Alex Cross is gravely injured. Only his partner and friend John Sampson can keep him safe . . . and get justice. For the first time, John Sampson is on his own. The brilliant crime-solving duo of Washington, DCs, Metro PD and the FBI has a proven MO: Detective Alex Cross makes his own rules. Detective John Sampson enforces them. When military-style attacks erupt, brutally sidelining Cross, Sampson is sent reeling. The patterns are too random--Sampsons friend, his partner, his brother--have told him. Dont trust anyone. As a shadow force advances on the nations capital, Sampson alone must protect the Cross family, his own young daughter, and every American, including the president.