Chapter 1 Summary

The narrator begins the novel by stating that stories "don't start where one thinks." The reader then learns of Betsey Cavalierre's murder. The narrator, Alex Cross, arrives at the crime scene. Emergency vehicles litter the street with their lights flashing. Upon entering her home, he ironically encounters a reminder for Betsey to attend her shooting test the next day. Cross remembers that Betsey is his second partner killed in two years.

In the bedroom, Betsey Cavalierre is a bloody mess. She suffers stab wounds and lies naked in a pool of blood. Cross reacts strongly, remembering intimate details about Betsey. They were more than just partners. They shared an personal relationship. A cell phone call interrupts Cross's examination of the crime scene. On the other end, the Mastermind, a murderer that haunts and taunts Cross, asks Cross about Betsey. The Mastermind then threatens...