Navy SEAL-turned-cop Joe Quinn is set on helping lover Eve Duncan find her missing daughter, which means going up against Eve's shady first love. This is the second of a trilogy begun with Eve; expect Bonnie in October. With a one-day laydown on July 12; buy multiples.

Half of this book details how Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn met over the disappearance of Eve's young daughter, Bonnie, and the other half picks up right where the previous title, Eve, in Johansen's new trilogy left off; Joe is in the hospital with stab wounds, and friend Catherine Ling is off chasing John Gallo, who may be Bonnie's killer. Although the title emphasizes Joe, much of the plot is devoted to Catherine and John's rocky new relationship. The quest by Catherine and John to prove his innocence leads them to Louisiana bayous, but plans spin out of their control before leading to a cliff-hanger ending. Fans following the Eve Duncan story will have to wait until October for the third volume, Bonnie. Although suspenseful and entertaining, this title lacks its predecessor's punch. The parallel but different stories do not feel as though they belong in the same book. VERDICT Lopsided, but an integral read for fans of Johansen's Eve Duncan series. [400,000-copy first printing.]—Amanda Scott, Cambridge Springs P.L., PA

Bestseller Johansen's thrilling second entry (after Eve) in a special trilogy featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan finds Eve at the hospital bedside of her severely injured longtime lover, FBI agent Joe Quinn. The story flashes back to Joe and Eve's first meeting, when he arrives at her Atlanta doorstep to investigate the disappearance of Bonnie, her seven-year-old daughter. While Eve devotes herself to the search for Bonnie, she also joins Joe in his quest for clues in the mysterious disappearances of other children. Joe hopes that their friendship, based on mutual respect and honesty, will lead to more. As Eve seeks relentlessly to find closure in Bonnie's disappearance, she deliberately puts herself in harm's way to lure the killer connected with the missing children out in the open. Suspense kicks into high gear as the killer strikes very close to Eve. As the novel fast forwards to a present-day search for another killer, the pulse-pounding pace will leave readers breathlessly anticipating the final installment. 400,000 first printing. (July)