Alex Cross has left the Washington, D.C., police department behind and is settling nicely into a private therapy practice. He enjoys time with his children. He's even started dating a police detective named Brianna Stone. All is well.

Four years ago, Kyle Craig, a then-FBI agent and friend of Alex's, was sentenced to life in a maximum-security prison for committing over 10 murders. Craig vowed that he would one day confront the judge who sentenced him, and Alex Cross, who helped put him behind bars. Alex hopes that Craig, known as the Mastermind, will never fulfill this promise.

Someone in D.C. has murdered a well-known author, leaving clues for the police. Detective Stone takes the case; Alex rides with her to the scene. He can't help but be drawn in by the murder. His instincts kick in and before he knows it, he's helping his girlfriend try to solve the case. The killer strikes again, leaving the same clues and a message for Alex. The killer loves an audience. He's so bold, he sets up a website and invites Alex to try to solve the case. As each murder draws Alex further into police work, he learns that Craig has escaped the supposedly inescapable prison and is leaving dead bodies along his path back to D.C.

Alex finds himself in the middle of two killers who want him dead. The Audience Killer, as he's become known, thinks himself smarter at killing than Craig. Craig is flattered, but only for so long before the need to show the other just how killing should be done puts Alex in the middle of a cross.

James Patterson, with his usual expertise, invites us back into Alex Cross' life. I thoroughly enjoy Cross' calm personality and the methods he uses to solve cases. The character delivery is smooth and engaging; the dialogue is to the point and moves forward toward an exciting ending. DOUBLE CROSS will be another bestseller.