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I bought this as an escape while driving a long distance. It fulfilled my need.

That doesn't mean I loved it or even particularly liked it. Just that it was good enough to keep listening and that I didn't swear at it too often.

This is a "thriller" or maybe "suspense". We know who the main characters are early on, including the identity of the killer. We know that eventually the killer and protagonist will meet up and there will be a dramatic ending. It may be that our knowing this is good. We don't want too much to be unknown.

Zoe and Holli, good friends, let off some steam in Vegas. On the drive home they are abducted and Zoe finds herself watching in horror as her friend is beaten, hung from the ceiling of a remote shack. She escapes, knowing she does not have the ability to save her friend. Over a year later she is still haunted by what she can remember, which is unfortunately not very much. She had been drugged and there are large holes in her memory.

During that 15 months Zoe, driven by guilt, vowed that nothing like this would ever happen again. She advanced quickly in self-defense classes. She took a job as security guard in a mall and was gratified by quick results. But then she sees a news item on television. Another woman has been beaten in the same way as Holli had, and was left dead right there in San Francisco. Wherever the abductor had been before, he was now in her town.

Drawing on her anger rather than her common sense, Zoe plunges into the case. She makes rash decisions and attacks people with little provocation. I found her actions irritating. I understand that a person who escaped from a horrifying abduction might well feel a lot of anger, but does she have to leave all sense behind?

The story proceeds pretty much as you might expect, which has to be satisfying to thriller-seekers. I didn't love the narrator, with her wavery voice and tendency to make one-syllable words into two. But she was competent and probably appropriate for the material. ( )

4.5

*Book source ~ Kindle First

A year after Zoë escapes a deranged killer leaving her friend Holli behind to die, she sees a news report about a woman murdered in a similar fashion. She still can’t remember details from her escape due to the drugs in her system at the time, but she’s certain she can help the police in some way to catch the guy who haunts her dreams and dogs her every waking second. Dubbed the Tally Man because of the marks he puts on his victims he stalks Zoë when he sees her on television in connection with his latest victim. The one who got away is no longer lost to him. The question now is does she deserve to die for her sins (according to him) or has she changed enough for him to let her go.

This is one helluva page turner that grabbed me by the scruff of my neck from the very first page and didn’t let me go until the very end! What a ride! There are a few moments where I had to suspend all disbelief in the power of coincidence and forgive incredible stupidity, but for the most part this story is a tension-filled nail biter! Do you like seriously creepy serial killers, flawed yet strong heroines, hard-working detectives and enough suspense to give you heart palpitations? Then this is the one for you! ( )

When Zoe awoke that fateful night, she didn’t have any recollection as to what could have happened. Her last memory was that of she and her friend Hollie traveling through Vegas, but she had no clue as to how they had wound up captive. Managing to free herself, she abandoned Hollie and ran for her life.

In the 15 months since the attack, Zoe’s life has drastically changed. Unable to forgive herself for leaving Hollie behind she decided to punish herself by dropping out of graduate school, and separating herself from family and friends. Her lonely existence is shattered when she learns of the murder of a young woman, which closely matches what happened to Hollie.

Zoe decides to work with the police to find the killer, but she doesn’t know that the killer wants to finish the work he’d begun fifteen months earlier. Zoe is in his crosshairs as she’s the only one that ever got away from him, and he won’t make the same mistake twice.

As the author leads readers on a desperate chase to discover the killer’s identity before he finds Zoe, the action-packed chapters had me completely engrossed. With each move on the killer’s part bringing him ever closer to Zoe, I couldn’t help but read faster to find out what would next happen. “The one that got away” will make readers take a closer look at their surroundings because we now know there are killers amongst us.

Highly recommended for Adult readers.

Blog link to review: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/the-one-that-got-away-simon-... ( )

This was an early review book...... And really enjoyed this and would read more by this author ( )

The One That Got Away by Simon Wood is a 2015 Thomas & Mercer publication.

I am not sure about this, but I think this book was a “Kindle First” book I chose with my prime membership.

This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed this one well enough to go back for more.

Zoe and Holli, two girls working hard on obtaining their PHD's, decide to kick up their heels for a change, so they drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas and hoop it up for awhile. But, things go horribly awry and Zoe wakes up to Holli's screams and the horrible realization she is being held captive and whatever is happening to Holli, is going to happen to her next. But, Zoe manages to escape... however, Holli was never seen or heard from again.

A year passes, and now Zoe is a completely different person, with dreams of acquiring a PHD long forgotten. She is working as a mall cop now, is in therapy, and still showing signs of PTSD on top of what one might term “survivor's guilt”.

But, when by sheer chance, Zoe hears of a murder victim she is positive was killed by her own abductor, she begins working alongside the police to catch the guy and puts herself directly into the line of fire as a result. Will Zoe find peace or will she lose the fight the second time around?

This is a dark, graphic, tense, and fast paced thriller that will suck you in from the first chapter on. Zoe is a mess after having survived her ordeal, haunted by the death of her friend, and consumed, or maybe ravaged is a better word, by guilt. Her psychological behavior is most curious as it certainly does appear Zoe is attempting to put herself in risky situations on purpose, perhaps as a way of punishing herself for having left Holli behind.

The murders were disturbing enough, but the underlying theme that women should be “good girls” , meaning they should not go out and have fun, flirt with men, or drink, was not only picked up by the inner thoughts of our killer, but even Zoe's therapist pointed out her provocative clothing was waving an “I'm asking for it” sign. Zoe too, seemed to buy into that logic, by going out at night, alone, dressed a certain way, and having a few too many, she believed she was putting herself in harm's way, which was something she seemed to hope would happen, recreating the Vegas scenario.

Do you think if a woman goes out dressed up in sexy clothes, has a few drinks, and maybe flirts a little, that she is asking to be raped, abducted, or murdered?

The sicko killer having those thoughts was in line with the character, but I did cringe when the therapist also made this suggestion to Zoe. I understood he was pointing out certain behaviors, prompting her to examine her motives, which was a valid point. However, I did I think he was sending out the wrong message by mentioning the way she was dressed. Otherwise, the good doctor went above and beyond for his patient was the best support system Zoe had.

I had the feeling Zoe was a ticking time bomb and was quite concerned about her, but then she finds purpose by joining forces with a determined cop to stop a dangerous serial killer. From this point on, the suspense is absolutely edge of your seat. The last paragraph of chapter twelve guaranteed I would not be putting this book down until the last chapter was read.

There was only one weak area for me in the book, and that was the the killer's psychological state of mind and a full explanation of his motives were pretty much skimmed over. I would have liked more clarification or maybe a brief recap in the last chapter, just so I was sure I had picked up on all the finer points.

Otherwise, I thought this was a solid psychological thriller, quite thought provoking and chilling. If you can handle graphic violence, creepy serial killers, and edgy suspense, then this book has your name on it. ( )