Detective Alex Cross is thwarted at every turn while he attempts to investigate the abduction of the president's son and daughter and also discovers a deadly contagion released in the capital's water supply that foreshadows a larger, more devastating attack.

"Once the most polluted waterway in Western North Carolina, the toxic Pigeon River now runs pure, thanks to environmental activism. But when a water analyst is found murdered in the river, and a local festival is rocked by death threats, fire, and beatings, it is clear that someone wants to disrupt the progress of the peaceful town and its future environmental efforts. Detective Sam Blackman, an Iraqi war vet, and his partner and love interest, Nakalya...