By: Rick Mofina
Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya
Harlequin Audio
ISBN: 978-0778305439
Publisher: MIRA
Publication Date: 04/30/2024
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
APR Featured #AuthorElevatorSeries
A missing child is every parent’s worst nightmare.
For journalist Corina Corado, it’s a terrifying reality.
When six-year-old Gabriel vanishes from Central Park, his mother, news anchor Corina Corado, is desperate for answers. Who would take her son—and why?
Detectives suspect there’s a connection to the barrage of hate mail Corina’s received over the years. In her line of work, it’s not unusual for agitated conspiracy theorists to send messages that threaten violence…or worse. But as the investigation deepens, the secrets that Corina, her husband, Robert, and her stepdaughter, Charlotte, have kept start to unravel.
As the truth behind Gabriel’s disappearance emerges, Corina must race the clock to track down her missing child…before paying the ultimate price.
About the Author
Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over Los Angeles with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He's also reported from Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, the Caribbean, and Kuwait's border with Iraq. His true-crime freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Telegraph (London, U.K.), Reader’s Digest, Penthouse, Marie Claire, The Moscow Times and The South China Morning Post, (Hong Kong). He has written more than 30 crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly 30 countries, including an illegal translation produced in Iran.
His work has been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Louise Penny, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Lisa Unger, Heather Gudenkauf, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper.
As a two-time winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award, and the Barry Award; a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “One of the best thriller writers in the business.”
Rick Mofina lives in Ottawa, Canada.
Connect with Rick
Interview with International
Bestselling Author Rock Mofina!
Exceptional Authors. Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
Behind the Book & the Author
Welcome to the second April 2024 #AuthorElevatorSeries—and joining us for the first time is a personal favorite, special guest internationally bestselling author Rick Mofina with his thirty-second book—the highly anticipated standalone thriller SOMEONE SAW SOMETHING.
Join us as Rick shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes exclusives from the book and up-close and personal fun moments from this award-winning author!
WELCOME, RICK!
About the Book
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for SOMEONE SAW SOMETHING?
RM: Six-year-old Gabriel Corado vanishes from Central Park and nothing appears as it seems to his family, the NYPD, and those who believe Gabriel never belonged to his family at all.
Q. SETTING: Tell us more about the book setting and why you selected it.
RM: It had to be New York City given the professions of the main characters involved, Corina Corado, a network news journalist, and her husband an engineer who helps build Manhattan’s supertall condos. And it had to be Central Park, blocks from where they live.
Q. RESEARCH: Any fascinating research for the novel, or anything you learned along the way?
RM: Conversations with two friends currently working at major news organizations in New York City enlightened me on the demands, realities and risks facing journalists today. My on-site research in Central Park, including interviews for the book with the New York Police Department at their Central Park Precinct, helped me tremendously.
Q. WRITING: Do you have a favorite chapter or scene in the novel you enjoyed writing the most?
RM: As disturbing as it is the opening movement of the book. The prologue takes you into the heart and mind of Corina Corado, a seasoned, world-weary reporter. I have been in similar places but nothing to the degree of what Corina has seen. Still, I drew upon my own from my reporting around the world, and mixed it all up with my imagination.
Q. FAVORITE THING: What is your favorite thing about your standalone novel?
RM: Almost like in real life and from my experiences as a journalist, you come in, meet people at most dramatic times in their lives when they’re experiencing the most dramatic situations. You get close then move on. But some stories stay with you forever. I hope to give the reader a sense of that with Someone Saw Something.
Continue reading below for more about the author.
About the Author
FAVORITE THING ABOUT WHERE YOU RESIDE?
We live in the city but near a forest with a pond.
FAVORITE FLOWER?
Rose.
IF YOU WERE STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR ALONE WITH ONE CELEBRITY, AUTHOR, OR CHARACTER— WHO WOULD IT BE? (Male or Female)
Thomas Harris.
THE FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER READING THAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME AN AUTHOR—THE ONE YOU CANNOT STOP THINKING OF.
The Cat in the Hat.
FAVORITE HOLIDAY OR SEASON?
Summer.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WISH READERS KNEW ABOUT YOU?
I’m shy.
FAVORITE READING FORMAT?
Hardcover
FAVORITE TV SERIES? (Or Movie/Video) binge-watch, series, etc.?
Tie: Mary Tyler Moore / Seinfeld / King of Queens
MOST MEMORABLE PLACE YOU HAVE TRAVELED?
Africa.
IF YOU WERE GRANTED 3 MONTHS OF UNINTERRUPTED WRITING TIME—WHERE WOULD IT BE?
A Busy Urban City
WHEN YOU RECEIVE A SPARK OF INSPIRATION FOR A BOOK:
Make a few quick notes on a pad or device.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE?
In my head.
NAME A BOOK TITLE ON YOUR BOOKSHELF OR NIGHTSTAND THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOUR READERS?
The Last Tycoon.
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
33 and counting.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HORROR MOVIE (OR LOVE STORY)?
The Exorcist.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Other people.
INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT?
Introvert.
YOUR FAVORITE SANDWICH?
Clubhouse.
Thank you, Rick, for spending time with us today!
Praise
"A taut, harrowing read, with explosive twists and turns combining with genuine, heartfelt moments of one family confronting their worst nightmare and fighting back." —Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Mofina expertly weaves together an anguishing story of a family’s trauma with a propulsive, twisty thriller that pays off to the very last page.”
—Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author
“Focusing on the family’s agony and quest for the truth puts the reader directly into the story, and the final payoff is terrific.”
—Jeff Ayers, advance review for FirstCLUE
“One of the best thriller writers in the business.”-
—Library Journal
My Review
International bestselling author Rick Mofina returns following Every Thing She Feared (2023) with his 32nd novel, a standalone riveting thriller, SOMEONE SAW SOMETHING.
In this complex, multi-layered, gripping crime thriller/domestic suspense, the son of a journalist/news anchor is kidnapped in Central Park as dark, hidden secrets emerge.
Corina Corado is a busy mom, a news anchor, and an international journalist. Her husband, Robert, an engineer, is delayed on a flight/meeting, so she called her 16-year-old stepdaughter, Charlotte (Robert's daughter with his wife, who died years earlier), to pick up their adopted six-year-old son, Gabriel, from school.
Gabriel was excited about a plane he had built with his father and talked his older sister into walking through Central Park on the way home so he could fly his plane.
Charlotte agreed and loved her little brother. However, she was distracted momentarily by texting her older secret boyfriend, Vince (which her parents disapproved of). When she looked up, Gabriel was gone. How could he have disappeared?
Frantic, she locates the cop in the park, and the authorities are alerted immediately. The mother and father are also contacted. Charlotte blames herself, and their life soon falls apart. Everyone casts blame.
Central Park was a vast labyrinth of roads, paths, lakes, lawns, and darkened woods with hidden realms. There were all kinds of dangerous people out there. They must find him! Why hasn't someone seen something that would help them locate their boy?
An intense investigation begins. Detectives suspect there may be a connection between all the hate mail Corina has received over the years and agitated conspiracy theorists. There was media abuse when Corina interviewed a husband and wife team who led a controversial group known for extreme views connecting to disturbing conspiracy theories.
They accused Corina of stealing Gabriel (back story here), stating she was the Queen of Lies, from relentless social media to altered photos and manipulated videos accusing her of every imaginable evil linking her to child stealing and more. However, she thought all this had died down.
There is also another storyline involving Robert. He is keeping dangerous secrets. Corina and Charlotte also have secrets, and her boyfriend, an Uber driver, is involved.
Corina is accustomed to reporting the news, and now she is in the news with many negative opinions and feedback. As a well-known international journalist, she has threats, and they most recently paused their extra security. Is the kidnapper someone with a grudge against her, a random kidnapper, or something else?
Where is Gabriel, and who took him? Motive? In a race against time, they must piece together the mystery puzzle pieces with many suspects before it is too late.
Engrossing and captivating, this is every parent's worst nightmare: a missing child with two high-profile parents and a small, young, innocent boy.
Absorbing, chilling, intense, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. You need to figure out who to trust or believe. An intricately plotted ticking time bomb in a race to find an innocent boy.
Mofina is a professional, former international journalist, crime writer, and bestselling author who has an insider's view of the dangers and challenges of journalism globally.
SOMEONE SAW SOMETHING expertly explores family trauma, dangerous secrets, strong familial bonds, and a determined mother's love while overcoming all the negative media and conspiracy theories.
Character-driven, the tension and suspense mount as the author shines and weaves a twisty, sinister tale that is unputdownable! A fitting title for this brilliant crime thriller from a seasoned author that will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning. I highly recommend it! Loved the Epilogue.
This book is for fans of Michael Robotham, Linwood Barclay, Lisa Unger, Fiona Barton, Michael
Connelly, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and James Patterson. Library Journal calls Mofina "one of the best thriller writers in the business."
INTERVIEW: Stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries chat with Rick, where we will go behind the scenes of the book and this talented author.
Thanks to MIRA Book and NetGalley for an advanced digital review copy.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: April 30, 2024
