Alex Cross is a character created by James Patterson and is the protagonist of more than 30 novels by Patterson. Alex is a Black psychologist and police detective working for the Washington, DC, police department. He is a widower with two children. His wife, Maria, was a social worker who died in what he believes was a drive-by shooting. However, in later novels, it is revealed that Maria was murdered by a man named Jimmy “Hats” Galati. Alex lives in a poor section of Washington, DC, known as Washington Southeast, the same neighborhood where he grew up. As a cop living in a neighborhood where the police are feared, he believes he can help build trust. He also gives back to the neighborhood by volunteering at St. Anthony’s Church, a task encouraged by his late wife.

Alex was born in South Carolina, but both his parents died, and at the age of eight, he was sent to live with his grandmother, Regina Hope, in Washington, DC. It is there where Alex met his lifetime friend, John Sampson. As teens, Alex and John would shoplift from local stores, but later became police officers and partners.