Overview
In the early 2000s, a string of abductions rocked the small upstate town of Reine, New York. Only one girl survived: Alex Salerno. The killer, Ken Parsons, was sent away. Life returned to normal. No more girls would have to die. Until another one did.
It’s been twelve years since Kira Shanks was reported missing and presumed dead. Alex Salerno has been living in New York City, piecemealing paychecks to earn a livable wage, trying to forget those three days locked underground and her affair with Sean Riley, the married detective who rescued her. When Noah Lee, hometown reporter with a journalistic pedigree, requests an interview, Alex returns to Reine and Riley, reopening old wounds. What begins as a Q&A for a newspaper article soon turns into an opportunity for money, closure and—justice. The disappearance of Kira Shanks has long been hung on Benny Brudzienski, a hulking man-child who is currently a brain-addled guest at the Galloway State Mental Hospital. But after Alex reconnects with ex-classmates and frenemies, doubts are cast on that guilt. Alex is drawn into a dangerous game of show and tell in an insular town where everyone has a secret to hide. And as more details emerge about the night Kira Shanks went missing, Alex discovers there are some willing to kill to protect the horrific truth.
In the modern vein of Dark Places and Mystic River, The One That Got Away is a dark, psychological thriller featuring a compelling, conflicted heroine and a page-turning narrative that races toward its final, shocking conclusion.
Review
Alex returns back home or back to the place she would rather forget. She was abducted when she was a teenager and kept locked underground until Detective Sean Riley rescued her. This lead to her downfall as well as his. But that does not stop Alex from trying to find out a terrible secret from her home town.
I have been a fan of Joe Clifford’s writing for a few years now. And I will tell y’all something. No one has better characters than Joe Clifford. Alex is one of his bests. She is no nonsense, “hasn’t got time for that” type of woman. But, she is very self destructive. However, there is something so appealing and magnetic about her. I don’t know if it is her terrible ordeal which keeps the reader championing her or if it is her UNIQUE attitude.
Then there is Benny! My heart went out to this man! He is at the center of this mystery. The only problem is Benny cannot communicate in any shape form or fashion. Alex is determined to be his voice.
This is a non stop story which keeps you enchanted with every turn of the page. The great characters, the twists and turns, the non stop guessing makes this a tale not to be missed. Who is the killer and why?
I received this novel via Netgalley for a honest review.
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