Alex Cross is a crime, mystery, and thriller novel series written by James Patterson. The protagonist, Alex Cross, is an African-American detective for the Metropolitan Police Department and a father who confronts threats to his family and to Washington, D.C. Supporting characters include Cross's children, Damon, Janelle, and Ali, as well as his grandmother, Nana Mama. The series is typically narrated in the first-person by Alex Cross, with occasional shifts to the villains' third-person perspectives.