Alex Cross

Alex is the main character of the book. He is in his early forties, six foot three, two hundred pounds and athletic. His mother died of lung cancer when he was nine years old; his father, a heavy drinker, died the year before. He went to Washington, DC to live with his grandmother, Regina Cross Hope (Nana Mama), who at the time was an English teacher and assistant principal. After earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Johns Hopkins University, with a concentration in abnormal psychology and forensic psychology, Alex goes into private practice. After struggling to make a living for three years, he joins the Washington DC Police Department in Homicide and Major Crimes, working as a profiler. Now he is a Senior Agent with the FBI.

Alex is also a widower, having lost his wife, Maria, to a drive-by shooter. When she was killed they...