Publication Date: April 29, 2025
Three girls go into the woods, but only one comes out…
Driving alone at night in a wild rainstorm, Luke Conway strikes something—or someone. He and his wife, Carrie, recently moved back to Clear River to help take care of her ailing father, and after a tragedy at his previous job, this move is their last chance at a new life. Now, standing in the downpour on this Texas road, Luke, an off-duty cop, has a decision to make—and he has to make it fast.
No one else is around. No witnesses. And he can’t find a body.
Wanting to believe he’s being paranoid, that he’s just seeing things, Luke panics and leaves, deciding not to report the incident but rather to secretly investigate it. He can’t put more stress on Carrie, who’s already haunted by the unsolved attack and murder of two teenage girls that happened years ago in Clear River, a horrific crime in which she was the sole survivor. The killer has not been found, but Carrie and Luke’s anguished search for answers will slowly reveal the horrific truth.
A dark and stormy night leads to the past being unearthed in If Two are Dead by Rick Mofina.
Luke Conway is heading home during a downpour after a quick drink with friends. Having moved back to Texas with his wife, Carrie, he is looking forward to the fresh start he so desperately needs. But everything changes on this drive when Luke is certain he hit something—or someone.
Dealing with his own trauma and not even sure he can trust his mind, Luke begins to spiral. On top of this, Carrie is dealing with demons of her own. When two of her classmates are found dead, and Carrie is injured, she moves to LA to escape all the rumors. Moving back to Texas came with challenges and many suspicious looks. But Carrie can’t remember the incident until she returns to old haunts and shaky memories begin to return. The more Carrie remembers, the more her life is in danger, and her past comes back to haunt her.
Mofina’s writing is amazing and easy to follow. While many characters are introduced, the story is easy to follow, and each character is unique. There are a ton of twists and turns within the story, and you are never sure how it will end. Part of that was a struggle for me. When the twist was finally revealed, I just didn’t find satisfaction. I had a hard time seeing how you could find out who the killer was with the information given. I also found the motivation lacking a bit. I appreciate a story in which you can figure out the killer if you pay enough attention. However, with this story, that just wasn’t the case. Everything was revealed at the end, and I just felt surprised rather than satisfied.
If Two are Dead is a twisting mystery that will leave you guessing until the very end.
Rick Mofina is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than thirty crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly thirty 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. He is a two-time winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence, a Barry Award winner, and a multiple finalist for the International Thriller Writers Thriller Award and the Shamus Award, presented by the Private Eye Writers of America. Library Journal calls him “one of the best thriller writers in the business.”
