Mofina could win new fans with latest thriller
Ottawa author adopts global approach in this taut tale
Rick Mofina has built up quite a catalogue of successful thrillers over the years. Add one more title to that collection.
They Disappeared is a taut and engaging chase across the Big Apple during a major meeting at the United Nations. It successfully wraps in a believable story about a troubled marriage and a terrorist, which may offer a warning to anyone contemplating a breakup: Don’t do it out of town.
Mofina, who lives in Ottawa, is well known for his procedurals featuring the reporter Jack Gannon.
But he breaks out of that mould with this novel. However, judging by other reviews, this book is similar to his other works in its attention to the details of police work and the criminal act.
Mofina, as anyone who knows his work is aware, is a former police reporter and that training has stood him in good stead in the writing of crime novels. (A confession: we worked together a decade ago. Funnily, this is the first of his books that I have read).
But judging by his book list, this is a slightly different take for Mofina because he is stretching his plot onto a more global stage.
The novel starts with a neat little twist worthy of Alfred Hitchcock.
A family on vacation in New York City is picking up their bags from the airport when they grab the wrong packsack. Instead of finding their son’s paraphernalia inside they discover the possessions of a man who was transporting a key piece of equipment required to detonate an explosive device.
The courier tracks the family down because, like all good tourists, they included a contact note in case the bags were lost.
Thus begins a few days of intense drama as the courier is killed by the men who were expecting him to deliver. These terrorists chase after the family and kidnap mother and son.
The distraught father goes to the police but, frustrated by their procedures, he sets out on his own to track down the terrorists and rescue his wife and son.
Meanwhile the cops are chasing bigger fish. They realize that the kidnapping is connected with a larger plot to attack a world leader. As the tangle of pursuit grows, the plot clips along.
Eventually, through blind luck and doggedness, dad finds out where mom and son have been taken. And the case is cracked, cue the happy music.
There isn’t much about this book that I don’t like except for Mofina’s penchant for creating a fake disgruntled Russian republic. Frankly, there are plenty of angry real republics. But in the scheme of things, that’s not a big problem.
If you’re a fan, you’ll like this one. If you’ve never tried Mofina’s work, pick this one up like I did and enjoy a new author to follow.
If you want to know more about Mofina see his website at rickmofina.com.