Whirlwind

Kate Page #1

by Rick Mofina

An anguished mother loses her baby in a deadly storm…

A kind stranger helps Jenna Cooper protect her baby boy when a killer tornado rips through a Dallas flea market. But in the aftermath, Jenna can't find her son or the woman who'd been holding him.

A journalist under pressure breaks the story…

Upon discovering the tragedy, reporter and single mom Kate Page, battling for her career and trying to hold her life together, vows to determine what happened to tiny Caleb Cooper.

A vortex of life-and-death forces…

As the FBI launches an investigation amid the devastation, Kate uncovers troubling clues to the trail of the woman last seen with the baby—clues that reveal a plot more sinister than anybody had imagined. Against mounting odds, Kate risks everything in the race to find the truth…before it's too late.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row in Montana and Texas, flown over L.A. with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He's also reported from the Caribbean, Africa and Kuwait's border with Iraq. His true-crime freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Telegraph (London, U.K.), Reader’s Digest, Penthouse, Marie Claire and The South China Morning Post, (Hong Kong). He has written more than 20 crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly 30 countries.

His work has been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Louise Penny, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Lisa Unger, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper.

The Crime Writers of Canada, The International Thriller Writers and The Private Eye Writers of America have listed his titles among the best in crime fiction. As a two-time winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award, a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “One of the best thriller writers in the business.”

Series:
* Tom Reed and Walt Sydowski
* Jason Wade
* Jack Gannon

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2003): Blood of Others

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mighty almighty! I’m breathless and pumped up. What a whirlwind of a story. It lifted me up, left me hanging in the air before crashing down to earth when it all ended. Up there I enjoyed the fireworks crackling from the tense atmosphere this book created. The crash was from having to end this magnificent story, but I immediately felt better when I discovered this is a series! It couldn’t be better, since I fell in love with the brilliant, wonderful reporter Kate. Can’t wait what comes up next, and will never forget this extraordinary tale of love, desperation and suspense. Haven’t read it yet? Then you have a treat waiting for you.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd book in a week! Im on a roll!

Whirlwind is your standard thriller that centers around a baby's abduction at a flea market in the midst of an EF-5 tornado. Yeah, I know, it sounds ridiculous. Frankly, it is ridiculous, but it's also a pretty fun ride.

I have come to really enjoy Rick Mofina over the last few years and Whirlwind is my latest Mofina read. It's well paced, with sympathetic characters and features a cast of miscreants displaying various levels of sleeze to earn a buck or two.

While it isn't an earth-shattering story, (frankly at times it reminds me of Raising Arizona-which is fine by me since it IS one of my favorite movies) it is a quick, thrilling ride that I've become accustomed to in a Rick Mofina book.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive! Tornadoes, a baby abduction, baby selling, drugs, ex-cons, gangs, Russian gangsters, law enforcement at all levels and news reporters are all woven together in one twisty-turny plot. As each chapter ends and another begins, pieces of bigger puzzles are revealed as each smaller one gets solved. So much happened and I don't want to thoroughly ruin it for the next reader, but I have to say if you like action & suspense as well as following a case and all the angles and possible dead ends that come with it as the various agencies work their ends ... then this book might well satisfy your curiosity. I've read other books by this author and have enjoyed all of them thus far.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whirlwind is a spectacular, adrenaline, thrilling, edge-of-your seat read! I could not stop reading this book. I was right there for every emotional moment with Jenna and Kate as they rushed to find Jenna's baby boy, Caleb.

Mr. Mofina makes all of his characters come alive. This is why he is one of my top favorite authors of all time. Whenever I pick up a new book from him, I know I should block out time and plan on not doing anything else until I have finished reading. This is what happened with this new book. Again because I fell for Jenna and Kate, I was cheering for them. Well especially for Kate. She did not let anyone tell her what to do and she was not afraid. She was a real go-getter. The tornado just added to the story and the intensity. I can not wait to read the next book.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whirlwind is a non-stop, edge of your seat, thrilling ride! The title thoroughly befits the story!
The novel revolves around Kate, a news journalist, and Jenna, a young mother desperately trying to find her baby boy in the aftermath of a vicious tornado.
Enter a paroled convict and his unstable girlfriend, a Russian crime lord, child abduction and murder which lead to fantastic plot twists and page-turning intrigue.
An exciting and interesting cast of characters and a great storyline makes Whirlwind a 5 star read for me.

[Jenifer Mohammed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this well plotted out and exciting story. It wasn't the hard boiled thriller I had expected but I enjoyed reading about Kate and the impact of such a severe tornado on so many different people as well as the exciting subplots re: child abduction and the spillovers from that. Enjoyable read!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent start to a series and completely exceeded my expectations. I love the way Mofina ties off all the details at the end, unlike so many series, where the story ends so abruptly you are left thinking that the author only wrote it to sell the next book. This is perfectly complete as a stand-alone novel, but Mofina is a master at leaving you wanting more! Tons of action, interesting characters, and an engrossing plot. A fast read I could barely put down! Kate Page is a kick-ass journalist (with integrity!) I'll be looking forward to seeing more of in the next installment.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-stopping from nearly the first page, this exciting thriller stampedes at the pace and implacabiity of an onrushing, inescapable tornado.Talk of can't-put-down page-turners, here it is, the newest in author Rick Mofina's reporter Kate Page series.

[Marie Laporte · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna Cooper was shopping at the Old Southern Glory Flea Market. She enjoyed shopping at the flea market and even though her husband Blake had recently gone to work, the time he was laid off put the family in a financial bind. Jenna was bargaining with the owner of one of the stalls. The woman asked Jenna the ages of her little ones. Jenna responded that Cassie was four, almost five, and baby Caleb was five months old. A young woman at the end of the stall commented to Jenna that her little girl was beautiful. Then the young woman asked again if Caleb was five months old. The young woman came over, leaned over Caleb's stroller, and continued to make remarks about his age and his looks. Jenna noticed a man at the end of the stall that seemed to be with the young woman.

Jenna decided she needed to get Caleb fed but first was going to look for a lamp she saw a little earlier. About that time, the wind started up and people began running for shelter. Just as she managed to get Cassie into a rain jacket and the canopy down on Caleb's stroller, the crowd began to be peppered with golf size hail. A man in the crowd just hung up his phone announcing that his wife was east of Lancaster and a tornado had hit. He said he had to go find his wife and everyone should take cover. Suddenly an old man noticed a school bus spinning around hundreds of feet in the air above the flea market.

The children were terrified and Jenna was sure she couldn't make it to her car. The nearest building seemed to be her best hope of shelter. Suddenly the redheaded woman who had spoken to Jenna and talked about the children was beside her and along with the man Jenna had seen earlier, was directing her to a safer area. Jenna held tight to her children but suddenly she was struck on the head by something and blacked out. When Jenna came to Cassie was there but the baby was gone.

Kate Paige is an intern reporter at the Dallas headquarters of the global news service, Newslead. Dorothea Pick, the bureau's news editor, was not a fan of Kate and Kate was having a rough time getting her stories past the editor without the stories being chopped to pieces. In spite of her own problems, when Kate hears Jenna's story she is determined to find out what has happened to baby Caleb.

Kate begins to uncover a plot so sinister that unless something is done and done quickly Caleb may be lost to his family forever. The FBI begins an investigation but Kate continues to follow her own instincts and is determined to get baby Caleb back with his family where he belongs.

This is a fast moving novel that grabs the reader and doesn't let go. Mofina has written a powerful story that keeps the reader on edge all the way.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start to an interesting series.

Kate Page is a reporter, currently battling 2 other interns trying to win a permanent spot at the news outlet. She discovers Jenna whose baby disappeared during a storm when they were shopping at the market. What happened to Jenna's baby?

The main story line is really intriguing. You learn after a few chapters what happened to Jenna's baby, but it's quite a journey getting to the part where they end up finding the baby. There was a lot of additional plots that I didn't totally enjoy, but thankfully it all wrapped up nicely and the stories ended up connecting.

Whirlwind to me is a perfect 3 star novel. It had some things that I really enjoyed, but there were some things that drove me crazy. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read the next novel!

[Judie Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but I was wrong. I loved it.great story line, and exciting believable characters. The whole story seems to be narrated by a woman who is trying to make her way as a news journalist. I had to look back and see that the author was a man. this book has everything--a vicious tornado--a child abduction--murder-mahem-international intreigue and then some. A real page turner.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thriller featuring reporter Kate Page is quite a ride. In the midst of a tornado, Jenna Cooper loses her five-month-old son. Great plot to keep the pages turner. I'm looking forward to reading the next one. Guess we'll see what Kate gets up to next.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Fast Paced Thriller, so much so I didn't want to put it down till I Finished the Book... Absolutely AWESOME!!!

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[RJ McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read and thoroughly enjoyed several Rick Mofina novels, sadly Whirlwind isn't one of them. And I'm sure that will put me in the minority, considering it has been nominated for Best Paperback Original Novel, 2015.

Jenna, mother of two, shopping at a Dallas Flea Market is caught in a deadly tornado. Briefly knocked unconscious, she awakens unable to locate five month old Caleb, and only faint memories of the young woman who was holding him.
Desperate and near panic she meets a local reporter, Kate Page, who sees her chance to secure a permanent job in this tragedy, turned human interest story. Seizing the opportunity Kate, a single mom, struggling with ghosts from her own past, offers to help Jenna search for baby Caleb.

There are several threads of stories going on within this book, the tornado and the aftermath, the kidnapping of baby Caleb, the Russian mafia grandfather searching for his dead son's child, the reporter and the death of her sister... Any one of these could have made an excellent book with Rick Mofina writing, but something happened here, this one just didn't come together as most of his books have. Despite the characters being in such emotional situations, I never felt an emotional connection to them. Although most of the story is told from Kate's perspective, periodically it switches to other characters. I went back and forth on this, in the end I would've preferred the entire story be told by Kate, because the information gleaned from the others doesn't add enough to the story to compensate for the interruptions in flow. There just always felt like something was missing. I continued reading, thinking I would become invested in the story, form an attachment to at least one of the characters, unfortunately neither came to fruition.

[Kate McDougall Sackler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this fast paced thriller. It seemed like a routine babysnatcher story, but then it became so much more. Shady black market surrogacy, the Russian mafia, tornados, ex-con druggies, cutthroat reporting. A wild ride.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting and easy to read. liked the main character.

[genevieve ferlatte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quel belle découverte, un excellent roman. L’histoire est fluide et rapidement j’ai embarqué dans cette intrigue.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely read this type of book. A few things happened. It popped up in a notification for my e-reader that it was on sale for under $2, so I always give the plot summary of those a look. Also, one of the prompts for the 2020 Read Harder Challenge is a book about a natural disaster. So, put 2 and 2 together and you get me reading this.
The writing isn't fancy, but it's clear and effective. My main issues with the book are too many characters are introduced unnecessarily. Several times a new chapter starts from the point of view of new character, a scene unfolds, and in the next chapter is rendered completely pointless. Example: a private detective is hired to find out info at a hospital. A scene between the detective and a nurse occurs; he now has some information for his client. In the next chapter, said client, having been given this information by the detective "off camera" if you will, summarizes what the detective found out in one sentence, making the previous chapter completely moot. The addition of the multiple points of view doesn't add anything beneficial to the story. All it does is make the book about 100 pages too long and the story would have had a lot more momentum without them. Also, the Russian grandfather subplot started with potential but ended anticlimactically, to say the least. And reporter Kate Page unfortunately wasn't interesting enough to make me want to seek out any of her further adventures.

[Valleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking at all of the fabulous reviews on Goodreads I can see that I'm in the minority with my opinion of this book. I guess Whirlwind just wasn't my kind of book. There were a lot of storylines and I didn't feel as though any of the characters were fleshed out enough in order for me to really care about them. The graphic violence was too much for me, too. I liked Kate (the reporter) but I personally felt that the entire storyline about the Russian crime boss could have been left out. I wish I had found this book to be unputdownable, as others did. 😕

[Jean St.Amand · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb. Stupid. Ridiculous. Stupid. Dumb. Eye rolling. Stooooopid. Terrible. Crap.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

free ebook

she is a reporter with a little girl. she left her daughter with her friend and went to tx to intern for a job at a paper for 3 mths hoping to get a good job to raise her daughter

but the woman and man bosses are fighting with each other. the woman is a B and she is trying to get her friend to get the job so she sabotages the stories the lady wants to write. the friend of hers is a B too. why is there always one no matter where you work? i HATE people like that
but she is lucky the man boss likes her and is helping by keeping things fair

a tornado came to a swap meet. a mom with a baby and young daughter were there, her husband a trucker was on his way back from alaska
a woman and man told her how cute her son was and when they tried to find shelter they helped her with the baby. she got hit on the head and when she woke up her daughter was there but not her son or the couple

the reporter is following her story (the other lady tried to steal it but the man boss told her to go with it)

meanwhile a man out of prison owed money and found a woman willing to surrogate a baby so they could get the money. he told her it was for a business but he has to pay off the bad people he owes and he plans to leave her after getting the money. they are the ones that stole the baby and hope to pass it off as her baby which she had a miscarriage but she has to give them a baby or pay back the money they gave her for medical care

a bad man in russia had his 3 sons murdered. he found out his last gay son had left semen to make a baby and he is trying to get a grandson

he found out the baby was still born

the lady got her baby back

the reporter got fired, but she got a better job in ny with the boss she liked

i would read more of this series

[Danielle Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story begins in Texas just before a devastating tornado hits the area. As the tornado comes, people in an outside market flee for shelter. A young woman with a small child and a baby runs with the crowd. A friendly couple offer to help by carrying the baby for her. By the time the tornado has gone, the woman cannot find her baby or the couple. Rescue workers assume the child may be among the casualties. Come to find out, the result is not what they think. Meanwhile, Kate, a young reporter is "interning" to compete for a job with 2 others. She races to break the story. As a young mother herself, who suffered a loss of her own, she has great empathy for the other woman and tries to help her find the baby. However, Kate is torn between what she feels is the right thing, and breaking the story to win a position with the news company. This book has multiple stories revolving around the couple with the baby. Everything is intricately woven together to a big finale. As I read about the pressures coming on to Kate from her bosses and the other reporters, I am reminded why, in my opinion, the press is no better than a bunch of dirty nasty slugs. All they want to do is to stir up the pot and watch their mess inflict pain and suffering on others.

[Jacob Peled · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. It is somewhat difficult to pin down to a single genre, but I would say that the dramatic element clearly dominates. The novel incorporates components of action thrillers.
It features the Russian mafia, local police in Texas, the FBI, drugs, American crime organizations, and journalists with a conspiracy story in the background. There are vivid descriptions of extreme weather damage and natural disasters. Even the President of the United States plays a small part in the mix.
numerous twists and surprises, a fast pace, and vivid, gripping descriptions of events. The transitions between characters and locations are executed flawlessly.
This is the second book by Rick Mofina that I have read, and like the first, it is excellent. There is no greater pleasure than discovering a new author who perfectly matches your taste, especially when you realize that he has written many books.
The previous novel I read was Free Fall, which was outstanding and highly recommended. I was also pleased to learn that this book is the first in a series (currently 4 books) centered on a journalist protagonist. As a result, it is clear to me that my next read will most likely be Full Tilt.
This book deserved a 6-star rating .

[Susan Handley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whirlwind by name, whirlwind by nature – this book has more twists and turns than a tornado. When Jenna Cooper finds herself with her two young children in a Dallas flea market only minutes before a giant twister hits, she has no idea just how devastating its impact will be. Kate Page is an out of work journalist, interning at a global news company, when the storm hits and finds herself covering Jenna’s story. On the other side of the planet, things are afoot with a Russian mobster, who learns he has a grandchild in the US — the last of the family line — and decides he needs to bring it into the fold.
The different strands of the stories are interlaced well, the characters are well crafted and the writing style is slick and easy to read. I read this book quickly and generally enjoyed it. My only complaint is the number of coincidences (that just happen to prolong the luck of the bad guys) and the believability of the story in general. I get that the author wanted push the good guys to their limit, but for me it almost went beyond my limit of credibility. But other than that, it was a cracking read.

[Dee Rockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not going to do a summary of the story because you can get that from the book or some other reviews. I’m just going to tell you my thoughts on the book.

This is the first book I have ever read by Rick Mofina. Truthfully I only found it because it was in my Nook $2.99 & under sales corner. What a bargain!

I had never head of the author or any of his books before that. So I went into it not really knowing what to expect. I was so happy to get a mystery and psychological thriller at the same time. For starting out so tentatively I found I couldn’t put it down. I’d promise myself I was just going to read a chapter or two and I’d look at the clock and realize an hour and half had gone by!

I feel like this story would pull on the heartstrings of anyone but it hits especially hard being a parent. I could actually feel the fear and heartache and a few times my heart was just pounding. It did jump around a bit at first but Mofina has a fantastic way of weaving all these seemingly separate parts into one satisfying conclusion.

I personally loved Kate Page as the main character and can’t wait to read more of the Kate Page stories. This book totally sold me on her and on Mofina.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This is the first book in Mofina's Kate Page series and I enjoyed it very much. Page is a reporter who is trying out for an intern job with an International reporting service and has moved to Texas, leaving her daughter behind in Ohio with friends. She has three months trial to win the job and has two other contenders for it and a manager who obviously wants another candidate to get the job. A massive tornado hits an area in Texas with many casualties and Kate is the first person on the scene. She discovers a young woman with her daughter looking for her baby son who is missing. Sensing that there is more to the story, Kate reports on the woman and her missing son. When it appears that the baby was taken by supposed Good Samaritans, this breaks to a huge story. But the more Kate investigates, the more she is stymied by the woman at the bureau, and the more dangerous the situation becomes for Kate. A very good thriller and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Rosemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting crime drama with lots of interconnecting parts and various POVs, although the main POV is that of reporter Kate Page. I really liked how the author took what could have been a simple story and made more complex. I liked Kate, and you were able to feel sympathy for some of the "villains" in the situation.
One of the drawbacks of the was the amount of fake-outs the author used, like every good mystery story is allowed one good fake out, but if that technique is used too many times it just feels extraneous and a waste of the reader's time. I wish the whereabouts of the baby had been kept a secret for a longer period of time, us as the reader knowing that the baby is okay, and being taken care of, kind of kills the suspense. Also, I wish the Russian story had actually lead somewhere, that felt like a bit of a red hearing

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and Half Stars

A fast paced read, which is best enjoyed by not thinking too hard about all of the moving parts. Mofina's background as a reporter really showed in his no nonsense, just the facts, style of writing. Also he loves to impart lists of unimportant "facts" about characters you only meet once or twice, while completely neglecting to fully flesh out his main prognostics who are little more than a collection of unfortunate events from their past. While I was entertained by the story, I felt nothing for any of the characters or anything that they went though. The author definitely prefers telling over showing.

The ending was kind of anti-climatic. Since all of those storyline are so separated, nobody but the reader knew the complete list of people trying to find the missing baby, there is no big revelation where are intrepid reporter Kate gets to see the big picture. Maybe that's how it goes in real life, but this is a book that isn't really going for realistic.