Last year (2011) I discovered 3 mystery/suspense authors who write about death in Seattle (Washington). I live in Vancouver, BC so Seattle is not so far away making the killer quite literally next door.
Rick Mofina was a journalist for the Toronto Star (Canadian newspaper) as a crime reporter and many of his articles appear in many other publications around the world. He grew up in Ontario and now resides in Ottawa with his family.
This is the first time I have read Rick Mofina and I started with his Jason Wade trilogy (I did contact the author and he does not think that there will be anymore novels in the series) which takes place in Seattle.
Jason Wade
1. THE DYING HOUR (2005)
2. EVERY FEAR (2006)
3. A PERFECT GRAVE (2007)
I had picked up The Dying Hour as a freebie from my former job at a bookstore. While shopping at Costco I saw book 2 and 3 as a book bundle and could not resist. After visiting Seattle this year I decided to try this series and loved not only his description of Seattle but the life of a lowly crime reporter was realistic and grabs you from the beginning.
THE DYING HOUR
(Book 1)
Jason Wade is an intern in the running for a permanent position at the Mirror but stakes are high as his background is not as impressive as the other interns. He had been working at the local brewery with his alcoholic father and then put himself through community college. Hs mother left them when he was young and recently his own girlfriend left him. He has to win this position as he needs it to survive and keep his sanity. Then on the police scanner he hears about a car is found abandoned on the side of the highway with the driver missing. The competition begins….
I was intrigued with the case as much as Jason was – a woman just vanishing into thin air – there has to be more behind it. Jason is not only the underdog in this race for a permanent position but has everything – everyone – going against him. This was a great suspense/mystery novel.
EVERY FEAR
(Book 2)
SPOILER: This review may contain spoilers from THE DYING HOUR.
Jason Wade has been given the position at the Mirror but this does not mean he is accepted as he is still being shunned for his antics on the last case. Maria Colson and her baby son, Dylan stop at the corner store – while she runs inside she leaves her son with the young girl outside the store. Seconds later her son is being shoved into a van and Maria runs and jumps inside only to be thrown out and is now fighting for her life. Jason is put on the case only to discover that the couple have no troubles and no enemies. Jason’s dad, now a PI, comes across another murder that may be tied into Jason’s case. Grace Garner is the homicide detective in charge of the case and Jason’s new frenemy…all are running out of time.
I liked this novel better the previous book but felt like there was something missing. I cannot put my finger on it but I was not as satisfied in the end. The case of missing baby Dylan was great and the characters were realistic.
A PERFECT GRAVE
(Book 3)
3 STARS
SPOILER: This review may contain spoilers from THE DYING HOUR and EVERY FEAR.
Jason Wade is back and is still not friendly with the Editor and finds himself alone, yet again. A nun is brutally murdered but they cannot find anyone who disliked her. This case not only digs into the nun’s mysterious past but Jason’s father’s past comes back to haunt him. Jason and Grace who only went out for a short time are now unsure of how to be around one another. This leads them to keep secrets from one another which does not help with their case.
This is the concluding book in the Jason Wade series and it does tie up loose ends but I still want more – ha. Another great suspense mystery from Mofina.
I next want to tackle his Jack Gannon series!
Jack Gannon
1. Vengeance Road (2009)
2. The Panic Zone (2010)
3. In Desperation (2011)
4. The Burning Edge (2011)
NEXT: Coffee Shops, Grunge Music and Murder II (Gregg Olsen)
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