The Girl Who Disappeared Twice

At the outset of this exciting if pat thriller from Kane (Dark Room), White Plains, N.Y., family court judge Hope Willis is not only terrified by the kidnapping of her five-year-old daughter, Krissy, but also devastated, because the crime is identical to the kidnapping of Hope's twin sister 32 years earlier. To find Krissy before the unthinkable happens, Willis hires Forensic Instincts, a crack investigation firm whose private status allows its members to get around procedures that those in law enforcement have to adhere to%E2%80%94like warrants. Led by profiler Casey Woods, the Forensic Instincts team barrels into a snarl of suspects, secrets, and conspiracies. Smooth prose and engaging characters help offset some fairly obvious plot twists, a few of which stretch credibility to the breaking point. Also somewhat unbelievable are the near-infallible skills of Forensic Instincts' members and the willingness of dozens of police officers and FBI agents to let the team skirt legal boundaries repeatedly with no more than a harsh word or two of censure. (June)