''I, Alex Cross'' is the 16th novel in the Alex Cross series by

James Patterson James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the ''Alex Cross'', '' Michael Bennett'', '' Women's Murder Club'', ''Maximum Ride'', '' Daniel X'', '' NYPD Red'', '' Witch & Wizard'', and ''Private'' se ...

. It was released on

Hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

and

Paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

on November 16, 2009 to positive reviews and positive reception. It is preceded by '' Alex Cross's Trial''. Its success led to 5 sequel novels, '' Cross Fire'', ''

Kill Alex Cross ''Kill Alex Cross'' is the 18th novel in the ''Alex Cross'' series by James Patterson, following fictional detective Alex Cross as he tries to solve two crimes – one involving the president's kidnapped children and the other a case of someone po ...

'', ''

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross ''Merry Christmas, Alex Cross'' is the 19th novel in the Alex Cross series. Detective Alex Cross is called out on Christmas Eve to deal with a hostage situation that has spiraled out of control. Released on November 12, 2012, the novel was well r ...

'', ''

Alex Cross, Run ''Alex Cross, Run'' is the 20th novel in the ''Alex Cross'' series written by American author James Patterson. The novel focuses on the protagonist, detective Alex Cross, who must solve three cases at once with the whole city in a frenzy. Plot ...

'' and '' Cross My Heart.''

Plot summary

Detective

Alex Cross ''Alex Cross'' is a crime, mystery, and thriller novel series written by James Patterson. The series focuses on Metropolitan Police Department detective and father Alex Cross as he faces threats to his family and the city of Washington, D.C. ...

is enjoying a birthday party with his family when he receives a call from his bosses informing him that Caroline, the 24-year-old only daughter of his late brother Blake, has been found murdered in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Cross and his girlfriend Briana Stone rush to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, and are shocked to discover that Caroline's body was found dismembered (most likely by a wood chipper) in the trunk of a car driven by someone with connections to organized crime. Cross takes the case and one of his first stops is Caroline's apartment. Cross is shocked to discover she only lived a few miles from him and yet never contacted him. He is further shocked to discover that based on the apartment's locale and the extensive lingerie wardrobe inside, Caroline was a high-end escort. Further investigation reveals that several other young people with connections to high-end prostitution have also either been murdered or disappeared under suspicious circumstances and that Caroline's escorting activities took her to a secretive club in

Culpeper, Virginia Culpeper (formerly Culpeper Courthouse, earlier Fairfax) is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,062 at the 2020 census, up from 16,379 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper Coun ...

, called Blacksmith Farms, where she may have met an ultra-secretive masked character named

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

. During the course of his investigation, Cross is thwarted by various people in Washington, D.C.—including the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

and the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

—who all want Cross to hand over his investigation to them. Cross refuses and is almost forced to give up his investigative efforts when his old

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

friend Ned Mahoney recommends Cross follow up on a lead provided by a country farmer. The lead turns out to be an escort who saw Zeus without his mask on. All escorts—like Cross's niece Caroline—who saw Zeus without his mask were quickly killed and their bodies dismembered. This escort, however, managed to escape, but not before being shot in the back. The farmer managed to find her and nurse her back to health. The escort reveals that Zeus is actually Theodore Vance, husband to current US President Maggie Vance. Theodore Vance has a compulsion for young escorts and is able to indulge in it with the help of various people (like his Secret Service detail) who want to keep it quiet to protect the current Presidential administration. Cross goes to a party at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C. to question Theodore Vance about his connection to Zeus. Sensing that President Vance's administration is about to be brought down by Theodore Vance's arrest, Theodore Vance's personal Secret Service agent (Dan Cormorant), in a final act of loyalty to his country, shoots and kills Theodore Vance. Cormorant is immediately killed by other Secret Service agents. By killing Vance, Cormorant has allowed the Vance presidential administration to survive and spared the country the embarrassment of a sex scandal. Instead, Theodore Vance will be remembered as a Presidential spouse who was tragically and inexplicably killed by a rogue Secret Service agent. The novel ends with Alex asking Bree to marry him as

Kyle Craig Kyle Craig is a fictional character and antagonist in James Patterson's series of novels featuring Washington, D.C. detective Alex Cross. Craig, a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is initially a close friend of Cross and ass ...

gives Cross a phone call, stating that he wants to have "fun" with Cross, but he will give him a break since his case with Zeus.

Characters

* John Sampson * Dan Cormorant * Margaret Vance, President of the United States * Theodore Vance, ''The First Husband'' * Walter Tillman, Vice-President * Gabriel Reese, Chief of Staff * Ned Mahoney * Tony Nicholson * Eddie Tucci * Johnny Tucci * Bree Stone * Nana Mama * Damon, Janelle, Alex Jr. 'Ali' *

''(in epilogue)''

Release

The book was released on paperback, hardcover book styles and released on audio book. Excerpts can be read at the official

website.

Critical reception

The book has been called "the best nd scariestbook since '' Along Came a Spider''".

Sequels

Due to the novel's positive success, it was reported to have been given 5 sequels, '' Cross Fire'', ''

'', ''

'', ''Alex Cross, Run'', and ''Save Alex Cross''.

Film adaptation

It was reported that there would be a new

movie, which was planned for a release of 2012. It was reported to be a reboot of the original series featuring

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

with Tyler Perry being cast as the lead role of Cross. It was later rumored to be based on ''I, Alex Cross''. This was later confirmed to be false, with the true adaption being ''

Cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

'' and the title was ''I, Alex Cross'' but according to director of the film, only to show to fans that their 'hero' was back in movies. Later the film's title was changed to plain ''

'' to avoid confusion. While there is no adaption yet, it seems likely – or possible – that in the future there might be since after

(based on ''Cross'') and there will be a new sequel to it (based on '' Double Cross'').

References

External links

* {{James Patterson Alex Cross (novel series) 2009 American novels Novels set in Virginia Little, Brown and Company books