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Alex Cross-Exposition
We meet Alex Cross at the begining of the book. We find out that Alex Cross is a homicide detective and lives in the ghetto of Washingtion D.C. His job is to investagate muders that have happened in the ghettos. -
Children-Exposition
We go on to meet two kids who attend a privet school called Washington Day in Georgetown. One of the kids is Maggie Dunne. She is the daughter of a famous actress Katherine Rose. The other kid is Michael Goldberg, and he is the son of the Seceratry of State. The two childeren are very good friends and just try and blend in with the rest of the school. "Becasue of all of that stuff, Maggie Rose tried to disappear into the woodwork a lot" (Patterson 20). -
Kidnapping-Rising Action
When the kids are at school, they are protected constantly. They have to tell the school who will be picking them up everyday, so they know they are safe. One of these days a teacher from the school, Gary Soneji, decides he is going to take the kids from the school. He does this by telling them they are going to leave with the Secret Service, but takes them and gasses them out. -
New Case-Rising Action
Cross and his partner are switched onto the kidnapping case and Cross didn't like this. He thought that they didn't care about the murders in the slums, but he had to go anyways. When they first go to the school he meets Jezzie Flanagan, who is the supervisor of the Secret Service agents who watched over the kids. -
Soneji's Master Plan-Rising Action
Soneji brings the kids to a farmhouse in Maryland. He has made a wooden capartment that is in a hole in the ground of the barn. He gives both the kids a shot of Tubex, but could only give certian amounts becasue it is dangerous to children. Soneji then goes inside the farmhouse, and watches how people are reacting on the new about how he took the kids. He likes all the fame aquried with this, apart of his master plan. Michael ends up dieing because of an overdose. This also catches the public. -
Disney Mistake- Rising Action
Soneji asks for some ransom money to get back Maggie. He only asks that the ransom be delivered by Cross at DisneyWorld. We also learn that Soneji calls himself the Son of Lindberg. When Cross goes to deliver the money and gets kidnapped and taken on a plane by a contact man, and the money is stolen and Maggie is not given back. "The contact man was gone, though. So was the ten-million-dollar ransom" (Patterson 140). -
Clues and Gary Murphy- Rising Action
Once Cross gets back, he gets put on a case of Vivian Kim who has been murdered and there is a clue left that is a pink sneaker that is Maggies. We also find out who Gary Murphy is and he has a daughter and a wife. He is found to be the same man and Soneji and the FBI goes after him and he escapes his house and is on the run. -
McDonalds Incident- Climax
Gary is later on caught at McDonalds and is making a big mess. He pulls out a gun and tells everyone they are being held hostage. He shoots 2 people before Alex Cross steps in and saves him. Gary's response is "Thank you for saving my life, he said, Someday, I'll kill you for it, Detective Cross" (Patterson 221). -
First Hypnosis and Nina Cerisier-Falling Action
Cross thinks it would be a good idea to put Gary under hyponsis. When he does this Gary ends up turning into Soneji and we find out he is crazy. Cross thinks he is a split personality as well. Nina Cerisier lives next door to the Sanders who were murdered and claims she saw Soneji and he was with someone else. Everyone is skeptical of this because she is just now coming forward. -
The Trial-Falling Action
Gary is sent to trial and Anthony Nathan is representing him. Nathan's claim is that Gary Murphy committed no crime, only Gary Soneji did. Nathan then calls Cross up to the stand and he wants Cross to hypnotize Gary. Cross agrees and we find out that someone else took Maggie Rose. -
Cross and Jezzie and the Verdict-Falling Action
Cross and Jezzie have been sneaking around throughout the book, and have been going places. They both go to meet up and when Cross is leaving, the press is there and they catch them. Jezzie ends up dissappering and no one knows where she went. Right after she leaves the verdict is announced, Garty is guilty. -
Someone is Watching-Falling Action
Cross goes back to the Cerisier's house and tries to get some more information. He finds out that someone wasn't with Gary, but someone was watching Gary. -
Break Out- Falling Action
As Gary is in jail we find out that he really has been Soneji the whole time, and only playing the act of Murphy. As we find this out we learn that Soneji is close with one of the garuds at the jail and is planning to break out and he does it. -
Maggie Found-Resolution
Soneji give insight to the people who took Maggie. He says that it was the FBI agents. Cross goes after them and finds out that Jezzie was apart of it. He finds out where Maggie is and goes to save her. When he does Soneji becomes very angry and tries to kill Cross by going to his house. When he does not succed he takes two kids and brings them to Pennsylvania Ave where he is cornered and shot in the shoulder and taken back to jail. -
Death-Resolution
After everything was said and done, Jezzie was held responsble for Maggie being taken. She and the only living FBI agent are sentenced to death and Cross goes to watch. As Cross leaves the jail, there was a note on his car that said "Alex, Did she sob, and whine, and beg for forgiveness before they pricked her? Did you shed a tear? Remember me to the family. I want to be remembered." (Patterson 501).
