A review by clairevoyantbooks
The One That Got Away by Joe Clifford
dark
3.5
The start of this book immediately got my attention as it dove right in to the heart of the story: we meet Alex our MC, or “The One That Got Away” from a notorious serial killer. Alex was just 17 years old when she was rescued, but our story takes place 12 years later when she comes back to her hometown Reine (in Upstate New York) under the guise of being interviewed about her experience. Accept, the reporter is focused on another murder, that of Kira Shanks, and that maybe they didn’t catch the true murderer.
Kira’s murder happened 5 years after Alex survived her own horror, but it’s one that has always overshadowed Alex’s story. Based on evidence at scene Benny Brudzienski, a young man diagnosed with Aphasia, who was unable to defend himself after getting beaten 2 weeks later and leaving him in a comatose state for the rest of his life. Despite the fact that Alex wants nothing to do with this at first, she can’t resist staying in Reine to find answers.
I enjoyed the overall plot and trying to figure out what actually happened, but Alex was a pretty unlivable main character. At times, I felt the story focused too much on her own mental state and problems, and instead of coming off dark and gritty, I felt it came off as just plain depressing more. There’s the undercurrent thought if she finds out what what happened to Kira, that some of Alex’s own personal demons would also be gone. I felt it did drag at times and I didn’t feel like I truly got into the book until about 2/3 of the way through.
I liked that we got Benny’s own point of view from when he first met Kira until the ending where we find out what actually happened. I found the ending well done, but not satisfying. We find out what happened, it’s not a huge twist, but instead a dark tale that matches the town of Reine. I found myself wanting a little more closure.
Kira’s murder happened 5 years after Alex survived her own horror, but it’s one that has always overshadowed Alex’s story. Based on evidence at scene Benny Brudzienski, a young man diagnosed with Aphasia, who was unable to defend himself after getting beaten 2 weeks later and leaving him in a comatose state for the rest of his life. Despite the fact that Alex wants nothing to do with this at first, she can’t resist staying in Reine to find answers.
I enjoyed the overall plot and trying to figure out what actually happened, but Alex was a pretty unlivable main character. At times, I felt the story focused too much on her own mental state and problems, and instead of coming off dark and gritty, I felt it came off as just plain depressing more. There’s the undercurrent thought if she finds out what what happened to Kira, that some of Alex’s own personal demons would also be gone. I felt it did drag at times and I didn’t feel like I truly got into the book until about 2/3 of the way through.
I liked that we got Benny’s own point of view from when he first met Kira until the ending where we find out what actually happened. I found the ending well done, but not satisfying. We find out what happened, it’s not a huge twist, but instead a dark tale that matches the town of Reine. I found myself wanting a little more closure.