As Howie searches for Aria, he begins to realize that he never knew the real woman at all. Most of what he now learns paints the picture of an ambitious, obsessed woman who would stop at nothing to advance her career as a journalist. Her investigation of a local men’s group points towards motives for her disappearance, and when a client hires Jack and Howie to investigate the group as well, Jack soon has Howie going in “undercover”.

The group is suspicious for several reasons. To begin with, there are the hints of shady financial dealings involving large sums of money. Added to that is the mysterious death of one member while the group was having one of their weekend ceremonies in the mountains. The man disappeared, and none of the other members of the group had any explanation as to his fate. Consumed by his worry over Aria, Howie now has to figure out what these weirdos are all about while coping with a bunch of new age mumbo jumbo about sharing feelings and becoming a “real” man.

I liked Howie and Jack, and I liked the writing, but I didn’t find this story particularly compelling. The setting and bits about the main characters’ background were in many ways more interesting than the actual mystery. The surprise twist at the end worked (I didn’t see it coming at all), but I didn’t care all that much about the missing girlfriend’s fate or the bad guys’ maneuvering. Smoothly written, mildly entertaining; not one that makes me want to rush out and read more.

--Jeri Wright