<p><b>From the Inside Flap</b><br>The Mastermind orchestrates a series of bank robberies that are notable for their precise demands-and their explosive violence when demands are not met excatly. Detective Alex Cross takes on the case and recognizes that a particular kind of criminal mind is at work. Cross's investigation gets under the Mastermind's skin, and he makes it his personal goal to take revenge on Cross and his entire team. <BR>Amidst all this, Cross's relationship with his girlfriend Christine is falling apart, and his beloved daughter Jannie is hospitalized with unexplained seizures. The pressure riseson every front, culminating in a shocking and explosive climax.</p><p><b>From the Back Cover</b><br>THE SPECTACULAR EIGHTH #1 BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF POP GOES THE WEASEL<P>#1 Washington Post<P>#1 Publishers Weekly<P>#1 Wall Street Journal<P>#1 Chicago Tribune<P>#1 Entertainment Weekly<P>#1 Philadelphia Inquirer<P>In this heart-pounding new thriller, Detective Alex Cross pursues the most brilliant killer he's ever confronted, a mysterious criminal who calls himself the Mastermind. In a series of crimes that has stunned Washington, D.C., bank robbers have been killing bank employees and their families if the robbers' instructions are not followed to the letter. Alex Cross knows this is no ordinary criminal -- the pathological need for control and perfection is too great. Cross is in the midst of a crisis at home -- but the case becomes all-consuming as he learns that the Mastermind is plotting one huge, last, perfect crime...</p>