Review: No Way Back

No Way Back by Rick Mofina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

No Way Back is a perfectly mediocre crime thriller by author Rick Mofina. The plot is, though sometimes implausible, straightforward and easy to follow; the structure is sound; and the background on the news business seems to have been well-researched.

When the story begins, Ann is in a local high end jewelry store picking up a custom piece she has ordered for her husband. Suddenly, armed gunmen storm the shop. When the dust has settled, one police officer is dead, the getaway driver has been seriously wounded and the gunmen have disappeared—taking Ann hostage. At the scene is local star reporter Tom Reed, anxious to get a jump on the story. He crosses police lines to try to get an interview with the store clerk, who is still clutching Ann’s receipt. When Tom asks for the hostage’s name, the clerk hands him the paper—a receipt signed by Ann. Tom Reed’s wife. Ann Reed.

The remainder of the book details Ann’s trauma as she is dragged across state lines, her husband and police always a step behind. The structure here is both interesting and unique. Each time an event occurs to further the police investigation, the narration becomes an episodic third-person retelling. For example, assume a note from Ann, in which she begs for help, has been found. Some authors might have a character call the police and explain the circumstances surrounding the discovery, thus introducing this aspect of the story. Mofina, however, favors showing rather than telling. He takes readers into a hotel and allows them to “watch” as Ann hides that note. He then later includes a scene that follows a cleaning woman and an electrical contractor into that room, where the note is picked up. This pattern is repeated as the story unfolds. It reminded me of the opening segment of Law and Order—where characters who find the victim appear in a scene that leads to the discovery, then are rarely seen again. Here, it was an approach that broke the monotony of pages in which little happened.

Finally, I have to give credit to the author for the obvious research he did relative to the news business. The jargon and terminology lent an air of authenticity to the piece that otherwise suffered with the holes in police procedure and character development alike.

Overall, the book failed to impress—thoroughly an average read.






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