John Sampson

In James Patterson's books, Sampson and Cross grew up together in Washington and became partners on the force. It's a brotherly friendship, and Sampson is practically family.

On screen, two actors have played him: Bill Nunn in Kiss the Girls and Isaiah Mustafa in the series Cross.

In Kiss the Girls, Sampson backs Cross on the case of the kidnapped college women. The two go with Kate McTiernan to California to watch Dr. William Rudolph.

In the chase at Rudolph's cabin, the killer gets away after shooting one of Sampson's men and wounding Cross. The pair head back to North Carolina and take part in rescuing the women held in the hideout.

On the show, Sampson is a D.C. detective and Cross's anchor as he grieves Maria. On the Emir Goodspeed case, he's the one who finds out Ed Ramsey made up parts of his past.

The two stop Ed from executing Shannon Witmer. At the end, Sampson burns the killers' handbook that guided Ed on a live feed, a message to anyone who'd want to follow in his steps.

During the hunt for Rebecca, Sampson sticks with Cross even as the case pits his friend against the FBI. In the finale, the two reach the Durand family farm in Iowa in time to dig the billionaire out before he suffocates.

When Cross decides to leave the force, Sampson is still one of the few allies he truly trusts.

In the books, Sampson is Cross's partner on almost every case and even got a book working solo, Cross Down (2023). One of the series' big secrets, revealed in Cross (2006), runs through him.