The One That Got Away by Simon Wood.

                   The One That Got Away by Simon Wood.

"She wanted to see fear and terror in his eyes, the same fear and terror that she and all his other victims had suffered at his hands. She wanted him to know the misery he'd put her through."

If you enjoy reading thrillers this will not disappoint you. The suspense will keep you riveted throughout. With a dramatic opening and a thrilling finale which takes a lot of beating it's an enjoyable read from a well-established author. This is one for the boys.

Two young girls have been abducted after having replicated a Thelma and Louise Las Vegas, doing the works: gambling, drinking to excess and partying temporarily abandoning their respectability and studies. Zoe was a PhD student just needing to let her hair down and have fun. Girls behaving badly. So how come Zoe Sutton was still fighting for her life after the two girls were abducted and drugged even 15 months later? Was she such a bad girl that she needed to be punished by a psycho who believed in his demented mind that he was performing a clean-up act? She was guilty of a lack of respect for her fellow citizens. Is this a crime comparable to murderers and rapists?

"My crime is disrespect? Do I really deserve to die for displaying bad manners?" It might sound a bit corny and far-fetched but when you are trussed up by a monster vying for your blood do you have a leg to stand on? Apparently not. An honourable killer? An interesting paradox but it doesn't make sense in a logical world, does it? What a warped view of society. What a dangerous man.

Both girls were treated like disposable trash and there were others. Holli was left hanging from a hook in the ceiling just like a slice of beef. Zoe was next. It had been a random abduction. Zoe had the advantage, she wasn't hanging and she was free to move and escape. Her car was visible and if she ran for it she might be able to find the cops and rescue Holli. A chance in a million considering that Zoe was still drugged. Attempting to rescue her friend would have been seen as a suicide mission. The monster was over 6 feet tall, strong and armed with a knife which he used to brand his victims with a Roman numeral and a whip like a dead snake which "possessed the power to devastate the human body." Ten lashes wrecked most people. One of his victims was flogged more than forty times.

Yes, Zoe was the one who got away and the story moves on 15 months. Every day she relives the nightmare knowing that the monster is still out there. Her life is ruined, she has ostracised her friends and family, needs weekly shrink sessions and still cannot deal with anger issues or guilt at abandoning her friend.

A development provokes Zoe into responding irrationally and putting herself in danger and in the spotlight. "Murder victim found suspended" relayed on the news resurrected the nightmares from the deep recesses of her mind. "It was happening again. It was happening here" in San Francisco. Without thinking of the consequences she raced to the crime scene, ducked under the tape, gatecrashing the investigation and contaminating the crime scene. Consequently her impulsive behaviour made news and her image was shown on national tv only to be recognised by the killer who was determined to track her down and punish her once and for all! Ominous. And we know how that story goes.

Another abduction. a race against time with an incompetent police force getting nowhere fast and a cold and calculating killer. Will Zoe survive the final reckoning or will she pay the ultimate price-her life?

The suspense picks up in the right places and Zoe proves to be a powerful match for the Tally Man but will this be enough? A thrilling journey, a bit scary at times though but well worth a read.

"Predators like these aren't created perfect. They develop their methods from their errors. They're damaged people inflicting more damage on innocent bystanders."

But that doesn't justify their actions does it or make them less dangerous? Of course not.

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer trademark of Amazon.com
ISBN: 13: 978-161-218-4081
and     10: 16-12-18-4081  Available on kindle as an ereader.
REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.

Copyright 2015. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this article review is reproduced.

Breaking News. July 2017. The movie "The One That Got Away" has been optioned as a screenplay. Producers are working on studio backing and we should be able to see the film in 2-3 years from now, hopefully.

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