Alex Cross

Alex Cross is a fictional character created by author James Patterson. He is the protagonist of the series of books about a former FBI agent and psychologist who works in Washington DC.

Character overview

Alex Cross is an African American detective and psychologist based out of the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. He started in the homicide division of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC), but eventually becomes a Senior Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Alex returns to private psychology practice, but continues to work with the police as needed, ultimately rejoining the MPDC as a special consultant to the Major Case Squad.

As portrayed by Patterson, Cross is a highly intelligent, rational man who holds his emotions in check. He is a model father and quite empathetic in dealing with the public. He is very involved in the community, exemplified by his volunteerism at St. Anthony's Parish. Despite the fact that he makes a decent living, he chooses to live in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., an area notorious for poverty and violent crime.

Alex Cross (film)

Alex Cross is a 2012 American crime/action-thriller film directed by Rob Cohen and starring Tyler Perry as the titular character and Matthew Fox as the villain Picasso. The adapted screenplay was written by Marc Moss and Kerry Williamson. This is the third film appearance of the character Alex Cross, the main character in a series of novels by James Patterson. Cross was previously portrayed by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls (1997) and Along Came a Spider (2001). In 2010, Idris Elba was hired to play Cross but he was replaced by Perry. Filming took place in 2011. The film was released on October 19, 2012 in the United States and Canada. It was panned by critics and became a box office bomb.

Plot

Dr. Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) is a psychologist and police lieutenant who lives in Detroit with his wife, Maria (Carmen Ejogo), their children, Damon and Janelle, and his mother Nana Mama. He also frequently visits a prisoner, Pop-Pop, who is serving time for a murder. Cross knows Pop-Pop's uncle, Daramus Holiday, committed the murder and framed her, but she refuses to tell the truth. When returning home, he learns that Maria is pregnant with their third child, Cross considers accepting a job as an FBI profiler with a 35% pay rise, but fears Maria's reaction, as it would require them to relocate to Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, a man (Matthew Fox) participates in an underground ultimate fighting match, where he flirts with businesswoman Fan Yau (Stephanie Jacobsen). After brutally beating his opponent, the man is invited to Fan Yau's house. There, he sedates, tortures, and kills her. He cuts off all her fingers and steals her laptop.

Alex Cross (novel series)

Alex Cross is a crime, mystery, and thriller novel series written by James Patterson. Focusing on protagonist Alex Cross as he fights off against threats to his family and Washington, D.C., Cross is a widowed father and detective; his wife died leaving him with his children, Damon and Janelle as well as his grandmother "Nana Mama". The series is narrated in first-person perspective by Alex Cross, yet unusually also narrates from the villains' point of view in third person.

The series has been published in both the United States and UK, in paperback and hardcover editions. The books are currently being published by Little, Brown. The first book in the series, Along Came a Spider, was released in 1993 to positive reviews, spawning a series of over twenty subsequent novels. The series has led to three films, Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls, and Alex Cross (a reboot) with a possible sequel, despite very negative reception.

Plot overview

I, Alex Cross

I, Alex Cross is the 16th novel in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. It was released on Hardcover and Paperback 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, Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, Alex Cross, Run and Cross My Heart.

Plot summary

Detective Alex Cross 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. Cross and his girlfriend Briana Stone rush to Richmond, Virginia, 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. Further investigation reveals that Caroline's escorting activities took her to a secretive club in Culpeper, Virginia, called Blacksmith Farms where she may have met an ultrasecretive character named Zeus who wears a mask at all times.