The One That Got Away by, Simon Wood
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
