A killer is at work in the nation's capital, and he seems to like variety. His victims range from kindergarten students to senators - not even the President is safe. Alex Cross, hero of Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls, is awakened one night to confront the brutal murder of a little girl only blocks away from his house. With a single clue, a mysterious rhyme signed "Jack and Jill", the skilled and courageous Cross sets out to track the murderer. Can he work fast enough to spare the killer's next victim?