Free Fall

Kate Page #4

by Rick Mofina

"A terrifying race against time as airplanes start falling out of the sky for unknown reasons . . . The kind of thriller that keeps you up late." —The Big Thrill
High above the Adirondack Mountains, a commuter flight to New York City turns into a rolling, twisting nightmare, plunging from the sky before the crew regains control. Then, in London, a jetliner crashes into the runway, killing fifteen people.
Reporter Kate Page believes something beyond mechanical—or human—error is behind the incidents that have air investigators baffled. But the mystery deepens as teams scramble to pinpoint a link between the tragedies, and Kate receives an untraceable message from someone boasting responsibility and threatening another event.
As Kate, the FBI and the NTSB race to find answers, the shadow figures behind the operation launch their most devastating plan yet, and time ticks down on one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known.
"Journalist Kate Page, one of Rick Mofina's best characters, is back in this high-paced novel with a scary theme . . . Mofina is at his best here with technical knowledge and a solid investigation underpinning a plot that we can all connect to. Do not read this one before getting on a plane." —The Globe and Mail
"A chilling account of two airliners making routine flights but losing control as they approached their landing sites . . . a complex suspense thriller . . . a pulse-pounding story." —Mysterious Reviews

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

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2016

About the author

Rick Mofina is a USA Today, Globe and Mail, and Toronto Star bestselling author of more than 36 crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly 30 countries. A former journalist, he has interviewed murderers on death row, flown over Los Angeles with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He has also reported from the Caribbean, Africa, Kuwait and Qatar.

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. He is a two-time winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Excellence Award, a winner of the Barry Award winner, and a multiple finalist for the International Thriller Award and Shamus Award.

Library Journal calls him “One of the best thriller writers in the business.”
The Crime Writers of Canada named him recipient of the 2026 Grand Master Award.

Rick Mofina’s work has been praised by such authors as James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Shari Lapena, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Louise Penny, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Lisa Unger, Lisa Gardner, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Freida McFadden, Heather Gudenkauf, Alafair Burke, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper.

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

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

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adrenaline fueled plot by Mofina. It was dramatic and exciting, and I really enjoyed it.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We will take civilization to unprecedented heights, lighting the way forward for all of human existence. We are Zarathustra, Lord of the Heavens.”

Somebody or something is causing plains to refuse manual input from their pilots and their instruments and to direct themselves into twisting rolls, uncontrolled high speed descents, and ultimately crashes that are killing every occupant. In a cryptic message sent to Kate Page, investigative journalist, Zarathustra, whoever or whatever that might be, appears determined to take responsibility for the crashes and is looking for widespread public acknowledgement of their technological brilliance and dominance of the aviation skies. But the full dictionary of administrative regulatory acronymns related to these incidents – the TSA, the NTSB, the FBI and the CIA, and the NYPD, refuse to accept that the control systems of the planes that crashed might have been hacked, that some outside agency may have wrested control of the planes from both their remote pilots and their flesh-and-blood crew. They are insistent that the crashes were caused by inattention, pilot error, and invisible wind shear.

Zarathustra is not going to accept that lack of recognition and is intent on ensuring the world sits up and takes notice as it plans what would certainly be the worst aviation disaster in the history of flight. FREE FALL is the gripping story of Kate’s investigation into Zarathustra, her attempts to bring the reality of their insanity to the attention of the authorities, and her efforts (naturally) to keep a grip on the exclusivity of what would be a career topping news story!

Tense, gripping, adrenaline-packed stuff but, frankly, Rick Mofina’s continued success in the thriller genre has me expecting nothing less. Two thumbs up and a proud ”woot, woot,” to a celebrated successful Canadian author from a firmly convinced Canadian fan.

On a fascinating side note to those who scoff at the value of algebra or geometry in high school … cast a wide and very shocked glance at this brief description of the contents of a thesis on topics related to remote flight control in aeronautical engineering:

“her research, which had involved new perspectives on transmission probability, independent Gamma random variables, innovative methods on employing the infinite-horizon LQR control in satellite systems; her new ideas on approaches on the stochastic first-order system with linear dynamics and nonlinear measurements … and … her new work on Gaussian white noise processes.”

Even with an undergraduate degree in math and physics, that’s well beyond my capabilities. But I digress …

Enjoy FREE FALL. If you like red hot suspense thrillers and techno-thrillers, you’re in for a treat.

Paul Weiss

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a Thriller!
Free Fall, by Rick Mofina, is a riveting thriller that had me holding my breath quite often. It is the fourth book in the series featuring ambitious reporter Kate Page.
A commuter flight to New York City suddenly loses control and begins free falling before the crew is able to stabilize it. Then, in London, another plane crashes into the runway, killing 15 people.
The air investigators have no answers and are perplexed as to why these two incidents occurred. Reporter Kate Page receives a anonymous message claiming responsibility and warning of another impending disaster.
As time rapidly ticks down on one of the most extreme tragedies the world has ever known, Kate, the FBI and the NTSB race to find answers and those behind this disastrous plan.
Captivating characters in a suspenseful, fast-paced, gripping story that could be ripped from today's headlines.
I highly recommend this series!

Thank you to Net Galley for a ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling adventure to the end. Don't read it on a plane. Thank goodness, Reeka (a character I despise) gets hers.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a 4 Series by Rick Mofina... Enjoyed all 4, but Free Fall, kept you on the edge of your seat. I just can't imagine and being on a plane, NOT!!!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! This is a stay-up-all-night thriller. Kate Page is a phenomenal heroine readers will love. Looking forward to the next book to see what this author has in store for us.

[Dawn Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for the ride of a lifetime - Once again Mofina has written a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Can you imagine - flying and suddenly the pilots have no control of the aircraft? What is causing this? Why?
Once again Kate digs for the answer and finds herself on a scary airplane ride.
This is a must read!

[Tiina Liinak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read! What a book!!!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book that is impossible to put down once you get into it. I don’t understand why more people don’t read more of this author.

[Kathy Mower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I need to stop reading books by Rick Mofina, I am not getting anything done! Free Fall was read in one day, disturbed when someone came to my door or called on the phone. It is a tense, thrilling ride. I have no idea how accurate, but it seemed pretty real to me. From page one to the end, a tense thriller.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explosive ! Master story teller Rick Mofina's fourth Kate Page series book, "Free Fall", is a relentless action thriller proving the friendly skies can be a scary place. With an intense protagonist Kate Page 33, it's safe to say her three year career so far with "Newslead" has been colorful to say the least. Even with her previously long lost sister Vanessa back in her life to go along with her nine year old daughter Grace, Kate is a reporter first and foremost. News agencies in this technological age are paring down their newsrooms leaving most available jobs towards a cutthroat business to stay employed. Kate's editor Reeka Beck clearly favors Sloane F. Parkman to run with the high profile stories leaving Kate to clean up after his many mistakes. Clearly Kate and Reeka are not the best of friends. So, when Parkman leaves the newsroom unattended off hunting for food Kate picks up on a plane in distress. An EastCloud Airlines flight from Buffalo to New York City has something odd going on. The Captain and the first officer for a period of time have no control over the aircraft. Although no one dies there are several of significant injuries. While the NTSB is investigating this issue, incredibly a flight from Shikra Airlines has a similar distress in it's flight from Kuwait city to Heathrow in London. Those passengers are not so lucky as 15 are killed and dozens are injured. Kate and the Newslead organization are thrown into these investigations when receiving a cryptic e-mail signed by someone identifying themselves as "Zarathustra" wants something from the press. Threatening additional catastrophic plane crashes if their manifesto is not printed. As several governmental agencies begin their investigations it's clear that Zarathustra is directing all of it's attention towards Kate to tell it's story. The clues all lead back to a disgraced software engineer who years ago lost himself into a bottle after a car crash killed his wife and almost killed his young daughter. The domestic terrorists have something to prove to the NTSB and the airline industry. Dying to prove a point to punish who they see have wronged them make the terrorists very dangerous. With a plot that jets through more than 440 quickly moving pages, "Free Fall" may be author Rick Mofina's best suspense thriller yet. Determined to discover the conclusion I read the last 155 pages in one sitting. Protagonist Kate Page is one of my very favorite Rick Mofina lead characters. She appears in just four books so far but they are all really outstanding. This master story teller Rick Mofina creates some amazing and unique characters who easily drive some rock solid suspense thrillers. Along with some clever and dark supporting characters, "Free Fall", gets five stars out of a possible five stars. I highly recommend any of author Rick Mofina's several series tales. I was quite surprised when going through my Goodreads account and found out I've read 21 Rick Mofina books, (More than any other author). Do not miss Kate Pages series. If you're not reading any of Rick Mofina's different series adventures, why not ? Missing some good stuff.

[John E. Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cliffhanger!

Author Rick Mofina has written a book that will keep you on the edge of seat, from the very beginning of the book until the very end of the book! Great characters, good dialog, and a plot that is scarily-realistic, all come together to make this book so hard to put down, that you might feel yourself reading when you may need to be doing something else!
If you are a fan of aviation thrillers, where aircraft incidents or accidents are realistically portrayed, and where the causes of these events are found out, then you'll want to read this book.
Action, suspense, good guys and bad guys, drama, etc., it's got it all, so do yourself a favor and grab a copy ( or a Kindle, etc. copy) of this book, and fasten your seatbelt, 'cause you'll be in for a wild ride !

[GUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thrill ride.

A heart pounding rollercoaster adventure. I was turning pages one right after the other. Even though I knew what the final outcome was going to be it was still an awesome read.

I have had this book sitting on the shelf since April 2018 and all I can say is that I’m glad I finally picked it up and only wished I had done it sooner.

I wouldn’t say that I have a fear of flying but after reading this spellbinder it certainly makes you think but I’m game to fly the friendly skies again, whenever that may be.

Two down, eighteen to go to reach my book total of 20 for this year, 2020.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me reading to the end. Good job of creating tension in a novel about domestic/international terrorism. Glad I didn't read it during my last plane trip. Would recommend to any fan of thrillers. While there is computer geek in it - the main plot concerns people and their lives and no extra violence.

I received this as an ARC from the publisher but the last book I received I panned so I think this is a fair review.

[Karen Golec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads winner. Absolutely a great book. Once you start it's hard to put down. Wonderful plot and characters. Makes you feel as if you are there with them. Would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great thrill.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 star read. This was the fourth and last book in Mofina's terrific Kate Page series and it was quite a tense thriller. Two planes have had accidents that no one can explain, although they try to make excuses for them, saying one was pilot error and one was poor maintenance. The investigators can't seem to find out what went wrong in the flights. And Kate Page gets emails from someone who claims responsibility and wants to be acknowledged publicly. But the Feds don't want her to publish them and Kate then becomes a target. And the evil minds behind the first two incidents have something more spectacular in mind. Kate investigates and starts to zero in on the people responsible but will she be in time to prevent a horrible tragedy in the skies? A riveting and interesting read and up to Mofina's usual standard. I'll miss Kate Page but plan to start another of his series next. A great read.

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

High above the Adirondack Mountains, a commuter flight to New York City turns into a rolling, twisting nightmare, plunging from the sky before the crew regains control. Then, in London, a jetliner crashes into the runway, killing fifteen people.

Investigators with no answers…

Reporter Kate Page believes something beyond mechanical—or human—error is behind the incidents that have air investigators baffled. But the mystery deepens as teams scramble to pinpoint a link between the tragedies, and Kate receives an untraceable message from someone boasting responsibility and threatening another event.

A looming disaster…

As Kate, the FBI and the NTSB race to find answers, the shadow figures behind the operation launch their most devastating plan yet, and time ticks down on one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known.

[Jacob Peled · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I am reading by Rick Mofina. By chance, I started with the fourth book in the series about journalist Kate Page. Fortunately, the connection to the previous books does exist, but it is very loose. There are only brief reminders here and there of previous events that are probably covered in earlier books. The book itself is excellent. The subject is fascinating and unique.

There is nothing more pleasing than discovering a new author who has written many books, with the hope that they are all of a similar quality.
The story itself jumps through many locations constantly, but there is a good reason for this, as many events are happening simultaneously all over the country.

[Kate Vale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in the Kate Page series... This is not a book to read when on a plane or waiting to get on one. However, if you like thrillers, this one is worth your time, particularly if you are cuddled up in something warm to keep you feeling safe even as you read what might happen, what Kate Page, a stellar reporter, uncovers page by page as she seeks to understand what is going on, what was not part of the systems used by aircraft and how to fix what was inadvertently broken and then deliberately not fixed until almost the most horrible of accidents was set on a course that would shock the world.

My only wish? That the reporter would have included what happened to one heroic pilot among the four in the fighter jets that helped to solve a problem that saved so many people.

[Arthur Okun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grasped my Kindle so hard I was afraid it would break. My Kindle and I survived the ending
of FREE FALL. This novel features Kate Paige reporter for Newslead.
This novel is so close to todays news that it is as if Rick Mofina had mystic knowledge
as he wrote this novel.
Things not to do when reading this novel:
Don't read the book on a flight.
Don't read this book alone.Near your loved ones. It is suggested.
Don't read this novel in a continuous session. Take a break you will need it.
Otherwise read with your doctor standing bye.
FREE FALL is my third novel I have read by Mr. Mofina----Can't wait to read more.

[Ladory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy Rick Mofina's mysteries; however, this one had a bit too much aeronautics detail in it for me. I got a bit bored and had to force myself a tad to keep reading. I read in the epilogue that he made up a lot of this out of his imagination and reminded folks that this is fiction. I had been thinking maybe he was showing off his knowledge of the industry! It read like he knew a lot. NOT. He does know newspaper reporting, though, and those parts are always interesting to me.

This book was thoroughly different than the previous Rick Mofina books I have read, so it was a surprise. It's not among my favorites, though.

[essie johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate is the ideal heroine

Loved a woman who does not carry a gun as heroine. Kate's character was great, and she clearly knew her mission in life and tackled it head on. I'm undecided about a story line focused almost exclusively on the main character. Other than as needed to advance the plot, I got no sense of personality from the other characters. I suspect the news business is probably more cutthroat than it is portrayed here, but I really did enjoy the idealism hinting of a time when news coverage viewed some topics as untouchable and not everyone carried guns.

[Beverly J Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story would make an awesome movie! Took me a while to get into the book, but about halfway I could not put it down! It truly became a page turner, I read all day and then was up until 2 am to finish it. Truly edge of seat reading. There is a lot of information about airplanes and the people who investigate airline crashes. Written by a man who has been a reporter, whose main character is a lady reporter who fortunately won't give up getting the facts straight. I highly recommend this novel.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Kate Page thriller will not be my last! A nail-biting, fast-paced, thriller-suspense novel with flawed people in extraordinary situations.

A hunt for the reason 2 airliners had malfunctions, one which had fatalities. Investigative reporter Kate Page works with and around a large number of alphabet agencies and personnel to trace the source of letters she has received from someone claiming to be Zarathsutra, Lord of the Heavens and responsible for aviation terror.

Definitely going to read more Kate Page. Everything I've read by Rick Mofina has been excellent.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Pulse-pounding Read

An airliner crashes & is chalked up to turbulence even though the seasoned pilot adamantly denies it. Then another crash occurs halfway around the world. Coincidences or sabotage? Are the e-mails from an unconfirmed source, to reporter, Kate Page credible ? If so, how can they be stopped before another disaster strikes? Rick Mofina hit it out of the ballpark again! This was a great read!

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My timing on reading this book was scary. Reading about the possibility of people taking over the control of an air plane remotely, the same week there is a major air crash in DC added a level of tension above that which Mofina was creating. Once again Kate Page is racing to beat the competition on a major story and facing challenges within the news room. Put on your seatbelt, raise your tray table and get ready for a thrill ride Mofina style.

[Danielle Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite in this series. It's becoming predictable, and the actions of the characters unbelievable. Kate is becoming whiny, and she has to be the worst mother in the world - always leaving her daughter to race off for the next big story. Obviously, her job has a higher priority than her child.

[Fonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite writers

What a ride! Puts me right in Kate's shoes and experience her emotions. That is the sign of a good writer; to immerse the reader into the experience. His plot keeps me flipping my Kindle at a rapid pace. I also appreciate a writer who avoids excessive profanity, avoids vulgarity, and invokes moral dilemmas devoid of sensationalism.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Mofina has a new fan....

I feel like I just emerged from under a rock to discover there's a whole world out there I've not explored. Rick Mofina has firmly positioned himself among my favorite authors with his work 'Free Fall.' I can't wait to delve into everything he's written to date!