“Mofina’s books are edge-of-your seat thrilling.”—Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author“A gifted storyteller.”—Library JournalA missing daughter, a family with secrets, a race for the truth… vanishes from her family’s RV, turning their cross-country dream of starting over into a nightmare.
Investigators have their work cut out for them. The massive, bustling truck plaza in the desert is the perfect place for someone to disappear—or be taken.
Detectives pursue every chilling lead as all eyes fall to the newly blended family with a tragic past. With the clock ticking down on the likelihood that Riley’s alive, suspicions run deep. Everyone—from Riley’s mom to her stepdad to her stepbrother and her ex-boyfriend—has something to hide. And their secrets could prove deadly.
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Wow this is an intense page turner! This is my first book by the author and will won’t be my last! At a truck stop near Las Vegas, fourteen-year-old Riley Jarrett vanishes from her family’s RV, turning their cross-country dream of starting over into a nightmare. Investigators have their work cut out for them. The massive, bustling truck plaza in the desert is the perfect place for someone to disappear or be taken.
Detectives pursue every chilling lead as all eyes fall to the newly blended family with a tragic past. With the clock ticking down on the likelihood that Riley’s alive, suspicions run deep. Everyone from Riley’s mom to her stepdad to her stepbrother and her ex-boyfriend—has something to hide. And their secrets could prove deadly. Thank you to NetGalley, Mir, and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.
SEARCH FOR HER by Rick Mofina is an intense domestic thriller by a new to me author that I am surprised I have not read before now. This is a standalone that will keep you turning the pages well into the night.
As a blended family makes their way in an RV on a cross country move, they decide to stop at the largest truck stop in the US near Las Vegas. Fourteen-year-old Riley is sleeping in the bedroom, so her mother leaves a note they will return shortly. When they check for Riley, she has vanished.
The investigation begins and every member of this family has something to hide. As the clock ticks down, their secrets could prove deadly.
I was in a huge slump with this genre and hating every domestic thriller I started feeling they were all the same and the plots were all based on stupid premises. Mr. Mofina has saved me with realistic characters and a skillfully plotted book that pulled me in from the first page. I believed I was reading a missing and abducted child thriller and then…BAM! The tight timeline and ticking clock were used perfectly to ramp up the tension and angst. All the characters are realistically drawn and have secrets in a plot with twists and turns that I did not see coming at all. I was completely engrossed in the investigation and very satisfied with the conclusion.
I highly recommend this new domestic thriller and I will be checking out more works by this author!
Somewhat predictable ending
Great author, always a good read!
Riley disappeared from the RV were she was on a trip with her mom, mom’s boyfriend and his son. Riley is angry with her mother for moving her away from her boyfriend Caleb and also for taking away her phone. She follows her family in to a trucks top and doesn’t come back.
Anyone in this blended family is hiding a secret. And it takes a long time to find out what really happened to Riley.
I was hooked from the start, even if the middle part was a little slow. But the twists and the surprising ending made up for it.
When 14-year-old Riley goes missing at a truck stop, her family is frantic to find her. Or are they? The longer Riley is missing, the more motives are unearthed for wanting her gone. Rick Mofina is a master at teasing with clues that tease but don’t reveal. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride even though I was surprised at the end. I was almost sad that the book ended because I was enjoying it so much.
Unputdownable!!! Edge of your seat. Take your breath away. Leave you thinking of these people long after you turn the last page.
Great story told very well.
One of Rick Mofina’s greatest stories! When I put this book down, I could not get back to it soon enough!
13-year-old Riley was accidentally left at a huge truck stop while her mom and step-father and step-brother were driving a rented RV to what was to be their new home. When they went to check on her in the bedroom of the RV, they discovered that she wasn’t there. They did a quick turn to go back but unfortunately they got involved in an accident delaying their return by several hours.
Investigators have their work cut out for them. The massive, bustling truck plaza in the desert is the perfect place for someone to disappear—or be taken.
Everyone—from Riley’s mom to her stepdad to her stepbrother and her ex-boyfriend—has something to hide. And their secrets could prove deadly.
What did happen to Riley? Did she get tired of fighting with her mom and just take off. Did she make arrangements to meet someone? Was she specifically targeted .. or just a random abduction? And what are the family members hiding … from the cops and each other?
This is full of action … angst … suspense from the get-go. What you might see as a typical blended family was anything but. They each have secrets …. but what would they do to keep those secrets from being held up to the light? As I have found from other books by this author, the characters are deftly drawn. The conclusion came as quite a surprise.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions are unbiased and entirely my own.
349 pages
4 stars
A blended family – father, mother, son and daughter – are moving to Pittsburgh from their sunny home in California. The daughter is Riley who is fourteen and nearly destroyed by leaving her boyfriend and other friends. She is very upset and angry. The teenage boy has secrets.
Riley is sulking in the bedroom of their rented motor home when the family stops at a huge truck stop in the desert. She doesn’t want to go into the convenience store. Back on the road, the family discovers Riley is missing and they frantically head back to the truck stop and cause a horrible pile up on the way. Although bruised, they report the missing girl to the police and the search begins.
The truck stop has cameras everywhere, so it is easy for the police to spot Riley. She fends off a creepy guy and the cops spend time looking for him, but Riley is not there. They follow other leads, but Riley is not there.
In a desperate conclusion, with lots of action the issue is finally resolved. Not necessarily to everyone’s satisfaction. The family has many secrets that are uncovered by the investigation and feelings are hurt. Surprises are brought to light.
This is a well written and plotted novel. I, too, was reminded of a true crime novel when I read this book. The reader is following in real time the investigation. While I didn’t care much for the characters in the story, I did enjoy reading it.
I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy on this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
The pages turn themselves in Search For Her.
Riley 14, has gone missing from a truck station.
The police are brought in right away.
Riley is from a blended family : her Mom Claire, her stepdad John and stepbrother Blake are devastated and frantic.
Each of them has their own secret. Secrets have a way of coming back to haunt you. At least these type of secrets will.
The search is thorough and the anticipation is there in every page.
What happened to Riley and who can you actually trust.
Getting to read a new Rick Mofina book is like a birthday present. I love all his books and Search for Her is no exception.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books, Mystery and Thrillers for a fantastic read!
Search for Her by Rick Mofina is a highly recommended twisty thriller
Grace Jarrett and John Marshall along with her daughter Riley and his son Blake are a blended family who are making a move across the country, from San Diego to Pennsylvania. Grace and John married two years previously after they both lost their first spouses and John a daughter due to tragedies. This move represents a big job advancement for John and a new start for the family, but 14 year-old Riley is upset about the move and being told to break up with her boyfriend, Caleb. Blake, seventeen, seems indifferent. As they start the trip in a rented RV, Grace confiscates Blake and Riley’s phones so they will see the scenery rather than being glued to their screens resulting in Riley angrily stomps off to take a nap in the back.
As they enter Nevada, they decide to stop at the Silver Sagebrush, a huge truck stop complex. Grace makes the decision to allow Riley to keep sleeping and leaves her a note as the family goes inside. They return to the RV half-an-hour later and continue the trip. Grace asks Blake to check on Riley, which he pretends to do and then says she’s sleeping. When Grace check a bit later, She realizes Riley’s gone. John frantically tries to find a place to turn the RV around to return while Grace frantically calls the Silver Sagebrush to start the search for Riley. They are heading back when an accident totals the RV. All of this sets into motion a frantic search for Riley who can’t be found at the truck stop as well as the exposure of secrets all the family members have been keeping.
Once the plot has been set into motion, the novel turns to part investigation and part family drama. There is no doubt that the intense drama and heart-stopping twists are all encompassing and will keep you glued to the pages. There are a few instances where you have to set disbelief aside, which you will easily do in order to follow the investigation. As a 14 year old missing from one of the largest truck stops in the country, she could be a prime target for all manner of nefarious deeds, so the main drama is the search for Riley. But you will also want to find out exactly what secrets the family is keeping since the existence of these huge secrets is teased all the way through the novel. The investigators question and look closely at the family members as suspects in Riley’s disappearance.
The character development is secondary to the action and suspense. They are developed, but it is all at a measured pace and based on keeping the drama, tension, and suspense moving along at a fast pace. Mofina knows how to deliver the drama and suspense and that is what will keep you frantically reading to the end.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/02/search-for-her.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3857775846
I tried to. Buy a book and suddenly it asks for a password I don’t have Then it gives me numbers that don’t work. I think maybe you don’t want my business
A terrible that lacks in character building, suspense, and every other category in which you find a book enjoyable
A school of red herrings
I have read quite a few of author Mofina’s books and I usually really enjoy his twisty, turny thrillers. But, in this case, it was over the top. There were so many red herrings I thought I was looking at a revised recipe for cioppino.
There were just too many twists and turns dropped into the story that didn’t lead anywhere. I wish some of that writing energy had been used in character development. I didn’t feel particularly close to any of the characters in the story.
I liked the premise of the story and the locations involved, just not the execution. This one weaker story from Mofina will not keep me from reading Mofina’s books in the future.
I received this book from MIRA Books through Edelweiss in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
SEARCH FOR HER….Rick Mofina
Riley was Grace’s fourteen year old daughter. Blake was John’s seventeen year old son. They were moving from San Diego, to Pittsburg. Crossing into Nevada getting out to stretch there legs, letting Riley sleep, Blake checked on her, and said she was still sleeping. Finding now he lied, she was gone. Paging and looking at the security cameras at the Sagebrush truck stop didn’t show her, then to find cameras were mostly live streaming and no back up.
A nightmare has begun of where is Riley,
To find people you thought were your friends, even those close to you, do you really know them. Lives were shattered from the untruths that were now being revealed. As they hunt for leads to where Riley maybe at.
Another gripping filled plot of emotions and how it could be so true
Given ARC for Joffe for my voluntary review and my honest opinion