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Kyle Craig, also known as the Mastermind, is the main antagonist of the Alex Cross novel series.
Craig, a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is initially a close friend of Cross and assists the detective in his high-profile investigations, and also occasionally asks Cross for help with his own cases. However, in the 2001 novel Roses are Red. Craig is revealed to be a criminal who calls himself "The Mastermind", having organized a series of brutal bank robberies and murders. He is eventually brought to justice by Cross. But he would escape from jail and become Cross' arch-nemesis.
In the 1997 film adaptation of Kiss the Girls, he was portrayed by Jay O. Sanders.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Craig was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the countryside. He was abused regularlyby his family, beaten by his father, who was a military veteran, and while the mother and brother said Craig would make stuff up and denying it. Over the years, he would become bitter and more angered, it was hated by the family and forced Craig to live in the garage on a few occasions. Unlike his brother and father, Craig never became success due to flunking in school and bullying others. His hatred for his family would lead him to assaulting his brother, which was disguised as a hunting accident. Craig’s family knew it was him and never forgave him. During the funeral, the surviving brother punched Craig.
Craig moved out and graduated from Duke University and Duke Law School, as well as serving in the Special Forces. Craig was praise in the offices and reached the ranks of the FBI. He later marry a woman and had two children, Bradley and Virginia. However, Craig would collaborate with other serial killers. Nick Ruskin and William Randolph were the first two he met in the college, helping them with their murders and felonies. Craig would contact a future serial killer Aaron Dennison and mobster Anton Christyakov to have contact and resources. Craig also had some means of communication with a psychotic killer Thomas Pierce, with lure the latter into the U.S. trying to catch him in the act.
Along Came a Spider[]
Craig helps Cross and John Sampson in the search for Gary Soneji, who was captured in a McDonald’s. He later becomes friends with Cross and helps him with his FBI status.
Kiss the Girls[]
In the novel, Craig gains a much larger role and is the lead agent of the Casanova and Gentleman Caller case. Cross learns through information provided by Craig that the two killers are working from different coastlines of the courtary. Craig takes the initiative to get involved in investigation by killing the reporter Beth Lieberman, his first victim, under Gentleman Caller’s demand for being published in the papers. Later, Craig develops a crush on Casanova’s escape victim Kate McTiernan, making her his future target.
Jack and Jill[]
Craig makes brief appearances during the investigations of both a terrorist attack and serial murder of black children at a DC school.
Cat and Mouse[]
Craig investigates a serial killer named Mr. Smith, whose real name was Thomas Pierce, who has been killing people from the US East Coast to Western Europe. When Cross and his family are brutally attacked in their home by Simon Conklin, an associate of Gary Soneji, Craig has Cross hidden away and uses this incident as a way to lure out Pierce into the case. Craig is ordered by the FBI to kill Smith. After Craig fails to kill him, Pierce is instead shot and killed by Sampson.
Pop Goes the Weasel[]
Despite having a small role, Craig assists Cross in finding his fiance, Christine Johnston, when she is kidnapped by a serial killer named Geoffrey Shafer.
Roses Are Red[]
Craig uses an alias “The Mastermind”, and starts a series of bank robberies with two associates, Errol and Brianne Parker, who was holding the bank manager’s family hostage. While the robbery goes as planned and Errol kills the family anyway, Craig returns with pizza and wine to celebrate, he poisoned the food and rapes Braianne’s corpse for pleasure. Cross investigates the robbery and calls Craig, unaware of his role in the robbery.
Craig hires a more professional crew, who are referred by their codenames: Mr. Red, Mr. White, Mr. Blue, and Mrs. Green. They targeted the First Union bank and goes the same as the previous robbery did. But this time they videotape to prove they are not bluffing. When the alert goes off, the bank’s staff are killed by Mr. Blue and First Union manager’s family are released. It is later revealed that Craig planned to have the bank;s staff to be killed and he was the one who tipped off the police. Just like the previous robbery, he poisons the crew and have sex with Mrs. Green’s corpse.
Later, five corrupt NYPD narcotics detectives are hired by Craig for his next crime, which they take control of a Washington tour bus that carrying the wives of several insurance executives. They demand a ransom of five million in uncut diamonds. After sussessfully transferring the diamonds and releasing the hostages, the FBI suspects Mitchell Brand, a former U.S. Army Sergeant, to be the culprit behind the robberies. Once they tracked down his location, they find out that he was set up. Later, Craig starts to commit home invasions. In the first one, he rapes a woman and tries to impregnate her, but fails and kills her. Meanwhile, Cross invetigates the head of security at the First Union, Frederick Szaboo and his therapist, Dr. Bernard Francis. Frederick was later poisoned while his last words were professing his innocence.
Three months after the investigation closed, Craig personally wanted to challenge Cross more directly, he targets Special Agent FBI Betsy Cavalierre, who was romantically involved with Cross, by raping, stabbing, and mutilating in her own home. Craig informs the news to Cross, who swears to kill the Mastermind, while unaware of Craig secretly listening over the emotional turmoil that he caused.
Violets Are Blue[]
While he stalks and repeating threatening Cross’ family, Craig teams up with him during the case of The Vampires, a cannibalistic cult. At night time, Craig sneaks into Cross’ house and tries to kill him and his family. But retreats once realizing that Cross’ recovering from fighting a suspect and wanting him to fight back. Craig develops an issue with Detective Jamilla Hughes, after she calls out his control obsession and misogyny. Craig tries to disrupt the investigation with a copycat murder and two dead cultists he killed. After another threatening phone call and arrested the cult, Cross suspects Craig to be the Mastermind, and has his family relocated after getting another threat from the Mastermind.
Figuring out that Craig the Mastermind, Cross rushes to Hughes’ home to protect her from Craig. He calls FBI Director Ronald Burns, who informs Cross about the suspicions of Craig in both the Cavalierre and Lieberman murders. Cross rushes back to Washington to secure his family and friends’ safety from Craig’s homicidal bloodlust. Cross figures that Kate McTiernan is Craig’s next target. At McTiernan's home, he finds Craig and engages in a fight with him, eventually using a bottle to knock him out. Cross gets him to confess his crimes on his cell phone and is sent to supermax security prison, where Craig will being held on death row.
Four Blind Mice[]
Craig appears twice in the novel. Alex meets him in prison about the Four Blind Mice case, but gives little information and taunts him about the people he lost. At the end of the novel, Craig promises that he will escape and come after him along with everyone he loves.
The Big Bad Wolf[]
Craig is mentioned at the beginning and appears at the end of the novel, where he gives Alex information about the criminal mastermind named The Wolf, which turns out to be a decoy.
Cross[]
At the beginning of the story, Craig writes a letter to Alex, missing his times with him and wanting revenge and one day he will escape prions and forced Alex to watch him kill his family.
Double Cross[]
Craig plans his escape with his attorney, Mason Wainwright. While having one of their regular meetings, they switch clothes due to not being monitored because of client privilege. They also give each other prosthetic masks, bearing their resemblances. Craig leaves the prison and drive away with Wainwright’s car. The lawyer goes to Craig’s cell and hangs himself, but the prison officials found out about the ruse and warn Alex about Craig’s escape.
Craig goes to his family vacation home and uses another prosthetic mask to disguises as his deceased father. He visits his mother and forces her to let him access to their family’s overseas bank accounts and kills her. He the money to enjoy his freedom and travel around the world. Traveling between Iowa City, Chicago and Paris, he meets three women and kills them and sexually violating their bodies, and leaves clues at the scenes to frame the two killers called the DCAK. Despite seeing as amateurs, he messages one of them, Aaron Dennison and chat with the duo to keep in touch.
Later, he kills Nina Wolff in Washington, the judge who oversaw his trial and handed him the death penalty. He later meets with Aaron in front of Alex’s house and plans to attack the forensic psychologist. Alex chases Aaron down an alley and engages in an knife fight. While Craig coaches Aaron on how to attack Alex, the psychologist wounded and arrest Aaron, but is held at gunpoint by Craig, who begins to taunt him. Alex’s girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, shoots Craig and kills him. But he faked his death and vows to kill Alex and flees the scene.
Cross Country[]
After Alex kills Abidemi Sowande, the murderer of his ex-girlfriend and her family in Africa and arresting the accomplices, he gets a call from Craig and swears he’ll get Alex soon.
I, Alex Cross[]
At the end of the book, Craig calls Alex and congratulate him on finding Caroline’s killer, First Husband Theodore Vance and tells him to give him and his fiancée some time to rest before warning about his revenge.
Cross Fire[]
In the novel, it was revealed that Craig was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder while in prison and has an IQ of 149. Craig kills an FBI agent named Max Siegel and gets plastic surgery to look like the deceased agent. When he kills Siegel’s handler and goes to Washington, he is assigned to “The Patriot Snipers” case with Alex. Craig completes with Alex to beat him the case. Later, he copies the Patriots and another killer named The Number Killer. He stages the killings to be copycats to throw off Alex’s track. Craig later kills Sajiwa, the Number Killer, and “befriends” Alex after saving him fron of the Patriots.
After finishing the cases, Alex marries Stone and goes with to the beach with his family. Craig appears and reveals the truth to Alex before taking his family hostage. During the fight, Alex shoots Craig’s legs to prevent him from escape. Refusing to go back to prison, Craig shoots an oxygen tank and explodes, killing him and along with two cops and several paramedics.