"If Two Are Dead" by Rick Mofina is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The story follows a determined journalist who becomes deeply involved in a complex murder case involving a missing couple. Mofina expertly weaves a tale full of suspense, as the protagonist uncovers layers of deception and danger.

The characters are well-developed, with relatable motivations and emotional depth that draw readers into their plight. Mofina's writing is fast-paced and engaging, with twists that keep the plot unpredictable and compelling.

Themes of obsession, truth, and the consequences of choices resonate throughout the narrative, adding depth beyond the thrilling plot. Overall, "If Two Are Dead" is a masterfully crafted novel that will appeal to fans of crime fiction and psychological thrillers, leaving them eager for more.

I enjoyed the story but struggled through parts of it. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I gave this book 4 stars because the story was good.

This was so good and such a great paced mystery! I did not see the shocking ending coming and I loved this one so much. My only drawback with this is I felt like there were so many characters, it was hard to keep track of who was who when only a first name was mentioned. I loved the atmosphere of this one and that opening will haunt me for years! I will definitely check out more from this author.

Three girls go into the woods, but only one comes out alive. If Two Are Dead is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and crime fiction. Rick Mofina has created a suspenseful novel that skillfully combines mystery, character development, and plot twists. It’s book that will keep you engaged from start to finish, offering both thrills and depth..
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Ahhh I love this author and this book did not disappoint. I was instantly invested in the story and characters. The pacing was perfect and the action - as any book by this author - was heart racing fantastic.

This is one of those books you can’t put down.

Great mystery thriller! I really enjoyed the small-town setting, hidden secrets, and how everything came together in the end. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop—I had to know how it would all unfold! Solid 4/5 for me. If you like thrillers with multiple storylines that come together in a satisfying way, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Release: April 29, 2025
Author: Rick Mofina
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing

Rating: 4 ★ 

If Two Are Dead by Rick Mofina is a gripping, tension-filled thriller that weaves together past trauma, buried secrets, and a chilling mystery that refuses to stay in the past.

Luke and Carrie Conway move back to Carrie’s hometown in Texas to care for her terminally ill father, hoping for a fresh start. But the town holds dark memories—fifteen years ago, Carrie was the sole survivor of a brutal attack in the woods that left her two classmates dead. Found with severe injuries and no memory of the event, she has spent years trying to move on. Now, as she returns with her husband and newborn, old suspicions resurface, and the town begins to question whether Carrie was a victim or a killer.

Meanwhile, Luke, a former California cop, is battling his own demons from a tragic incident at work. One stormy night, while driving home, he believes he hits someone on the road. But when he searches, there’s no body, no evidence—nothing. Instead of reporting it, he decides to investigate on his own, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that will unravel shocking truths.

As Carrie pushes herself to revisit places from her past in hopes of unlocking her lost memories, and a determined journalist starts digging into the unsolved murders, the couple finds themselves caught in a dangerous web of lies, suspicion, and long-buried secrets. With the town turning against Carrie and a killer possibly still on the loose, the truth might cost them everything.

Mofina masterfully builds suspense, keeping readers guessing with twists, hidden motives, and a creeping sense of dread. If Two Are Dead is a fast-paced psychological thriller that will have you questioning every character’s motives until the very last page.

Favorite Quote:
"the truth is a cold, hard thing, and sometimes, it's better to let the lies linger."

A twisty and mind-blowing thriller!

Three girls go into the woods, but only one comes out.... is she a victim or a killer?

With lots of secrets, cover-ups lies – and an killer on the loose – nobody is safe.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading — I could not turn the pages fast enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC

3.75 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed this one and finished it in 24 hours. It's well-paced and the story pulls you in right away. I love a thriller that keeps me guessing and this one really did. Will need to check out Mofina's backlist.

I received the ARC for If Two Are Dead by Rick Mofina through Killer Crime Club.

If Two are Dead is the story of Rick and Carrie’s move back to Carrie’s hometown to support her terminally ill father. The move to Clear River was supposed to be a fresh start for both of them —Rick recently experienced a tragic event at work and Carrie is the sole survivor of an unsolved murder investigation. However, the decision Rick makes while driving alone at night during a severe rainstorm has unforeseen consequences. Meanwhile, Carrie finds herself facing the scrutiny of her hometown as it is the scene her own trauma experience. As tension rises, will the answers they seek resolve the questions they have or place them in further jeopardy?

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author and I quite liked it. It contained a lot of elements I enjoy—oppressive atmosphere, secrets, deceit, red herrings, twisty plot and lots of suspense. Best of all, it ended with a bit of a bang and I was shocked when the killer was revealed.

I always enjoy reading new authors and so will likely take a look at Mr. Mofina’s back list to see if I can find another read.

The opinions offered in this review are my own.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, Killer Crime Club and NetGalley for providing the ARC.

This was a solid unique read. I didn’t really attach to the characters myself but they were well written. The plot was solidly twisty and turny. You think it’s going to take you one way but it doesn’t. It was a decent paced book with a solid ending. Overall it’s a recommended read from me

Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead," Benjamin Franklin.

Back in high school Carrie entered the woods with two other girls and and only Carrie was able to come back alive. Found with serious injury including ones to her head she cannot remember what happened. She wakes up in the hospital and finds her dad, Vern, looking at her scared. With the help of her doctors and even therapy sessions her mind won’t bring the events into Carrie’s memory.
Now an adult Carrie has a new baby and she is married to a police officer name Luke and their living in California. However, Vern her father reveals he has a terminal illness therefore she leaves California with her family and moves back to their hometown in Texas even though she had once vowed to never return. Luke has become a Deputy in Texas now and one night while Luke is off-duty and driving home he thinks he hits something, he can't find a body so he drives on, 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 her unsolved attack. With a reporter digging into Carrie’s attack and soon the town thinks Carrie maybe the killer.. but Carrie and Luke’s anguished search for answers will slowly reveal the horrific truth.

Get your popcorn and snacks ready because you’re about to be glued to your seat, unable to put down this fast-paced and suspenseful read! 🍿📖

Carrie vowed to never return to her hometown. But when she finds out her father is ill, she knows she has to face her past. She left for LA after a tragic accident happened in her junior year and hasn’t looked back since.
Maybe this move back to Clear River could be a fresh start for Carrie and her husband, Luke. He’s just faced a tragedy of his own as an officer for the LAPD.
But this move isn’t starting out as positive as they imagined. While off duty, during a storm on his way home, Luke hits something or someone with his car. He gets out to inspect the area and calls out for someone, but can’t find a trace of anyone. Now paranoid, Luke constructs his own private investigation into who he could have possibly hit.
Meanwhile, Carrie is struggling with her past. Thirteen years ago, she went into the woods with two other classmates, and she was the only one to come out alive, just barely. She’s unable to remember anything that happened or why she was even in the woods. Slowly memories start to surface.
Was this move for the best? Will it open new and fresh wounds? Or give closure to everyone, so that they can move on and know the truth?

For Fans of:
✩ Multiple Suspects
✩ Whodunit Mysteries
✩ Small Towns
✩ Uncovering Memories

I really enjoyed this book. It’s easy to tell that the author was a reporter in the past; the way the story flows and was constructed really makes it feel like a true crime.

This thriller had all the exciting aspects I crave, but it was just a bit too slow for me to really get captivated in the story. When I read a thriller, I need a banger of a beginning that keeps me turning the pages and dying to know what happens.

Don’t get me wrong, this story did eventually get me excited about the prospect of figuring out what the heck was going on, but it took a bit.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, however, the history the FMC has is tragic. She experienced so much throughout her life, seems like all she needed was a break.

I will say her husband, Luke drove me absolutely nuts. He was very self absorbed and selfish throughout the book. He was too focused on his life and how his career would be affected when he should have been standing by his wife’s side.

Most of the characters were shady, keeping secrets from people. But I will say, the way I thought I had it figured out and was sorely mistaken was a happy surprise.

This was my first book by this author, and he really knows how to write a captivating plot twist. I look forward to more!

5 stars

"Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead." - Benjamin Franklin

Luke and Carrie Conway have recently moved back to Carrie's hometown to take care of her ailing father. But they are both seriously haunted by pieces from their past - Luke, by a tragic shooting at work back in California where he was a cop, and Carrie, by the terrible ordeal she went through 15 years prior when she ended up being the only survivor of an unsolved murder of two classmates. Carrie suffered complete memory loss after the incident, and even with massive amounts of therapy, still can't recall what happened to the three of them in the woods.

During a crazy rainstorm, Luke is driving home and thinks he hit a woman in the road. Although he spends a bunch of time running around looking, he can't find a body or any evidence of a woman after the fact. Not wanting to distress Carrie further as she's grappling with her own demons, Luke decides to keep secretly looking into this possible hit-and-run himself, rather than reporting any of it to his colleagues in law enforcement. Meanwhile, under the advice of her therapist, Carrie has started revisiting old hangouts to see if any forgotten memories will resurface. And so the story goes on....

I thought this was rather wonderfully written, and I was hooked from the very beginning when Luke has his accident. There are just soooo many secrets that people are holding close to the chest in this story, and my one frustration is that a LOT of problems in the plotline could have been solved or avoided altogether if people simply talked and confided with each other. But I know that would have made for a much less interesting story. All in all, a slick, taut thriller that kept me coming back for more!

Thanks to NetGalley, author Rick Mofina, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

This book hooked me from the opening. Full of twists and turns and miscommunication and misguided actions, this one will keep you guessing until the final page.

If Two Are Dead grabbed me from the start with its eerie atmosphere and tense, unpredictable plot. Luke’s decision to drive away after hitting something in the rainstorm left me feeling on edge, and it only got more intense as his and Carrie’s search for answers intertwined with a long-unsolved crime. The pacing was great, keeping me hooked with each new twist, though I did find myself frustrated with some of the characters' decisions. Carrie’s trauma from her past added so much depth to her character, and I loved seeing how her and Luke’s relationship played into the mystery. It’s a chilling, emotional read that didn’t let up.

Enjoyed it, but it was probably my least favorite book by the author and I read a ton of his books. It was completely different than most of the previous books. There wasn't the usual kidnapping in the beginning. Was it healthy for Carrie to move back home where some people still blamed her for the deaths of Abby and Erin? The whole reason behind the girls meeting in the woods made no sense, Carrie wasn't even friends with them. There were so many secrets surrounding what happened in the woods. I had no idea who could have been involved. Luke's no help to his wife. He's oblivious to everything Carrie is going through. He's more concerned about who he might have hit and possibly killed in the storm. Luke can't get over the events that happened in California. He believes he's ultimately responsible for the woman's death and her children being orphans. This is the same woman who just killed two people and was brandishing a semiautomatic at police and firing. There seemed like so much was happening and also nothing at the same time. There were the usual twists and turns. I had no idea who was behind everything until the truth was finally revealed. There was all this build up about the murders and then it seems like Luke figures everything out. Would they really have survived in the end? It didn't seem possible. Nothing was broken and not a single scratch. What was with Opal and her fascination with the Benjamin Franklin project?

Definitely recommend the book. It was a good mystery/thriller and kept me entertained and guessing until the very end. I enjoyed the story and writing style. I look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A woman and her husband return to their hometown to take care of her dying father, but there are still ghosts haunting her from her past. The title of this book really caught my eye; however I feel as if the overall book did not really tie into the title. The plot itself wasn’t bad, but I did feel as if it was very slow. Solid start and a twisty end, but the bulk of middle was very much a slow burn.

Thank you to Rick Mofina, Harlequin Trade Publishing, & Netgalley for the arc copy of If Two Are Dead. This is a fast paced thriller with twists and short chapters. A cold case with buried secrets! Suspenseful and a wild ride makes you want to continue reading to figure out the ending! This book publishes on 4/29/25!