An instant New York Times bestseller! Return of the Spider is the stunning companion novel to Along Came a Spider , the New York Times bestselling classic thriller from the world's most popular storyteller. Enter the thrilling world of the #1 bestselling detective series that inspired the Prime Video show, Cross . Along Came a Spider introduced Detective Alex Cross to readers around the globe and delivered an unsurpassed rivalry: Cross—named the "human superhero" by The New York Times —versus Gary Soneji, who the Lexington-Herald Leader called the "most deliciously wicked character since Hannibal Lecter". But that wasn't their first meeting ... Police discover that Soneji kept a murder book, Profiles in Homicidal Genius, detailing his transformation from substitute teacher to hardened serial killer—including clues that imply missteps that Alex Cross may have made a rookie homicide detective. Now, Alex must retrace the steps of that long-ago investigation and face ... the Return of the Spider . "Patterson knows how to sell thrills and suspense." —People, on Along Came a Spider