About the Book In Book 27 of the Alex Cross series, a complex and diabolical killer with all the skills of a master detective has made Cross the subject of his deranged investigation. Book Synopsis When a mysterious serial killer known as M launches a deranged investigation, Alex Cross and his partner must unearth long-forgotten secrets to survive -- or risk getting buried themselves. In a Virginia penitentiary, Alex Cross and his partner, John Sampson, witness the execution of a killer they helped convict. Hours later, they are called to the scene of a copycat crime. A note signed M rests on the corpse. You messed up big time, Dr. Cross. Was an innocent man just put to death? Alex soon realizes he may have much to answer for, as M lures the detective out of the capital to the sites of multiple homicides, all marked with distressingly familiar details -- details that conjure up decades-old cases. Details that conjure up Cross family secrets. Details that make clear that M is after a prize so dear that -- were the killer to attain it -- Alexs heart would no longer have reason to beat. About the Author James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records . Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Pattersons books have sold more than 375 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels , the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider . He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.