Customer Reviews

Six Seconds

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think I read more books than most people, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that I'm exposed to a lot of different writing; the curse is that I'm also exposed to a lot of the same writing. Among the many thrillers I read, it gets harder and harder for one to stand out. For example, Rick Mofina's Six Seconds is a decent suspense novel; if you don't read that many books in the genre, it will probably be a thrilling read; on the other hand, if you're really familiar with the genre, you'll find it offers not much that is new, even if it is a pleasant diversion.

The hero of Six Seconds is Daniel Graham, a recent widower who bears a degree of responsibility in his wife's death. Graham is on leave from his job as a Canadian Mountie when he almost saves the life of a little girl trapped in a raging river. She dies, but her dying words hint that the event that killed her family was no accident but murder. For Graham, clinging to any reason to go on, this gives him a mission that borders on obsession, as he tries to determine what happened.

Meanwhile, Maggie Conlin is also on edge; her husband, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a stint in Iraq, has disappeared along with their young son. He has hidden out in Montana with a new woman, Samara, who once saved his life. Samara, however, has an assassination plot in mind, one that involves the Pope's upcoming visit to Montana. It will take a while, but eventually, these two storylines will intersect.

For suspense novel veterans, a lot of the standard devices are here, and Mofina does an okay job with his material. There is nothing really wrong with the story and it moves along (even if the story is mostly suspense and very little cliffhanging action), but it also lacks anything that makes it truly special. If you don't read many thrillers, this is worth the read; if you do, it may still be worth it, but don't expect too much.

I am a big fan of "throwaway" thrillers like this book should have been. But I am perplexed by how people are only giving this book positive reviews (even Publishers Weekly!). It was terrible.

I'm not going to give you a plot summary--you can see other reviews for that. And I'm not going to give spoilers away, so don't worry.

When it boils down, this book was not well-written, the whole plot is obvious and not believable at all. Charecters get away with stuff that could never happen (note to terrorists: being on a satalitte phone with your handlers for hours at a time will get you caught, no matter how many security measures you have in place). Sure, suspension of disbelief is always necessary in books like this, but "Six Seconds" took it to the edge and beyond. The psychic subplot was out of place and lame.
Whoever here said there were plot twists--where exactly? The whole things was telegraphed from the beginning.

I guess I'll just stick with Brad Thor and Lee Child and Harlan Corbin etc. Their charecters are drawn better, their plot lines are more interesting and harder to figure out and their books are a lot more enjoyable.

Hold your breath while reading the latest thriller by Canadian author Rick Mofina. The opening prologue of Six Seconds will give you chills and sets up the novel for a relentless, mind-blowing resolution.

Samara is an Iraqi nurse who witnesses the brutal slaying of her husband and young son. Overwrought with grief, she is easily influenced by a terrorist group and becomes a willing pawn in an assassination plot. Samara manipulates Jake Conlin, an America contract driver suffering from post-traumatic distress, and convinces him to leave his wife and take his son to start a new life with her in Montana. Little does anyone know, she's planning on `going out' in a blaze of glory¯and she plans to take others with her.

When Maggie Conlin discovers her husband and son have disappeared, she teams up with Corporal Daniel Graham of Canada's RCMP. He's investigating the strange disappearance and subsequent murder of an American family holidaying near Banff, Alberta. Clues lead him to the small town of Blue Rose Creek, California, where the Conlins reside and where he meets Maggie. Fighting his own dark shadows from the past, Graham decides to help Maggie locate her missing husband and son.

In a terrifying novel that sweeps across countries and continents, Six Seconds is a story of war, vengeance and terrorism. It explores the war in Iraq and its damaging affect on everyone involved¯from soldiers to terrorists to the innocent¯and the repercussions that are felt long afterward. It's also the story of painful loss, guilt and redemption sought by people who are worlds apart and separated by culture and personal beliefs.

I'd recommend Six Seconds to anyone who enjoys rollercoaster-like suspense thrillers. Reading this novel is like watching a ticking time bomb. You know it's going to blow; you even know where and when, but all the while you're praying for some form of divine intervention. Rick Mofina has chosen a timely topic and added intriguing characters to the mix, creating a novel that is taut with tension, complex and disturbingly convincing.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Author of Divine Intervention

I, too, read MANY books, approximately 50-60 per year. This was the first book by Rick Morfina that I have read (it was given to me). My usual favorite authors are Lee Child, James Patterson, Andrew Gross, David Baldacci, John Grisham, Catherine Coulter to name just a few. In addition to FBI/Action thrillers, I also read many non-fiction books and have an extremely diversified background, as well as being an English major.

Morfina's Six Seconds was a true page turner that held my interest from start to finish. I was impressed with the way he pulled all the characters together for the final "event." It was tightly woven and most of the characters were well developed and believable. Yes, in one or two instances, the heroics were a little far fetched, but I think that is typical in many novels. I am definitely going to purchase additional Morfina books. Perhaps the plot was a bit too complicated for some readers, but I found it fascinating.

I'm hooked on Rick Mofina - started with his latest thriller: "SIX SECONDS". Extremely well-written and holds your attention from the very first page to the last (darn!). After this book I bought up all his previous ones and have read every single one within a short period of time. Why?? Because they're that great and ones you can barely put down and want them to continue on and on. I can't wait for his next one due out in September: "VENGEANGE ROAD". Mr. Mofina - don't ever stop writting your thrillers and keep them coming!!!!

This was my first book of Mofina's and I'll definitely be checking out more. The plot was convoluted enough to create interest in various stories running through the book. Mofina expertly wound the storylines together to come up with plot that enticed. Also seeing place names from the area where I live was rather neat. Yes, okay, indulgent to myself only! Character development was great. This is definitely a recommended book.

Not too deep, not too wordy, complex enough, likable characters: Six Seconds moves along at a breakneck speed. Perfect rainy weekend read! My high school students will love this!

In Blue Rose Creek, California Maggie Conlin arrives at her son Logan's school to pick him up only to learn her husband Jake already did; when she cannot find either of them, she learns he took their child and went into hiding. She is extremely anxious because Jake since his return home from Iraq where he was a contract employee has not bee the same as he was before he left. He has become paranoid with loud public outbursts including accusing Maggie of having an affair with Logan's soccer coach.

Jake is in Cold Butte, Montana with Samara, a nurse who saved his life in Iraq. She contacted him when she came to the States and is using father and son as a cover while completing her mission. She seeks vengeance ever since the despicable West murdered her husband and son.

Near Banff, Alberta, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Corporal Daniel Graham fishes out of the river Emily Tarver; before she dies she whispers: "don't hurt his daddy". He finds the bodies of her brother and mother. The father Ray is a free lance journalist working on a story of international scope. Due to bizarre circumstances Graham meets Maggie and they fly to Montana to retrieve her son and prevent a terrorist attack on the Canadian-American heartland.

Rick Mofina is a great thriller writer. His latest work is full of action and yet the main characters are fully developed even as the third person point of view changes from the distraught mom to the despondent RCMP officer to the PTDS suffering Jake to the embittered Samara. Thus the fast-paced story line enables the audience to understand what motivates the adults. Ironically though Maggie and Samara are antagonists, they share much in common especially as moms; many readers will conclude that if the American's child was brutally murdered she would be the victim turned terrorist. Thus the key to this strong work is making Samara an empathetic character doing wrongs because she has been wronged. Mr. Mofina is at his best with the superb character driven SIX SECONDS; as that is all it takes to destroy a person's world.

Harriet Klausner

I was lucky to get an advance review copy of Six Seconds. This is Mofina at the top of his game in terms of plotting and twists. The story ranges from Iraq to California when Jake Conlin, a trucker, returns from a contract job in Iraq a changed and troubled man. His wife, Maggie, hopes that time will ease the tensions and problems, but that is not to be. Jake has been followed by the woman who saved his life in Iraq, and she has other plans for him. Plans that include manipulating him until he takes his son and disappears.

In another part of the country, a cop rescues a little girl from a raging river and is the only one to hear her final words. It is a message that sends him on an investigation that leads to a school in Montana where an event may take place that will change history.

These stories converge in a breathtaking attempt to stop the plot to change the world in Six Seconds.

The drama and tension in the story hold the reader, even though there are places where there is too much description and some dialogue that goes on a bit longer than necessary. Thankfully, these are not major issues and when the story picks back up again it is a thrill ride.

I found this thriller to be well written and gripping. It actually made me cry at one point! I also liked the way that it wasn't full of gratuitous violence and swearing - there is swearing, but only used in context, and the violence was when the story called for realism. Rick Mofina depicted his characters well and with understanding. Although it doesn't condone terrorism in any way, he does give an insight on what might turn a kind and decent individual into an extremist. Not easy reading when it deals with Iraq but a thought provoking and moving story.