Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

In his fifth appearance, Garth Ryland, owner/publisher of the weekly Oakalla Reporter , leaves his small Wisconsin town to find former lover Diana Baldwin, missing since she went on a vacation in the North Woods with college professor Devin LeMay. To the distress of his friend and housekeeper, the slightly psychic Ruth, Garth's near-obsession with Diana leads him to Madison, back to a haunted house in Oakalla, to a lake in Minnesota and to encounters in each location with dangers both natural and, possibly, supernatural. Riggs's appreciation for the geography of the North is effectively revealed, along with a new and darker side to his likable narrator/hero, and a convincing exploration of the evil that man (and woman) is capable of; the intricate plot, which turns on the grim history of an old Oakalla family, though overwrought, is credible and has some surprises. Taken separately, the parts are in order, but they don't come together persuasively, making this a disappointing showing from a writer whose previous work is marked by focus and authority. (Nov.)