Alex Cross and Bree Stone's wedding plans are put on indefinite hiatus when a crooked congressman and a shady lobbyist are assassinated in Washington, D. C. As he quarrels with FBI Agent Max Siegel over jurisdiction and control of the investigations, the murders continue and Alex realizes that the killer must be someone close to the case. To make matters worse, Kyle "'The Mastermind" Craig has returned and will stop at nothing until Alex is dead.