Detective Alex Cross must pursue the most brilliant killer he's ever confronted--a mysterious criminal called the Mastermind. In a series of crimes that has stunned Washington, D.C., bank robbers have been killing bank employees and their familes 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.