the house where Casanova, who is revealed to be Sikes' partner, Ruskin, hits him with a stun gun. With Cross incapacitated, Casanova heads for Kate, but she fights him and defeats him. As he aims his gun at her, Cross recovers in time to shoot and kill him. Cross and McTiernan later go their separate ways even though they have become close friends. Once back in Washington, Cross and Sampson receive a new case. Characters Dr. Alex Cross: An African-American forensic psychologist as well as a detective, described as good-looking and well-built. He is often referred to as "Doctor Detective". Despite being very dedicated to his job, he manages to be a devoted father to his two children. He is the uncle of Naomi Cross, one of the Casanova's victims, which is the reason why he travels south to help in the investigation. Dr. Kate McTiernan: A young physician who is captured by Casanova as part of his "harem", but manages to escape from his underground hiding place thanks to her martial arts skills. After recovering physically, she joins Cross on the hunt for her abductor, and starts to develop a close relationship with him. Casanova: A serial killer from North Carolina who "collects" beautiful, exceptional young women whom he holds in an underground "harem", raping and eventually murdering them. He bonded with The Gentleman Caller years ago and they murdered women together for some time. The Gentleman Caller: The other serial killer in the story, a much more brutal and direct murderer who likes to cut off bodyparts and keep them as trophies. He murdered a young couple on a lake in the early 80s, and was soon discovered by Casanova, with whom he formed a unique bond. Film adaptation The novel was adapted into a 1997 film directed by Gary Fleder and starred Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, Cary Elwes as Nick Ruskin, and Ashley Judd as Kate McTiernan. A number of subplots and characters from the book were removed in the screenplay, most notably the character of Beth Lieberman and the publishing of notes in the Los Angeles Times, as well as Cross suspecting and tailing Sikes. Popular culture Brendan Dassey, nephew of Steven Avery and on trial for the murder of Teresa Halbach, said in his trial that, although he could not remember the author's name, he had made up part of his confession based on