Alex's son Ali is eager to follow in his father's footsteps as a detective, but when his best friend goes missing, what price will he have to pay to solve the mystery? Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, former detective and FBI agent Alex Cross. While solving some of the nation's most challenging crimes, his father always kept his head and did the right thing. Can Ali have the same strength and resolve? When Ali's best friend Gabe Qualls is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood—-and even his own house. With his father on trial for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Ali to search for clues and find his friend. But being a kid sleuth isn't easy—-especially when your father warns you not to get involved!—-and Ali soon learns that clues aren't always what they seem. Will his detective work lead to a break in Gabe's case or cause even more trouble for the Cross family?

The #1 kids' detective series of the decade! Ali Cross is back in the gripping sequel to James Patterson's bestselling mystery that introduced readers to detective Alex Cross' son. Ali Cross just solved his first real case. Alex Cross knows it's only a matter of time before his son finds his way into more trouble. Neither of them expected Ali to get caught up in another case so quickly. Ali and his friends were just hanging out in Anacostia Park...then they became witnesses to a crime. Alex wants Ali to stay far away from the investigation. But Ali isn't going anywhere, not when his new friend Zoe is in trouble. It's up to Ali to figure out why she's lying to the police-and who she's protecting. This is Ali's toughest case yet. As long as he trusts his Cross instincts, he may just have a shot at solving it...

School, mysteries, crime-solving - just an ordinary day for Ali Cross! Ali has helped to solve two big cases and he knows he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of his famous father, Alex Cross. Eager to keep solving crimes, Ali and his friends hack into police calls and secretly check out crime scenes to crack the cases themselves. But when Ali witnesses something terrible, he must grapple with some tough questions about what it means to be a detective, and a detective's son. Will Ali be the one in danger this time? \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Praise for the Ali Cross series 'This one will fly off the shelves' Booklist 'A fresh look at the world of James Patterson's most famous protagonist' School Library Journal 'The prolific king of the beach read is back with an intergenrational mystery for the 9-to-12-year-old set' Kirkus