His first published novel,
If Angels Fall was published in 2000 and introduced
San Francisco Star crime reporter Tom Reed and San Francisco Homicide Inspector Walt Sydowski. Inspired by real incidents, the story concerned a series of kidnappings. It was followed by
Blood Of Others, which author
James Patterson praised as, “Tense, realistic, and scary in all the right places.” The
Ottawa Citizen described Rick as “A writer clearly destined for literary stardom,” while Penthouse said he was, “One of the leading thriller writers of the day.” The book dealt with the disappearance and murder of a lonely San Francisco insurance clerk in a case that puts Reed and Sydowski on separate tracks in their pursuit of a killer.
No Way Back, the fourth Reed-Sydowski book, was released in 2003 and praised by
Michael Connelly as being, “My kind of novel — a tough, taut thriller.” In this story, Reed’s wife is taken hostage after a jewelry store heist goes awry with the murder of a SFPD officer. The book was followed in 2004 by
Be Mine, the fifth and final story in the series. A message in blood near a homicide cop’s dead body has Reed and Sydowski on the case of a killer obsessed with Reed’s fellow reporter Molly Wilson.
Dean Koontz said Mofina was writing, “A fine series of thrillers to which
Be Mine is a great addition: swiftly paced, entertaining, with authentic details of police procedure.” After five books — and two movie options on
If Angels Fall and
Cold Fear, which have since expired — the Reed-Sydowski series went on hiatus and Mofina launched a new series featuring Jason Wade, a rookie crime reporter based in
Seattle. For that book he drew upon his own experiences as a rookie student reporter at
The Toronto Star and later,
The Calgary Herald. The series debuted in the summer of 2005 with
The Dying Hour, which climbed to #7 on Canada’s best seller list (
Quill & Quire) and hit #1 among
Walmart Canada’s best sellers. The second book in the Jason Wade series,
Every Fear, features a story that “Pushes crackling suspense to the breaking point and beyond,” according to New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper. Rick’s third Jason Wade book is
A Perfect Grave. Mofina followed
A Perfect Grave with his first standalone book, the global thriller
Six Seconds, which contains a plot to assassinate the Pope. For that book, Mofina drew heavily on his sources who had actually headed a Papal Security Detail, and on his international assignments as a
newspaper reporter and his time as a
wire service reporter.
Six Seconds became a bestseller in the US, the UK and Canada, and has drawn praise from around the world. It was published in 12 countries and several languages, including German, Danish, Finnish, Turkish, Spanish, and Polish. After
Six Seconds, Mofina launched a new series featuring crime reporter Jack Gannon, who is introduced in
Vengeance Road.
Vengeance Road was followed by
The Panic Zone, another global thriller where Gannon pursues a plot to wreak havoc on the world with an engineered
contagion. The story was followed by
In Desperation where Gannon is contacted by his long-lost sister after her daughter's abduction. The book was nominated for Best Suspense/Thriller by
RT Reviewers' Choice. In the fourth and last book in the series,
The Burning Edge, Gannon is on the story of a single mom, hunted by killers after witnessing a deadly armored car heist. Mofina's next work was a standalone thriller,
They Disappeared. It was inspired by a true incident where Mofina got separated from his family at a crowded venue and couldn't find them for some time. Library Journal said: "Rick Mofina is one of the best thriller writers in the business."
They Disappeared was followed by another standalone thriller,
Into the Dark, in which a psychologist’s patient goes missing; while a grieving L.A. detective gets close to a killer. Mofina then wrote
The Only Human, a standalone fantasy novel for young readers. It’s the story of a 13-year-old-boy, who, as the descendant of a
stonecutter who created Manhattan’s
gargoyles, learns he is the only person who can remove an apocalyptic
curse on the city and the world. Mofina then launched another series introducing single mom and reporter, Kate Page, in
Whirlwind, where she chases the story of a baby abducted during a tornado in
Texas.
Whirlwind was followed by three other books in the Kate Page series,
Full Tilt,
Every Second, and
Free Fall. In 2017, Mofina released
Before Sunrise, a dark novella about a broken cop struggling with lifelong guilt after taking innocent lives in the line of duty. Mofina then wrote several more standalone thrillers starting with
Last Seen, the story of a Chicago crime reporter whose son disappears in a carnival house of horrors. In her praise of
Last Seen, author
Louise Penny said, “Rick Mofina’s books are edge-of-your seat thrilling. Page turners that don’t let up.” Next came
Missing Daughter, which charted on the
USA Today bestseller list. The story concerns the case of a 12-year-old girl who disappeared one night from her home without leaving a trace, until a stunning twist plunges her family deeper into a world of buried secrets.
Missing Daughter received the
Barry Award from
Deadly Pleasures Magazine for Best Paperback Original.
Missing Daughter was followed by
The Lying House, a story about a young couple that moves to Miami for a dream job when a terrifying
home invasion unravels everything they thought they knew about their perfect home and marriage. Mofina then released
Their Last Secret, the story of how three teens linked to a multiple murder are haunted throughout their lives by their crime. Next came
Search For Her, a novel about how a troubled family's cross-country move turns into a nightmare when their 14-year-old daughter vanishes from their
RV at a large
truck stop near
Las Vegas. In researching the book, Mofina followed the fictional family’s path and interviewed police in
San Diego, as well as police and the
FBI in
Las Vegas. Mofina’s next release was
Her Last Goodbye, slightly inspired by real events. In this story, a contractor in
Buffalo, New York, wakes to find his wife has not returned home from her suburban-neighborhood
book club meeting. Mofina’s next book,
Everything She Feared was inspired by several true-life murders, and in part, is an homage to
The Bad Seed, the 1954 book by
William March, whose work Mofina admires.
Everything She Feared begins with a teen taking selfies on a wilderness outing near
Seattle. When she falls at the edge of a cliff, the last thing she sees before plummeting to her death is Katie Harmon, the nine-year-old girl she was babysitting, looking down at her.
Everything She Feared landed at the #1 spot for bestselling books in Canada and is a finalist for the 2024
Barry Award for Best Paperback Original. For his next book Mofina again drew on real events. Talking to journalist colleagues working at major news outlets in New York City, and meeting in person with police at the
New York Police Department's
Central Park Precinct, Mofina created his thriller,
Someone Saw Something. When a six-year-old boy vanishes in
Central Park, his mother, a network news anchor and seasoned journalist, searches for answers with time running out. His work has received acknowledgment from authors including
James Patterson,
Dean Koontz,
Michael Connelly,
Lee Child,
Tess Gerritsen,
Jeffery Deaver,
Sandra Brown,
James Rollins and
Kay Hooper. He has appeared regularly on the TV documentary series
True Pulp Murder as a guest novelist. ==Works==