The Last Temptation

The disappearance of a child from a town outside Atlanta uncovers unsavory activities both past and present in Finger’s uneven second Moriah Dru/Richard Lake mystery (after 2010’s The End Game). When 12-year-old Kinley Whitney and her mother vanish in the midst of a contentious custody fight between her divorced parents, Judge Portia Devon appoints ex-cop Moriah Dru, who specializes in finding missing children, to locate Kinley. The mother, Eileen Cameron, has a history of drug problems, whereas the professor father, Bradley Whitney, has unexplained sources of wealth and ties to a mysterious men’s club in Atlanta. When Moriah travels to Eileen’s Palm Springs, Calif., home to meets her second husband, film director Arlo Cameron, Arlo is remarkably unconcerned about the whereabouts of his wife and stepdaughter. While a slew of colorful characters maintain interest throughout, situations that strain credulity and an overly obvious clue pointing directly to a killer will disappoint some readers. (July)