In Washington the murder of a prostitute attracts little attention. For Alex Cross and his partner Sampson it is another name on the rapidly increasing list of Jane Doe murders. Officially the count is in the early twenties, but Cross suspects the real figure is closer to a hundred. Unable to convince anyone else that the deaths are the work of the same person, Cross must once again work alone to find a dangerous and clever killer with the perfect cover, someone beyond suspicion and almost impossible to track down...