Last Resort: A New Joe Dillard Novel (Joe Dillard Series)

The New Joe Dillard Novel. A young girl vanishes without a trace in the dead of night. Was her menacing absentee father involved? Or did something even more sinister occur? In the tenth installment of the best-selling Joe Dillard series, Joe finds himself turning 50 and on the brink of despair. His involvement in his law practice has tapered to the point of near retirement. He spends his days with his wife, Caroline, who is finally succumbing to the ravages of cancer after a decade-long battle. His son, Jack, is struggling with alcohol abuse and self-loathing after accidentally killing a young mother while protecting the woman he hopes to marry. Joe is nearing the end of his rope. When the girl goes missing, Joe learns she is a member of Jacks little league team. Her disappearance derails his already teetering son and starts a ticking clock. If shes not found within 48 hours, the chances of recovering her alive dwindle to nearly zero. Joe knows this, so Caroline charges him with finding her. As the investigation ramps up, law enforcement quickly zeroes in on a likely perpetrator. The identity of the prime suspect hits closer to home than Joe could have possibly imagined, adding frantic urgency to his quest to find the girl. Pratts richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a faade of vulnerability. (Publishers Weekly)