The Panic Zone by Rick Mofina

The Panic Zone by Rick Mofina“In my life I have experienced how humanity reacts in times of distress. I have seen the worst unfold before my eyes after warnings were ignored, after rational thought evaporated. I advocate extreme action because we face an extreme situation. Time is running out on human existence on this planet. We are entering the panic zone.” – Dr. Gretchen Sutsoff

In Wyoming a woman is involved in a car accident that claims the lives of her husband and infant, yet she distinctly remembers seeing someone rescue the baby from the car before she passed out. As police and medical personnel repeatedly assure her the baby died, she begins to question if she’s going mad… until she receives a mysterious phone call informing her, “Your baby is alive.”

A reporter in Brazil receives a phone call from an anonymous source claiming to have documentation on a shocking story with worldwide implications. The reporter agrees to meet the source at a restaurant, but before the information can be exchanged the restaurant is bombed and dozens of people are killed, including the reporter and her source.

An otherwise healthy man dies suddenly while on a cruise in the Caribbean, the manner of his horrific death exhibiting symptoms reminiscent of the ebola virus.

The Panic Zone, the second book from author Rick Mofina to feature investigative reporter Jack Gannon, finds Gannon summoned to Brazil by the World Press Alliance to investigate the bombing. Gannon uncovers a series of seemingly unrelated events that, upon piecing the puzzle together, he realizes are not only related but are part of a conspiracy that has potentially catastrophic consequences for the very existence of mankind.

Mofina has created likable, believable characters, thrown them into a conspiracy with life or death ramifications on a global scale, and lets the thrilling plot unfold over locales as far flung as Wyoming to Morocco to London to the Bahamas. The Panic Zone is rapid-fire, non-stop action that reads like an episode of 24, with Gannon playing the role of Jack Bauer and with stakes every bit as high.

Rick Mofina grew up east of Toronto, in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. He began writing fiction in grade school. At age 15, he sold his first short story to a U.S. magazine. He became a reporter at The Toronto Star before embarking on a career in journalism that spanned three decades and several newsrooms. His freelance crime stories have appeared around the world in such publications as The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Marie Claire, The South China Morning Post magazine and The Moscow Times. Rick is currently based in Ottawa, where he lives with his wife and their two children and works as a communications advisor. To learn more about Rick visit his website, where you can sign up for his newsletter for exclusive chances to win free autographed books.

2 Comments

  • Jenn's Bookshelves

    October 25, 2010 - 9:28 AM

    Oh! This sounds like a great one! Thanks for the review, I’m adding it to my list!

  • Lucious Lamour

    October 22, 2010 - 1:04 PM

    Wow, sounds like the pacing in that book is great. Right up my alley! Love a frenetic pace! 😉