Title: They Disappeared
Author: Rick Mofina
Published: MIRA September 2012
Synopsis: A loving family,fracturing under pressure . Jeff Griffin, a mechanic, and his wife, Sarah, travel from Montana to Manhattan to give their nine-year-old son, Cole, his dream vacation as they secretly face the heart-wrenching turmoil that has them teetering on divorce. In the wake of their heartbreak, a mother and son disappear . While sightseeing near Times Square, Jeff steps into a store to buy batteries for their camera—but upon returning to the street he finds that Sarah and Cole have vanished. A frantic father searches for clues as time ticks down . Battling his anguish and police suspicions, Jeff fights to rescue Sarah and Cole. He knows now that the love he and Sarah have is worth saving. But he could lose the chance to tell her amid growing fears that they have become entangled in an unfolding plot that could have global consequences
Status: Read from September 27 to 28, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy Harlequin/NetGalley}
My Thoughts:
They Disappeared caught my attention in the way most thriller novels do but particularly as another title by this author, Vengeance Road, has been on my wishlist for a while.
When Jeff Griffin’s wife, Sarah and nine year old son Cole, disappear from Times Square during a family holiday, the police are dismissive, suspecting a domestic quarrel. Frustrated by the investigators, Jeff takes matters into his own hands and frantically searches New York for his missing family, unwittingly blundering into the midst of a terrorist plan to disrupt the current UN meetings in the city.
While the tension that stems from Jeff’s frantic search for Sarah and Cole and the developing threat to the UN conference taking place in New York, is high, unfortunately the plot of They Disappeared is simplistic and predictable. I was disappointed by the formulaic storyline which relies on a string of convenient critical events that conspire to keep Jeff from saving his family. Jeff falls and smashes his phone, a courier is hit by a truck, Cole escapes but runs straight into the arms of his kidnapper, these are all somewhat plausible but unconvincing moments of contrivance.
As a small town mechanic, albeit with some experience as a volunteer fire fighter, Jeff proves remarkably resourceful, eluding the police and the terrorists and able to stay one step ahead of them both in his fight to rescue his family. It’s not that I didn’t like his character, as I did and I was especially sympathetic to his family’s heartbreaking history, but I didn’t find his motivation to exclude the police and take on armed terrorists alone as credible.
In contrast, the terrorist, a professional soldier who has been planning his attack for a year, makes amateurish mistakes, starting with the abduction of Sarah and Cole in an instance where the missing item could have been retrieved with a simple phone call.
This novel is not a bad read, for me it’s just lacking the sophistication I prefer in order to fully immerse myself in the action. They Disappeared is a lightweight, uncomplicated thriller and the fast pace will likely keep you turning the pages even if the plot fails to capture your imagination.
Book’d Out 
At first I can see how you’d be sucked in..imagine your spouse and child just POOF, gone like that! Too bad it fell apart a bit after that 😦
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It’s a shame this one didn’t work for you Shelleyrae. I read and enjoyed Vengeance Road earlier in the year and i would have thought Mofina’s writing style would appeal to you (you’re probably a bit more into crime fic than me). Perhaps he just went a little off track with this one. I’d still recommend checking out VR if you get an opportunity!
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I probably will, I didn’t have any issues with the writing just the ordinary plot
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