Be Mine

Tom Reed and Walt Sydowski #5

by Rick Mofina

During his years as a crime reporter in San Francisco, Tom Reed had seen a lot of sick messages, but the one just delivered to his fellow reporter Molly Wilson is different -- it's shockingly personal, written in human blood. SFPD Homicide Inspector, Walt Sydowski, has grappled with horrific cases but the one confronting him now is unlike anything he's ever faced -- the murder of a fellow detective. As Sydowski works on his most challenging case Tom races to save his career, and Molly. Be Mine is a study in psychological suspense that takes the reader on an unrelenting nail-biting journey into the darkest regions of the SFPD Homicide Detail, The San Francisco Star newsroom and a tormented human heart.

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

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2004

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

[Tulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book.

This story is about the murders of San Francisco homicide detectives, message left written in human blood. Message is for Molly Wilson, she is crime report. Really didn't like this character. I'm sure many readers will agree with me.
All the books I read written by this author, he always gives us the clue about 20% into the story. Murderer written in like a small unimportant character. While reading this story you think you know the killer, but you'll find out different.
Strongly recommend this series. 4.5 stars.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe this is the last of the Tom Reed/ Walt Sydowski books! It was a fitting end to these two: a seasoned detective who is relentless in his pursuit of justice and an ambitious journalist who's driven to get the story, every time.

This time around: another person in Reed's life becomes a victim of a psycho! Seriously, if I actually knew Tom Reed I would move far away because the people in his life seem to have very bad luck.

It was another fast-paced thriller, but this time the author held onto the whodunit until closer to the end.

I enjoyed this finale. It wasn't drawn out, sappy or unbelievable. I was left quite content with where all the recurring characters ended up.

But... I still want more! Fingers crossed someone makes a really good TV series based on these guys. ;)

[Anne Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I really like this author

But, I read all his earlier books through my Kindle Unlimited subscription, then along came this one and I had to buy it, so I did. Weakest one of the series. The author has become a bit cookie cutter with the characters, no real growth. The plotline was good, everything progressed, made sense, but the suspense was missing. The end was not satisfying. Hope that changes.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea that this book was part of a series.
It reads as a standalone and that is really commendable. Usually a reader feels left out of a story you start reading a book out of sequence.

Not so here.
The book is not a fast read but the plot keeps moving never making you feel as if the story is dragging.

Not a bad read at all.

WaAr

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth of author Rick Mofina's Reed/Sydowski novels, "Be Mine", was another sit on the edge of your seat thriller. The vivacious Molly Wilson SF Star's woman of many boyfriends is apparently serious with SFPD Inspector Cliff Hooper. Hooper has bought the ring and going to propose to Molly.One morning Molly stops in to see Cliff at home, and finds him brutally murdered. Cliff's body oddly posed. Super crime reporter Tom Reed has to protect Molly from his new editor Irene Pepper as well as the SFPD. Hooper's partner Ray Beamon seems to be giving Sydowski and Turgeon mixed signals investigating this murder. Something is missing. Something big is missing. Molly may have had recent relationship with Beamon behind Hooper's back. Added to the mix former boyfriend from Texas, Frank Yarrow pops up and wants Molly back. Molly wishes Yarrow would just go away. When Beamon is also found murdered and posed the same as Hopper, Sydowski is really stuck. All eyes are looking for Frank Yarrow. What a very taunt and suspenseful thriller to be sure. The fast paced intrigue on Molly's life is incredible. Again as in the other four previous, these characters are wonderful. Easy to root for the good guys, but not so easy to root for Molly. I enjoyed reading this one very much. I'd highly recommend author Mofina's Reed/Sydowski series to anyone that loves a good mystery with a good thriller built right in. 5 stars out of a possible 5 on this one. Be sure to catch "Be Mine" by Rick Mofina.

[Zoe Jussel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I'm on this writer like flies on shoo fly pie after reading the first one. This is my second and I want to read them all. Very well written, intriguing, intelligent and full of surprises, so no doubt the next one I choose will also not disappoint. Suspense at its best.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars I was not a fan of Molly, aside from the killers obsession with her she was just so cavalier with people feelings, maybe it’s the authors selection of her and that her character was so underdeveloped over five books but I just had little sympathy for her. Poor Walt, to lose men he considered sons ughhhh

[Laur · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just mesh with me. The characters were weak, the dialogue was annoying and repetitive. Perhaps even more annoying hearing it on audio - the whining, the anger, the empty demands....

The narrator did a good job; the story itself was the problem. I found it unrealistic, too long for the material. It kept losing my interest, and found myself constantly annoyed with the dialogue - finally just had to jump to the end at 70%. Upon learning the story's end, still left me unimpressed.

Maybe it was just me, or perhaps the particular story. I may try the author again.

[Kimberly Morehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly has men literally dying all around her. Yet she is BLIND to one creep who should have more attention on him as a potential danger. She also is far to resistant to staying safe considering all her boyfriends being killed and messages being left for her. Even though she is a crime reporter, and has watched all that Tom has gone through, she is just plain dumb at times. Sad as 2 good cops are dead, broke my heart for Walt.

[Tom Bierdz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from this author. Perhaps I should have read one of Mofina’s other books first since he seems to have numerous supporters. This is a crime novel with a serial killer on the loose. While it hit all the plot points, I couldn’t get into the characters nor did it grip me with suspense.

[Jenny Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad this series is done!!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly, a news reporter in the San Francisco area, finds her cop boyfriend murdered in his apartment. As if that weren't bad enough, shortly thereafter the boyfriend's detective partner is also found dead. And Molly is getting white roses with mysterious little messages. Is the murderer someone from her past? and if so, who? This wasn't a bad little whodunit, although there is an obvious suspect through most of the book. The obvious one can never be the real bad guy, can it? Well, i won't spoil it. Nice little story with good characters.

[babs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Tom Reed's character, and the newspaper reporter aspect of these books is interesting and well done. Unfortunately, I knew who the bad guy was from the very first appearance, early on, so the suspense wasn't there for me with this book.

[Deirdre · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐s This is Not a Valentine's Story

Tom Reed's literal partner in crime reporting Molly is the focus of the final book in the Tom Reed series. The author put so much into this book that keeps the reader guessing until the end. There are clues thrown about but which are significant.
Molly has always attracted the attention of the men she encountered while digging for more details for her stories: assistant district attorneys, sheriff deputies, detectives of the San Francisco Police Department, and special agents of the FBI. All serious professionals with a great deal to loose if their relationship with Molly was revealed. This thriller ratchets up the suspense to an unbearable level.
Who do you turn to when you fear men in law enforcement?

[Black Butterfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS COVER I ALMOST PASSED IT UP, I HAD ANOTHER BOOK WITH THE SAME COVER. THAT KINDA BOTHERS ME WHEN BOOKS RE-USE COVERS, GUESS IT'S JUST ME. I THINK I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED THIS MORE HAD IT NOT BEEN SORTA DRAWN OUT A LITTLE TOO MUCH. THE CHARACTER'S FOR ME WERE NOT ALL THAT MEMORABLE, I COULDN'T CONNECT WITH THEM (not very likable). THERE WERE TOO MANY OF THEM TO KEEP UP WITH, STORY LINE WAS A BIT CONFUSING AT TIMES. IT WAS NOT A BAD BOOK, I DID LIKE IT, THE ENDING WAS LIKE A GOOD OLD FASHION ACTION MOVIE. ;)

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually...make that a 3.5 rating. I've been reading the series in order. This was my least favorite so far. One thing we've learned, though, is that Molly is a ho. That's a joke but really, how many boyfriends can a woman have? There was some sloppy writing or editing. I've noticed this in other Mofina books I've read. Two mistakes that come to mind in "Be Mine"are (1) a bomb tech is attached to an EOD unit not an OED unit, (Chapter 76), and (2) NCIC is not a vehicle database it's a crime information database, (Chapter 70). I did enjoy the book enough to finish it.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't my favourite book of MOfina's but it falls in line with most of his formula written books. I didn't quite guess the perpetrator so that's always good. I've been reading these out of sequence so I was confused by some of his reoccurring characters- so if you are reading his books I would certainly read them in order if you can. I like his writing. It's clear, well crafted and a good mystery.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold you breath!

As with all Rick Mofina's books they hold you and grip you and keep you awake all night because you cannot put them down.
This one has you holding your breath til the end. Once again a Mofina winner.

[lina jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

new reader

Awesome serious I love the combination of reporter and detective and I like the love hate relationship between the cops and the reporters in all I really enjoyed this serious I’m a new fan

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. It was so-so. Good characters, decent story....but kind of cookie-cutter. Rookie writer, I think.

[Canuckmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow in comparison to the rest of the series but still a good read.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

- I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t over the top. The twists in the end sort of fool you, when you think you have it figured out but you don’t. I think his earlier Reed & Sydowski are better.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to finally get back to a legitimately enjoyable book after the few stinkers I've come across so far in 2023! While it did have some problems, I can easily say I liked this one.

First off, let me point out that this is the fifth book in a series. Was I aware of this? No, I was not. But if you've read any of my other book reviews, you'll know by now that this is a running theme with me. I find a novel that sounds interesting and pick it up, totally unaware that it's part of a series. I'll be honest, though; this one was easy to follow without reading the books written before it. I can easily say that, if you're like me and pick this up without reading the other books first, it won't have an effect on your feelings towards it.

Let me do a little mix of the things I both liked and disliked together rather than splitting these feelings into separate paragraphs in my usual fashion. I enjoyed the characters and their different personalities. There were a few too many to keep track of for my liking, but it wasn't a killer of a problem here. I personally loved Tom, wasn't too bothered by Sydowski, and absolutely hated Pepper. She wasn't even the main antagonist of the story and I can easily say I hated her guts! That's something I really enjoy while reading. I love when a writer can give me such strong feelings towards their characters, especially the characters that aren't even meant to be the focal point of the story. Molly, while not amazing, wasn't a terrible character to follow, either. True, she did some pretty stupid things throughout the novel (as did the murderer during the climax), but it could be forgiven. Honestly, Tom was the best here because I could relate to him the most out of all of them. One thing I wished authors wouldn't do, though, is constantly jump between first and last names of their characters. If you have a character named "John Smith", for example, don't call him John in chapter three and then call him Smith in chapter four. That just causes confusion and can give your readers a headache. The author did this here throughout the entire novel and it made me cringe.

I really enjoyed the thriller and action aspects of this novel as well. While the "twist" obviously wasn't the twist you were meant to expect, it was still well written. I loved the climax and had a great time picturing it in my head while reading along. I greatly enjoy when novels can explain things with such description that you feel like you're watching it on your television screen! The constant movement in this story did a wonderful job with this aspect and the author's writing style was great. What I didn't like, however, was the true antagonist in the story. The reveal itself was amazing and had me holding my breath when one of the chapters ended with the character known as "Bleeder" finally coming into the light. While that was awesome, I was disappointed with who Bleeder actually was within the cast of characters. I knew the character the author was originally pointing at was a red herring (because, let's face it, this is a mystery novel). When the curtain was pulled back and we saw who the murderer actually was, though, I thought "um...who the heck is that?" and had to go back in my mind to remind myself who the character was within the story. That is a BIG no-no for me as a reader. When you have so many characters that your readers forget who the heck this side-character-turned-main-character is, you did something wrong.

I would definitely suggest this to hardcore mystery fans despite its flaws. Every novel, even the ones I give five stars to, have problems. This one is no exception, and the flaws it does have earned it four stars from me. Are they horrible enough to scare me away from this author in the future? Heck no! I'd easily grab another book in this series to try! I suggest you do the same and pick this book up if you're looking for a good mystery. Just keep a list of character names and the parts they play nearby, because you might get confused otherwise.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly straightforward multiple-murder thriller. I… I found myself wondering what I had read that had made me choose to buy it,* especially since it was part of a series (and, while I usually enjoy series, I like to read them in order from the beginning, not starting with the fifth book).

This one seemed to fall in that awkward zone for me: I kept hoping that it would be better than it was, but it was never bad enough to push me to give up on it. But, as the climax approached, I found myself more and more anxious to read what was going to happen, so on that basis, it was a success.

I do find myself wondering, after reading it, about myself: what is it that I value most in a thriller? And is there a good way for me to guess if a given book will "click" with me before buying it? But that's not on Mr. Mofina's shoulders.

* After a bit of a web search, I suspect that I found out about it because he's based in the nearest city to my hometown. And some of my awkwardness around it may have been trying to figure out what I had bought it, especially since I had expected different reasons for the purchase.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

😊

Molly isn't ready to settle down so her relationships don't tend to last all that long. Usually she starts up another relationship before ending the other. On the night she was going to end her relationship with and sfpd cop he is murdered. Secrets and lies start to emerge. He was going to ask her to marry him but he found out she was cheating with his partner! He is now in the frame for the murder until he himself is murdered. An old flame shows up begging for another chance......yep you guessed it he's murdered too.

I liked this book but it didn't keep my attention as well as I thought it would. I didn't like the main character Molly all that much but the rest of the book was good. Good twist at the end as I thought I had guessed the killer but my guess got murdered too.

[Tammy Bulcao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic series!!

I’m absolutely in love with Rick Mofina’s work!! Reed and Sydowski are flawed, they are not perfect at all. They sometimes work together, yet they fight more often than not.
I love this about them. In these crime, mystery thrillers there are always multiple suspects (which I never guess correctly) and I love his writing style. He tells the story in multiple POV’s. For me it brings more volume to the story. You are submerged into every one’s thoughts and feelings. We are given a chance to both love and hate a character depending on their story. I love them all.
Christian Rummel is a brilliant voice actor. He not only does the voices but he also performs the emotions & feelings of each of his characters.
This is book 5 with an HEA and can be read as a standalone.
I highly recommend this book/series.

Sisters Spotlight 💜

[Arthur Okun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book written by Rick Mofina that I have read that I enjoyed.Not only enjoyed
I can't wait to read the next one.
I am now familiar with the cast of characters.Like any series you begin to find comfort---
and what makes the pages turn.
BE MINE is a tale of four murders and one attempt. And if even we go back to the beginning we
can scrape up another ghastly killing.
As the killer said "WHY"?
This crime novel features the star reporter-Tom Reed.
The crafty police Inspector Walt Sydowski
and Molly Wilson a feature reporter on the STAR.She is also a 24 hour reporter on a TV program-
EYE WITNESS.
To discuss this novel further could spoil for those who wish to read BE MINE.
My advice----have a glass of wine and start reading BE MINE.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered this author later in his work. So I have not read many of his earlier work. While, I did enjoy this book and it was a fast read that kept my interest, I did find that it was missing more of the intensity that I have come to love in Mr. Mofina's more recent work. Although, as I said, I still did like this book. The characters kept me engaged in the story.

I like that Molly did not just sit down and let SFPD Homicide Inspector, Walt Sydowski solve the case for her. She was a fighter. Yet, I have to give big kudos to her co-worker Tom. I thought he was the strongest character in the story. He really picked up on the clues and did great investigate work. The ending was fine but I can't say that I was surprised. Still a fan.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fifth in a series but the first I read. It's a crime procedural set in San Francisco, so we follow the story from the vantage of both an experienced reporter and an experienced detective. In this one, someone murders the boyfriend cop that a women reporter friend had been dating, so both Tom and Walt are pulled in by emotional connections. Then another man who loved her is found dead. As things get more tense, there is still a realixtic recognition of many of the mundane but necessary steps in such investigations, both for those in joutrnalism and law enforcemnt. Personally, I particularly liked all the cponnections to places I know in the setting, with one exciting scene near the end not far from me at all, here in San Jose.