Customer Reviews

If Angels Fall

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is really a very good book. I picked it up three days ago and couldn't put it down. It's a wonderful potboiler/page-turner about a deeply troubled man who starts snatching kids in San Francisco, with the story hinging on the clock-is-ticking attempts by homicide detectives and a crime reporter to catch the bad guy before he strikes again. From the very first chapter, the story is full of fast-paced, plot-driven suspense and some very well drawn characters, particularly Tom Reed, the cop reporter and Walt Sydowski, the veteran homicide cop. The author has an excellent grasp of newsrooms and police investigative techniques. He cuts to the truth about reporters and the way they do their job, how they detach themselves from a subject and how mercenary they are in pursuit of a story, even in the most awful of circumstances. Tom Reed is the book's hero, but one with his own set of personal flaws. The books takes the reader inside the homicide squad, and gives excellent detail about how cops solve crimes. The San Francisco setting is used to great effect. This novel is full of cool, unexpected plot twists. The story hangs together beautifully, right down to the final pages, with Mofina working in little bits of new detail with every progression in the plot. It's a first novel, and a fine one.

Having had the wonderful opportunity to meet Mr. Mofina when he came into my store to do a signing, I had decided to read this book before meeting him, so I could spread the word on the title and the story before his arrival.

Wow.

First off, this book is packed with Mr. Mofina's background in criminal reporting. The crime, the police, the journalists, all of them spring to life and are very plausible. Moreover, he handles not only the adults with skill but grants us a realistic use of youth and children - something many writers fail to accomplish.

This book is a page-turner. I started it and finished it in one sitting, unable to put it aside. The cliff-hanger had me on the edge of my seat (literally), and the story was deeply moving. You can feel for someone who has lost his children, even when he has snapped and now wishes to get them back through murder... Sympathetic villains are hard to do, but Mofina does it well.

I hear word of a sequel, and can't wait to see it.

When I ordered IF ANGELS FALL it was because I was looking for another new author I could add to my list of favorites. Well, I definitely found one. Rick Mofina is a genius, and this book is simply awesome!

The plot is gripping and the characters seem to jump off the pages at you, making it impossible to put this one down. I loved the way he made the whole story come together and unravel in front of my eyes so I couldn't even guess how it would end. I loved this book, and will of course read all of his others now.

If you love a good crime novel full of suspense and intrigue, I highly recommend you buy this book now. I promise, you won't regret it!

If Angels Fall came as I highly recommend read, and I was not disappointed. I was hooked by the second page of this well written, gripping, terrifying crime story. Mr. Mofina's years of experience as a crime writer certainly were evident; his main character Mr. Tom Reed,(a crime reporter) has a depth of character that one could only create by living and breathing the job. The other characters were all well developed, three dimensional people that you could immediately empathize with which added to the intensity of the novel greatly.

As a mother, the plot line was horrifying, yet I could not stop reading. The evening after I starting the book, I sacrificed a good nights sleep, locked all the doors and stayed up until two a.m. to find out what happened; I just HAD to know....

I'm looking forward to Mr. Mofina's second novel.

For more than a decade, Rick Mofina was one of Canada's top crime journalists. Now with the publication of his first novel, If Angels Fall, Mofina is well on his way to becoming one of North America's top crime fiction writers. As a journalist, Mofina was a conscientious craftsman and storyteller par excellence. Now he's transferred those skills to the fiction arena. If Angels Fall is a tightly written murder/suspense novel whose protagonist, Tom Reed, is a journalist with a conscience. Mofina manages to take the chilling subject of child abduction and turn it into a eerily fascinating read. He's learned his lessons well by studying the works of novelists like Mary Higgins Clark. The scene is set perfectly in San Francisco. The plot is carefully constructed and the pace accelerates throughout the book. With an ear for the catchy phrase, the book's dialogue, along with some idiosyncratic characterizations, carries the story right to the end. It's a page-turner. In a profile for his hometown newspaper, Mofina said that for now, his book stands on paperback shelves near the works of King, Koontz, Patterson, Deaver, Kellerman and other legends in book stores across North America. So it should. It belongs there. Mofina has signed a contract for two more books during the next couple of years. As he becomes a seasoned novelist, be confident readers can count are more bestsellers from this hard-working, insightful writer.

If you are someone who enjoys a great suspense ficton don't miss out on reading If Angels Fall by Rick Mofina. Once you start reading this book, you will not want to put it down until you know how it ends. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and does not let you relax for a moment. The plot it thick and twisty and will not disappoint you. Mofina's background as a crime reporter certainly comes through with full colours and details. I am truly looking forward to his next book - can't wait. Treat yourself to something special and take time to read this book. It is something you owe to yourself. I understand that the book has been optioned for a movie - I can't wait to see the action on screen - WOW Gen

I found If Angels Fall to be a great, evenly paced read that delivers high suspense right up to its heart-pounding conclusion. Veteran crime reporter Rick Mofina obviously brought the depth of his journalistic experiences and writing talents to bear in this murder mystery, set in the foggy fiords and steep sloping neighborhoods of the San Francisco Bay area. Mofina's accute social observations are skillfully woven into the plot line to create a thriller of rare intelligence. Mystery buffs will not be disappointed by Mofina's first novel. We can only hope he will return soon with another book, perhaps even a series, with the hard-bitten, Rolaids-chomping homicide detective Sydowski in the lead role.

Fun,Compelling,Tight.

This novel is a fun voyueristic look at the inner working's of an investigation,not just of a missing child,but of the mind and heart of these individual's so passionate about life.This story is a great example of how crime fiction should be written. I enjoyed the fast paced ,and intuitive style of Mr. Mofina and would read another one his projects ,without hesitation.

This is a great suspense story. A real fast read. Make sure you have nothing else to do before you pick up this book. I can't wait for the next book by Rick Mofina.

This was an odd read for me - and I don't mean that in a bad way. I enjoyed the novel tremendously. I loved the plot line, and the development of the characters. I especially appreciated how Mofina seemed to accurately capture the thoughts and mindset of young children caught in a tense situation. My only criticism is in the way Mofina seemed to line up successes all-too-conviently for the antagonist, Edward Keller. Especially near the end of the novel when Keller encounters nine-year-old Zach Reed on his way into a hobby shop. But, this is a minor point. This is not a "must read" novel, but it certainly made for an entertaining read and does keep the reader hooked until the very end. It very well could make for an entertaining movie as well.