The Mastermind (FBI Agent Kyle Craig) is considered to be Alex Cross's biggest nemesis. He was a close friend of Alex and worked with him to solve big cases, including the kidnapping of his niece in Kiss the Girls. The Mastermind is first introduced in Roses Are Red as the head of a local crime spree involving robberies and murder. At the end of the novel Alex's partner is raped and murdered and the reader is made aware that Kyle Craig is the culprit. In Violets Are Blue Alex discovers his identity and the two have a physical confrontation but eventually Kyle is captured and taken to a maximum security prison in Colorado. Alex visits him often to consult with him on cases until Kyle eventually escapes in Double Cross. Craig continues to taunt Cross throughout the next few novels. In Cross Fire, Craig disguises himself as FBI agent Max Seigel via plastic surgery, and gets himself assigned to a case that Cross is investigating. After the case is solved, Craig decides to go after Cross's family while on the beach. At the end, Craig shoots an oxygen tank, killing himself.[1]
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