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.

Wow, I grabbed this on Kindle First and it was worthwhile. The plot has good twists and turns and you have those moments where it looks like everything is about to go wrong but an appropriate rabdom event changrs everything. They weren't lazy plot events either, such as a neighbor showing up because he hears the fight between Zoe and “Tally man” in her apartment because that would actually happen.

Zoe extremely believable as a character. She escapes traumatic harm but it has fundamentally changed her, and not all in good ways. She struggles with guilt and a loss of self, while putting herself in harms way again so that she can actually “win” this time. Even so, you see some growth with her as she tries to track down what happened to her and to also find the man who would have killed her.

This is a book that is hard to put down, even during some of the slower parts of the plot, such as being reminded that police work is not kicking down doors all the time. You find it will pick back up rather quickly.

If you're hoping to get a detailed look at why Beck is so twisted, a la Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, you won't find that here. It is explained towards the end but even then it is left up to the readers imagination. Still, he's not a deep character, you just know he has a twisted idea of justice.

I found the book very enjoyable and I will definitely read it again