The One That Got Away by, Simon Wood

The One That Got Away by, Simon Wood

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Graduate students Zoë and Holli only mean to blow off some steam on their road trip to Las Vegas. But something goes terribly wrong on their way home, and the last time Zoë sees her, Holli is in the clutches of a sadistic killer. Zoë flees with her life, changed forever.

A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a police investigation where the crime eerily resembles her abduction. Along with a zealous detective, she retraces the steps of that fateful night in the desert, hoping that her memory will return and help them find justice for Holli. Her abductor—labeled the “Tally Man” by a fascinated media—lies in wait for Zoë. For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.

With an unforgettable heroine, a chillingly disturbed psychopath, and a story that moves at breakneck speed, The One That Got Away is thriller writer Simon Wood at his finest.

My Review:

I wrote this review a while ago but just bought the book for the library. I know you will enjoy it as much as I did!

I received this book from the Kindle Program, this was a new to me author and the description intrigued me, so I thought I’d give it a chance and I was not disappointed. I really liked this book this was a great thriller. Zoë and her friend Holli take a road trip to Las Vegas but something terrible happens on the way home; Zoë wakes up in a shed naked and handcuffed with Holli screaming in the next room but Zoë is able to get loose but can’t see any way to save Holli other than going for help. The problem is she has been drugged and by the time she finds help she can’t remember any details, she has no idea how she got to the place, she doesn’t know what the man looked like or where he took them from and can’t remember the route she took to get away. The cops in the small town aren’t really buying her story.

A year later Zoë is still suffering from PTSD and Holli has never been found after Zoë got home she dropped out of school took a job as a mall security guard and is taking self-defense classes . She’s also seeing a shrink for her PTSD and her impulse control because she seems to keep putting herself in situations that may put her back in danger and has had a few run ins with the cops because the littlest touch sets Zoë into a rage. Then there is another murder that sounds like what she remembers seeing Holli go through. But can the cops believe her?  Is she a victim or a killer or just a nutcase they should be wary of?

I had trouble putting this book down; I needed to know what happens next and when we see the story from the killer’s point of view we realize Zoë is not safe and this guy is a whack job.  I liked that the story was told from both sides for me it upped the tension because Zoë kept putting herself out there even after she realized the man who took her was right in her own town. I also understood in some way where Zoë was coming from she wanted this guy caught she wanted to find Holli and that catching him might ease some of the survivors guilt she feels the guilt of leaving Holli there. Yes there are times you have to shake your head and say oh Zoë. However that just adds to the tension because she is working on pure adrenaline and in the back of head knows she is putting herself in danger again but seems to not be able to stop herself.

Ok I’ll stop now, as you can tell I really liked this one and would highly recommend it. I will also be reading more from this author because I liked his style.

4 Stars