In Boston, a young woman finds herself pregnant—even though she is still a virgin. In Ireland, another young woman discovers she is in the same impossible condition. And in cities all around the world, medical authorities are overwhelmed by epidemics, droughts, famines, floods, and worse. It all feels like a sign that something awful is coming. Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun turned private investigator, is hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to investigate the immaculate conceptions. Even as she comes to care about and trust the young women, she realizes that both are in great danger. Terrifying forces of light and darkness are gathering. Stepping into uncharted territory where the unknown is just the beginning, Anne must discover the truth—to save the young women, to save herself, and to protect the future of all mankind. Cradle and All probes our most deeply held fears and hopes in a sizzlingly fast-paced and chilling story. This is James Patterson’s most brilliant suspense novel ever, written with all the extraordinary drama and overwhelming emotion that have made him a #1 bestselling writer all over the world. Cradle and All is based on an earlier James Patterson novel, Virgin, and includes scenes and characters from that book. Twenty-three years later, Patterson has penned over one-half dozen novels and has created one of America’s most memorable modern heroes, Alex Cross. With the publication of the bestseller Along Came a Spider in 1993, Patterson’s popularity as a mastermind of page-turning thrillers was set. Kiss the Girls followed and was turned into a major motion picture by Paramount starring the inimitable Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross. Patterson grew up in Newburgh, New York, fifty miles north of New York City where he currently resides. Valedictorian of the class of ’65 at St. Patrick’s, a Christian Brothers school, Patterson majored in English at Manhattan College. Patterson who says he lives full-time is also chairman of J. Walter Thompson North America.