Last Seen

by Rick Mofina

They are the perfect family. But perfection is fragile.

Cal Hudson knows the world can be an ugly place. As a reporter for a big Chicago newspaper, Cal has journeyed into society's darkest corners to expose the vilest crimes. But the world he and his devoted wife, Faith, share with their son is much nicer. They have made sure of it, creating a tranquil haven in suburban River Ridge to protect the person most precious to them.

Until the unthinkable happens, and nine–year–old Gage vanishes.

In a split second at a local carnival, the Hudsons' storybook world begins unraveling. A frantic search starts to uncover splinters in their carefully crafted facade, revealing buried secrets that cast just as much suspicion on Cal and Faith as any ill–meaning stranger, and proving that the line between love and violence can disappear as suddenly as a child on a chaotic midway.

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

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2018

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

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

A day at the fair. What could possibly go wrong? A young boy goes into The Chambers of Dread with his parents, but in the chaos of the carny attraction they get separated, his parents emerge at the exit, but he doesn’t.

This was not the right book to read the same day my daughter asked me to take her to the fair which is in town for a few weeks.

There are a lot of secrets in this story, and they kept me guessing until the very end. I didn’t trust anyone, not even his parents. I devoured this book and kept telling myself, “just one more chapter.” Eventually, I found the audiobook on Hoopla so I could at least be somewhat productive, because the suspense was killing me and there was no way I was putting it down. Toward the end, I did have to suspend disbelief a bit, but it was still a very engaging story overall.

This is exactly what I love about Goodreads, finding new authors I might never have discovered on my own. I had never heard of this author until I read TXGAL1’s review of this book and knew I had to read it. Now I’ll definitely be checking out his backlist.

[Kaceey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*
One of my favorite authors has done it again! A nonstop heart pounder, a ride that will leave you white-knuckled and breathless.

Oh boy! A day at the fair! Cotton candy, (my favorite) hot dogs and super scary rides.
Gage is your typical, thrill-seeking 9 year old. Right now, his buddies can’t stop babbling about the newest and gooiest attraction at the local fair. The Chambers of Dread. After some shameless binge-begging, he’s convinced his parents to take him. And now… The Hudson family is in for a big day, full of fun and adventure! That is...till Gage disappears.

The FBI have joined forces with the local PD in the search. No rock unturned, every witness and carnie interviewed. Inevitably, as the spotlight turns to the parents Cal and Faith, the search takes on a whole new dimension.

Are the secrets they’re keeping from each other really more important than their son’s life? Will Cal and Faith open up and come clean before it’s too late?

I’ve been reading books by Rick Mofina for years and have never been let down. If you’ve never read one, this would be a great place to start! You’ll be hooked! A highly engaging thriller you won’t be able to put down! Kept me guessing until I was… yup, completely out of guesses! Ha! Highly recommend.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Mira Books and Rick Mofina

[TXGAL1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They each grappled with the truth on their own: their lives would never again be the same, the degree of happiness they had once known now only as certain as a falling star.”


When you take your young children to a carnival or fair what’s the one thing you do? You tell everyone to ‘stay together’; ‘don’t talk to strangers’; ‘stay where I can see you’. What do you do when they are in your presence when they are LAST SEEN?

The Hudson family go to the carnival in town at the behest of 9 year-old son, Gage. Cal and Faith relent and take Gage for they would do anything for their only child.

Gage’s excited wish is to experience the haunted horror event. He has been dared by his friends so Gage just HAS to do it.

All three of the Hudsons go in, but only Cal and Faith come out. Where’s Gage?! Has anyone seen him?! Time is ticking away as his parents wait for Gage to come through the exit. They wait..and they wait…and they wait……

Mofina’s story kept me glued to the edge of my seat. Time was ticking, Gage was missing, and suspects alibis had to be checked out. I have no nails left for biting them off at the suspense!

Gritty, haunting and suspenseful.😰😖😱🤯

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

Usually I stay clear from kidnapping cases since they are so similar, but this really read as a thriller with revelation after revelation. But not only that, I felt for the parents and their raw emotions got to me. The writing was sometimes simplistic, but for me the focus here was on the plot and the writing made it easy to follow. I think mofina is a raising star for me!

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

In which a carnival attraction lives up to its billing as “The Chamber of Dread”!

In a closing afterword to MISSING DAUGHTER, Rick Mofina’s words, “As a former crime reporter, I have a basic understanding of police investigations” demonstrate his mastery of humble understatement. They applied to that novel and they certainly apply to LAST SEEN. But, whereas the investigation detailed in MISSING DAUGHTER told the story of a stone cold missing child investigation that had languished without progress for years, LAST SEEN details the high speed, frantic police and FBI hunt for a missing child begun within minutes of the child’s baffling disappearance.

Nine year old Gage Hudson vanishes without a trace, virtually under his parents’ noses, on a traveling carnival horror attraction. Cal and Faith Hudson notify the police immediately and the high speed hunt is on with Gage’s life almost certainly hanging in the balance. LAST SEEN is a gripping, and ultimately deeply disturbing, outline of the details of a combined police-FBI investigation that leads from the grounds of the visiting carnival, out of state, across the country, and beyond.

Rick Mofina is a recent find for this Canadian fan of suspense thrillers, especially those written by a Canadian author whose talents are so obvious. Bonus … I’ve got another title, THE LYING HOUSE, sitting very near the top of my TBR pile, awaiting my eager attention!

Paul Weiss

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, roughly 800,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States -- that's roughly 2,000 per day. Of those, there are 115 child "stranger abduction" cases each year, which means the child was taken by an unknown person.

This is probably a parent's worst nightmare .. "if" they didn't have anything to do with the child's disappearance.

Cal Hudson is a crime reporter. He's covered lots of stories, but never ever thought the evilness that exists in the world today would ever touch him or his family. Cal and his wife, Faith, took their your son to a carnival, And that is where the story begins.

The boy disappears with his parents standing right beside him. Then becomes the frantic search .. by the parents, police, carnies, family friends.

The FBI takes over and immediately starts questioning the parents. But it's when both parents fail the lie detector tests that change everything the police thought. Both parents have secrets ... both feel guilty .... both have done things that look really, really bad for them.

But where is their son? And who took him? Why?

Wow .. this is one of those books that you cannot stop reading! There are so many suspects ...all people who have a past, secrets, lies. From parents to carnies to family to friends ... they all are to be mistrusted. There are seemingly no clues to what happened...at first.

This is such a well written story with credible characters .... characters that finally turn away from each other and start pointing fingers. Disingenuous? Or heartfelt?

This is a story that will stay with you for a really long time.

Many thanks to the author / Harlequin / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars* (rounded up).

Cal Hudson is a newspaper reporter. Even though he and his wife Faith are devoted to their son Gage, Cal is always distracted, always thinking about the next story, the next big break. It does wonders for their marriage, as I’m sure you can imagine. One night, when Faith manages to tear him away from the job, they go to the carnival. While in a house of horrors, Gage disappears out of thin air.

The Police and the FBI get involved in the investigation and immediately suspect the parents. Cal and Faith have two choices, find comfort in and support each other or turn on and suspect the other. Everyone has a choice to make and when a child is taken, the gloves come off. When that happens, all I have to say, is watch out.

“Last Seen” by Rick Molina is a fast-paced, complex, dark and twisty thriller. While I enjoyed the novel, I had a hard time investing in the characters and was left a little disappointed by the ending. That being said, Rick Molina did a great job grabbing my attention with little morsels of wickedness that kept me enthralled throughout most of the book.

This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda and Kaceey. For all our reviews, please see the Traveling Sisters Blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com

Thank you to Edelweiss, Mira and Rick Molina for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Edelweiss and Goodreads.

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, at over 500 + pages this book is more of a tome. Yet, the best part about reading a book or tome from Mr. Mofina is that the time flies when you are reading. Right away the story started out good. There is the intense moment when Faith and Cal's son, Gage goes disappearing through the Chamber of Horror amusement attraction. This is where the story gets its first twist.

All of the characters are engaging as well as hold important parts in this story. The FBI actually acted like FBI. They were smart and did not let the suspect lead them on s wild goose chase. Plus, they picked up on things quickly. Luckily, there wasn't much down time as again this is a big book. The ending was good. Fans of Mr. Mofina will be happy with this latest release. New readers will also become fans.

[Rich · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a novel. I did not root for any of the main characters-they were very annoying , stupid, lying and dumb. I only finished this novel because of my morning commute. This novel was combination of days of our lives and payton place. This novel had a red-herring every 3rd page------must have been over 150 red herrings------very annoying-plus the main characters being very paper thin and a hard to believe story. Run away from this novel do not give it a spin.

[Yellagirlgc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gage Hudson goes into the Chambers of Dread with his parents but never cones out. Everyone's a suspect to the FBI and parents Cal and Faith aren't excluded. Right before the back and forth case becomes too much things start to come together. I was entertained through to the last page.

[Ted Lehmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Last Seen by Rick Mofina – Book Review

Last Seen by Rick Mofina (Harlequin, 2018, 544 pages, $9.99/7.99) opens with every parent’s nightmare. Cal and Faith Holden, their once fresh marriage beginning to falter on the shoals of his work as a journalist and hers as a publicist losing interest in him, have decided to attend the local carnival with their sensitive son, Cage. They enter The Chambers of Horror, a run of the mill fright house with ghosts, ghouls, killers, screams, lights, and gore. As they go from scene to scene they react the way people going through a well-done house of horrors, feeling the well designed fear and watching their son try to conquer his. They reach the exit go out, but Cage doesn’t come. They call in carnival staff, who obligingly shut down the house and search it thoroughly. No Cage!

After the opening set-up chapters (Mofina seems to specialize in short, punchy chapters catering to readers with short attention spans. The book contains 87 chapters plus an epilogue in 544 pages, an average of 6 ¼ pages per chapter,) the book turns into a complex police procedural using lots of short snappy interview sessions with first the local police and, later, the FBI, as the kidnapping of nine year old Cage becomes a national search and news story. Interrogations are realistic and believable, suggesting really good research or direct knowledge with writing about such crimes, or very good research into police procedure, but there’s something missing in the dialogue and the two characters as well. They seem a little on the cardboard side and Mofina’s portrayal on the never becomes truly engrossing. Nevertheless, the drama is gritty and sometimes gripping, and should maintain many readers’ interest. Little of the internal life of either of the two parents emerges, though. Mofina seems more comfortable writing about what they feel and think than allowing either of them to become real people, flaws and all, who readers care about.

One of Cage’s easily identifiable sneakers is found in a dumpster at a small strip mall as clues begin to emerge. A couple in the crew of the traveling fair emerges as they talk about their complicity, giving the reader a clue that doesn’t appear to have been revealed to any of the book’s characters. The FBI takes over the case as the suburban town’s resources are inadequate to carry the investigation forward and Malko, an FBI agent driven by the loss of a child years before, takes charge of the case. Despite the skillful emergence of plot twists further complicating the story and new, mildly interesting, characters, there’s still something missing.The story feels wooden, lacking in sufficient dramatic tension to keep it alive. It reads like a textbook written in dialogue form. You can almost see Morfina checking off the boxes to assure himself he’s touched on them as he fills in his plot outline.

Mofina is described in the web site Book Series in Order as “a Canadian author of crime fiction and thriller novels. Mofina attended Carleton University in Ottawa, where he studied Journalism, English Literature and American Detective Fiction. He went on to work as a journalist, working for The Toronto Star, The Ottawa Citizen, and, The Calgary Herald. He has been face-to-face with murderers on death row, covered serial killings, armoured car heists, cop killings and tagged along on a patrol with the Mounties near the Arctic.” He is the author of nine novels as well as a number of short stories.

As Last Seen moves along, it seems that Mofina manages to throw in a confounding clue just at the point where the plot is losing drive, yet the characters, particularly Cal and Faith never take on a sense of reality. There seems to be no character whose reactions or inner self reacts with genuine emotions, just names for emotions. There’s no real contact with them as people as Mofina writes about rather than drawing the reader in. No real sympathy or empathy develops for the characters as they move through the story, but never touching the reader with genuineness. Consequently, the story’s center never elicits deep compassion or concern. I never choked up when the characters cried or truly cared what would happen to them. Even the ending, which should have the reader’s heart pounding, feels contrived and formulaic. I wonder why I stayed through over five hundred pages to complete this one, and can’t really answer the question. Last Seen was supplied by the publisher through Edelweiss. I read it on my Amazon Fire.

[Barbara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by this author!

[Wardah Alramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… amazing story, amazing style of writing, and an amazing ending, I chose this book at random and I don’t regret it one bit.

[Tina Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nail biting suspense! Many twists and turns!! Very good can't go wrong with this author!!

[Lit Wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spoiler-free review
Read on In The Sheets

As a long time reader and fan of Rick Mofina's I was beyond excited to get my hands on this arc of Last Seen, his latest stand alone crime thriller that goes on sale Feb 27th.

Anyone who knows Rick Mofina's work is familiar with the usual 3 or 4 book series that follows a crime reporter working to solve various cases they become entangled with. In this new stand alone, a crime reporter's family becomes the case instead. 

Last Seen follows Chicago reporter Cal Hudson after the disappearance of his son, Gage. Together with his wife, Faith, they work with police against the clock to locate him knowing how crucial the first few hours are in any missing child investigation.

As things wear on, details emerge regarding both Cal and Faith forcing the investigation to take a dark and unexpected turn.

I was super happy to read something a little different from Rick Mofina and, to be perfectly frank, I think this is my new favourite book of his and potentially my favourite book so far of 2018. The year has just gotten started, but it's gonna be hard to beat. 

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one dragged on for me. Didn’t get exciting until the last 10 percent for me. The whole book is people getting questioned by the FBI. So every single person getting interviewed, the FBI agent blamed them. He never took anyone off the suspect list. I listened to the audio version and omg, all was ok until Agent Malco (sp?) spoke. I did NOT like the narrators voice for him. It sounded like a 90 yr old who smoked for 60 years. I kept wanting to say “cough why don’t you!” Sounded like a frog in her throat. Smh. Anyways, it was just ok

[Matt Odom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book plagued by an abundance of irrelevant characters and an underwhelming ending. The author seems to have gone to great lengths to portray investigative techniques in some respects and then totally ignores reality in others. IE the instant DNA results from the chain vs having to wait for those on the hat.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 This guy really knows how to write a missing child book. This is my second my him, and I could not listen fast enough. I think I cleaned the whole house and garage just to keep listening. I was riveted!

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book akin to slogging through mud in waders.

[Nattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was born and raised in Chicago, which was the reason why this book caught my eye. I think Rick Mofina needs to do some more research before he sets a book around a major city he so clearly knows very little about. In the author's note he admits he took creative license with police procedure and Chicago's geography. I believe there is taking creative license and then there is just making up stuff.

The ridiculousness of the author's "creative license" was so off-putting that I could concentrate on nothing else. There is no River Ridge, Illinois that I know of, and the main characters supposedly live there. I have no problem with fictional towns in books like Sweet Valley High, but it doesn't work so well for me in a book like Last Seen unless the setting is entirely fictional.

The Hudson family lives in River Ridge, Illinois. Cal Hudson says that he lives in a nice quiet West Side neighborhood. That I know of, "sides" are only a thing in the actual city of Chicago. I live on the Northwest Side for instance.

The story itself started off fine but quickly slid down the hill. The search for Gage became a real drag.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Last Seen" is a literal page-turner; I didn't want to put it down once I picked it up.

Gage begs his mom and dad to take him in the "Chamber of Death" at the local fair. Cal and Faith are reluctant, but they agree. When Cal and Faith come out the other side, Gage is nowhere to be seen. Soon, they're in a frantic search for their nine-year-old son ... and some ugly secrets start coming out over the course of the book.

This is both a suspense/thriller and a fair play puzzle, in that the clues are all there throughout the book. There is a definite element of the race against time, as FBI agents and police officers are concerned that Gage is statistically unlikely to be alive after the first four hours. The plot didn't resolve quite the way I expected, all the same ... so that was satisfying. Most of the characters were three-dimensional and believable, although a few of the subordinate characters were less well-developed due to their minor place in the plot.

Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

[Dave Wickenden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cal and Faith take their nine-year-old to the carnival and while together in the haunted house, he disappears. This sets off a race against time to find the child before he is killed. From local cops to the FBI, no stone is unturned, and no secret is safe, especially when a child is in danger.

This rollercoaster ride is a nightmare scenario for any parent and has the pages flying as we race to the last page to see who will live and who will die. The investigation is as traumatic as the kidnapping. Grab the book, find a comfortable spot and become consumed by this story.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every parent's worst nightmare...

I have been a big fan of Rick Mofina for a few years. I really like his style of writing - clear, concise, current.

In River Ridge, Illinois outside of Chicago Cal and Faith Hudson take their excited nine year-old son Gage to the carnival, where he wants to go through the The Chambers of Dread: America’s Biggest Traveling World of Horrors! His friends have dared each other to go to this attraction and, though nervous, Gage is excited too.

While Gage and his parents are in the attraction Gage disappears with no trace and Cal and Faith must deal with the police, the FBI and each other as everyone tries to find this young boy.

What we see as the story progresses is that everyone has secrets.

I loved the story, the in-depth character development, and the nail-biting suspense. The story kept me guessing throughout most of its pages.

I received this book from MIRA Books through Edelweiss in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

[Judy Sheluk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Rick Mofina, but it won't be the last. In a compelling story of a child who goes missing at a carnival, Mofina ventures beyond the initial premise to dig deep into the guilt and secrets of the parents and a marriage long on the rocks. There aren't many books I'd classify as "can't put down" but Last Seen is firmly in that camp. Highly recommended.

[Nuga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, the mystery surrounding the missing child is captivating and the setting is perfect.Weirdly, it's not fast paced but still thrilling.I thought the characters, especially the mother were a bit flat and the dynamic between the parents was not that believable otherwise it has all the right elements and a nice flow.

[Meghan L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun twisting and turning mystery! A boy goes missing at a state fair in Chicago. His parents are obviously distraught, but they each have a lot of secrets. A fun whodunnit.
Easy to read, well laid out, and fun!

[Carla Neggers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page-turner!

[Melissa Follett-Filice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally every parents worst nightmare when Cal and Faith's son Gage goes missing from the fair. The twists and turns and all the developments in the case keep you turning the page. I finished in 1 day I was so hooked. Definitely a must read.

[Cathy Elmose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author.