. As Alex walks with her toward the car he hears a couple of shots in the distance. Maria falls to the ground. Alex picks her up and runs toward St. Anthony, which wasn’t far. As they approach he tells him she loves him and winked at him before she dies.

For 4 months Cross and Sampson investigated the killing but all leads went dead and cold. According to records, The Butcher had been on a flight to New York City earlier the night before, after he’d been to Alex’s house.

Nana wants Alex to move into her house and let her help with the children. Alex reluctantly accepts.

The book now moves to present time. Alex receives a letter from his former friend and boss, psychopath Kyle Craig, who informs Alex that Kyle thinks about Alex constantly and misses his visits and will one day get out of prison and will kill Nana and his children and will make Alex watch. Alex calls the federal prison in Florence, Colorado to make sure Kyle was still in his cell.

It was a Saturday and Alex and the kids were going car shopping. Janie wanted a Range Rover and Damon wanted a motorcycle, and Ali (Little Alex) wanted a red or bright car. They are at a Mercedes-Benz dealership looking at an SUV when Alex’s pager goes off. Alex calls Ned Mahoney from HRT, who needs Alex. There is a bad situation not to bad where Alex lives. Janelle and Damon are upset and don’t speak to him as he takes them home.

When Alex arrives on the scene, the police had sealed off a 10 block area. He walks toward Ned Mahoney. Some men, maybe 6, went to rob a dealers lab, encountered some trouble and now the dealers, the workers and the robbers are there too. The problem is that the robbers are DC SWAT. When a couple of patrolmen heard shots and went in, the recognized the SWAT men, who shot and killed the 2 patrolmen.

Cross, Mahoney and key personnel meet with Captain TIM MORAN, head of the DC Metro SWAT, to discuss how to proceed with the situation. The building is 4 stories ant they where converting black tar heroin into powder. There is at least 12 lab workers inside the building, mostly women, at least 12 well armed guards on the top 3 floors and the 6 SWAT members. The SWAT team got pinned during the robbery when more guards had shown up. The FBI is given point in this mission with the DC police backing them up.

The Butcher was in Washington DC that day. He is semi retired as the new boss, Maggione Jr., does not like him very much and hardly uses him. The Butcher is in DC to attend the policeman’s ball. He drives past the sealed off area, parks and walks toward where he was going when he spots Cross in the distance.

[edit] Trivia

• Part one of this book begins in 1993. But according to the dates in "Along Came a Spider," Cross was working the Soneji case in 93.
• The cover of the book is very similer to a different book, A Death in Venice.

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[edit] Main Characters

Alex Cross
Damon Cross
Jannie Cross
Alex Cross, Jr.
Nana Mama
Maria Simpson Cross
John Sampson
Michael "The Butcher of Sligo" Sullivan