Alex Cross investigates his deadliest and most personal case yet. Detective Alex Cross returns to his hometown of Starksville, North Carolina, for the first time in over thirty years, as his cousin Stefan is accused of a terrible crime. In his search for evidence to prove Stefan's innocence, Cross uncovers a family secret that challenges everything he has ever believed. Shortly thereafter, he becomes embroiled in the local investigations into a gruesome series of murders. Soon, Alex Cross is not only on the trail of a brutal killer but also seeking the truth about his own past, and the answers he finds could prove deadly.