Full Tilt

By Rick Mofina

A life-and-death race against time

Deep in the woods of upstate New York a woman flees a blazing barn. She is burned beyond recognition, and her dying words point police to a labyrinth of "confinement rooms"—rooms designed to hold human beings captive—where they make other chilling discoveries.

In Manhattan, Kate Page, a single mom and reporter with a newswire service, receives a heart-stopping call from a detective on the case. A guardian angel charm found at the scene fits the description of the one belonging to Kate's sister, Vanessa, who washed away after a car crash in a mountain river twenty years ago.

Kate has spent much of her life searching for the truth behind her little sister's disappearance. Now, a manhunt for a killer who's kept a collection of victims prisoner for years without detection becomes her final chance to either mourn Vanessa's death—or save her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Feb 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781474027861

Rick Mofina

Rick Mofina is a former crime reporter and the award-winning author of several acclaimed thrillers. He's interviewed murderers face-to-face on death row and patrolled with the LAPD and the RCMP. His true-crime articles have appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Reader's Digest, and Penthouse. He's reported from the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, Qatar, and Kuwait's border with Iraq. For more information, visit www.rickmofina.com.

Reviews for Full Tilt

[belvaw_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very suspenseful book full of many twists and turns. The story, even though a little far-fetched, was interesting and grabbed your attention from the beginning. I will be checking out other books by Rick Mofina as I have seen his name but I don't think I have read any of his books. I will also be anxiously awaiting his new releases. I would recommend this book to fans of suspense.I was provided a digital copy of this book by Netgalley.

[mikedraper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ready for a page turner with excellent suspense and supersonic tension? Rick Morina's "Full Tilt" is right on the money.Kate Page is a reporter with "Newslead," the newswire service. The agony of her sister, Vanessa's loss is with her every day. Kate was with Vanessa when their foster parent's car flipped over and crashed into a river. Their foster parents were killed and little Vanessa's hand slipped through seven-year-old Kate's frozen fingers and Vanessa was carried downstream. Her body was never found.Kate has a renewed sense of loss whenever she would speak to grieving parents in the process of her work.One day, she gets a call from police in upstate New York. An item of jewelry has been found that Kate described to the Children Searchlight Network. A police department upstate found the item, a Guardian Angel chain. They want Kate to identify it if it's the same one she described her sister as having.What is important about the chain? Kate's parents gave one to each of the girls with their names engraved on the charms. Since Kate began work at "Newslead," Kate has specialized in stories of missing persons, serial killers and runaway children.Kate travels upstate and identifies her sister's charm. two bodies had been found, one was a woman badly burned and a man with a suicide note. This opened an official investigation when there are complications regarding the suicide note.What results is a manhunt as more victims are discovered. Each victim is another person Kate fears might be Vanessa. When it isn't, she feels sorry for the victim's family's loss and Kate fears that the time to save Vanessa or mourn her death, is near.A terrific novel but with over one hundred characters, it was a task to keep track of who they all were and how they were important to the story.

[bookdivasreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kate Page suffered devastation after devastation as a child. Her happy family was torn apart when her parents died in a hotel fire. She and her younger sister were bounced from one family member to another before winding up in foster care. Her foster parents then died in a tragic car accident. That same car accident also took the life of her younger sister, Vanessa, or did it? Evidence found at a murder scene points to the possibility that Vanessa may have survived the car accident. Is it possible she survived that tragedy only to become the victim of a sadistic rapist and murderer? What do you do if you think your long presumed dead sister is the victim of a serial abductor/murderer? Well, if you're a news reporter and Kate Page you report on the story and launch your own investigation to uncover as much information as possible about the murderer. The more Kate uncovers about the life of this twisted killer, the more she places the life of her sister, and possibly herself in peril. Kate's investigation and reports place her on the hit list of the killer. Will the killer be able to exact his revenge against Kate? Will law enforcement be able to find Vanessa before it's too late? Full Tilt was a fast-paced suspense thriller read and the second book in the Kate Page series (Whirlwind is the first in this series). I found the characters to be wholly realistic and the action believable. Kate's investigation takes her all across the United States and Canada. I did find parts of the ending to be somewhat predictable, but it did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. Mr. Mofina provides an amazing cast of characters that include: Kate, Kate's daughter Grace, Kate's bosses - Reeka Beck and Chuck Laneer, various other news people, assorted law enforcement officers in the United States and Canada, Viper the computer hacker, the victims, and the killer. I really liked Kate and could appreciate her unwillingness to abide by the restrictions placed upon her by law enforcement and her employer when it came to finding her sister. If you're looking for a taut, well-written suspense thriller to read, look no further; add Full Tilt to your TBR list or simply grab a copy to read as soon as possible.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just like all the other books I have read by the very talented, Mr. Mofina, this book was a quick read. In fact, I would say that Mr. Mofina and his books are like crack (addicting). I have grown closer to Kate. It was good to come full circle with Kate and her sister's disappearance. Which by the way, Kate got backbone! I liked the way she stood up and fought for her place against her superiors. In fact, Kate is really the one I give all the due credit to in solving the case and the truth about her sister's disappearance. The killer and the reason behind the case was not really a focal point and therefore, I found this a little disappointing. Also, the killer was not a strong voice in the story. So for these factors is the reason I gave this book 4 stars than my normal 5. Although, I can't wait to read the next one.

[garyseverance-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rick Mofina's new novel, Full Tilt, has many of the parts that readers of thrillers look for: kidnapping, investigative reporting, detective work, police procedures, a deranged killer, multiple US and Canadian settings, expert computer hacking, and psychiatric/FBI profiling. The main character is Kate Page, a successful journalist with a personal history dominated by the loss of her parents and baby sister. Kate is likeable, smart, and dogged in her pursuit of news stories. These characteristics help her in her pursuit of the biggest story of her life.The novel is written in a realistic style that is simple and direct making it easy to read quickly. The reader's interest is maintained by many surprises and tense scenes while graphic descriptions of violence are kept to a minimum. This is a good airplane or beach novel because the reader can keep track of the activity of main and secondary characters even if there are interruptions. In general, the themes of thriller novels are limited, but there seem to be unlimited combinations and permutations of them that are exciting and fun to read. Mr. Mofina has plenty of experience writing thrillers, with 16 of his previous novels listed next to the title page in Full Tilt.