A Conspiracy of Faith, Adler-Olson - B

                                         In the third Dept. Q novel, the author appears to hit his stride. It's not as over-the-top funny nor as compelling as the first one, but is a much better story than the second.  It is a solid police procedural with interesting plot points along the way; a book that knows its place and goes about its business. Dept. Q is handed a case from Scotland, where a bottle with a note inside it has washed up.  Examination reveals a Danish connection that helps lead Carl and his team to a thirteen-year-old kidnapping.  The kidnapper targets large families with an evangelical religious connection, and takes advantage of each sect's tendency to keep everything, even kidnappings and murder, within their own group and away from the police.  The case is successfully cracked and is resolved with a good ending.