The blurb

Mia thinks she has escaped her controlling ex-husband, Rob. She’s found herself a new home, a new boyfriend and a new life.

But when the police arrive to tell her that Rob has been found dead on his boat, things quickly fall apart. Mia is terrified she’ll be suspected, however the police are keeping all options open. They know Mia had reason to hate her ex-husband, but she’s not the only one. Plenty of people wanted Rob Creavy dead, not least his new wife, Rachel.

What they don’t know is that Mia has a secret, one she’s desperate to protect.

But someone else knows. Someone with very dark secrets of their own . . .

My thoughts

‘The One That Got Away’ is a tense thriller built on lies, abuse, manipulation, jealousy and deceit that ends with murder. The story is told in different time frames via our frame narrator, so it’s really enjoyable piecing everything together. One of the things I enjoyed about this story is controlled plotting of the narrative, and the insight into gaslighting behaviour.

The story begins with a death, and the reader finds themselves questioning what really happened, as we find out more about Mia, her current life and her past as Jess. In the present day, Mia is dealing with the aftermath of her ex-husband’s murder, and its implications on her current life. This story is split up with the experience of Jess, as she falls in love, gets married and finds her life becomes anything but happy.

This book is a strong debut, for me personally it stalled a little in the middle, and I wanted the narrative to develop at a quicker pace, but that’s just my experience. The narrative drive comes from the question, why now? why does this murder happen at this particular time and who are the suspects? I enjoyed how little clues and red herrings were implanted carefully into the story.

Overall, a solid psychological thriller debut. Huge thanks to the author, and publisher for the review copy.

Please buy from independents if you can XX