EVERY MISSING GIRL

The investigation of a child trafficking case is put on the back burner when a detective’s niece goes missing in what he can only hope is a coincidence.

FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck and Denver Homicide Detective Adam Taylor cross paths once again after working the murder of Kendall’s best friend. This time, their two specializations (Adam: dead guys; Kendall: kids) dovetail when a shooting at a Colorado minimart leaves several bodies behind and a child vanishes into thin air. It doesn’t seem like there’s much to learn except that a good Samaritan believes the missing girl may have been the victim of trafficking. As he explains to Kendall, the previously not-dead guy at the minimart didn’t exactly look like the fatherly type. But the trafficking suspects close ranks before Kendall and Adam can get started, and the two are still trying to figure out what to do next when the unthinkable happens: Adam’s niece, Frankie, goes into the locker room after a hockey game and never comes out. The hours counting down at the beginning of each chapter indicate a limited amount of time for the investigating duo to find Frankie still alive, and that time dwindles as they keep hitting dead ends. Though the case is close to home, Adam’s brother, Mark, and sister-in-law, Poppy, have no information to share. But Poppy’s evasiveness puts Adam on edge, particularly when Mark reveals similar concerns about his wife. Surely Frankie’s absence couldn’t be related to the broader child trafficking Kendall and Adam are investigating—because, if it were, the danger could be worse than anyone imagines.

The characters’ amiability and competence make the final act sting, though seasoned readers may be expecting it.