The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away is the debut novel for Egan Hughes and is one that I found to be dark, gripping, intense and a very enjoyable read. It had me well and truely in its clutches and I was caught in its web of lies and deceit.

The story follows Mia who has left her controlling husband Rob to start her life anew in a new home and with a new boyfriend. But her new found happiness falls apart when Rob is murdered, which has Mia scared that she will become a suspect and that the secret that she is hiding, could become her downfall.

The characters have been very well put together, but I did find it hard at times to connect with them all. Rob as the villain, is perfectly written and with a host of characters that have a hatred towards him and with each wanting him dead, has you second guessing them all.

Having part of the setting on a sailboat was a great move on Egans part and a point of difference. Its claustrophobic vibe really made those chapters feel so real and its choppy waters had me on more than one occasion having to put the Kindle down to reset. It really was a character in itself.

The structure of the story moves from the past, giving the reader an in-depth view of Mia and Jess relationships with Rob, to the present where the focus is on Robs current wife Rachel, their relationship as well as his murder investigation.

The story is a slow burn to start with, but the second half does pick up significantly and had me racing through the pages to see how it was going to unfold. Along the way, Egan throws in some pretty big twists and turns to keep you on your toes and to hold your interest.

All up The One That Got Away is a thrilling and twisty read that will keep you engaged in the build up to an epilogue where Egan has left the biggest and most shocking jaw dropping twist of all! It was a pleasure to read and review The One That Got Away which I recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group and Egan Hughes for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The One That Got Away which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Many thanks to the author /The Book Club (FB) for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Mia Fallon spent months at sea with her new husband, only to discover things were not as they seemed. She managed to get off the boat and head for home, where she’s rebuilding her life. When the cops come knocking on her door, it is with the news that her ex-husband has been murdered. She should have felt some kind of relief, but she didn’t.

The next person to bang o her door was Rachel, her ex’s newest wife. She begs Mia to help her .. to tell the police what had happened to her during her marriage. Rachel is the prime suspect .. she was found over his body covered in blood.

But Mia cant’s do that …Someone knows Mia lied to the police ..and now she’s getting threatening letters.

This is a fantastic book told in parts by each of the wives … both before the husband was killed and the present. It’s an intricately woven plot with twists and turns that resemble a roller coaster ride. The characters are finely drawn and memorable. Had me hooked from the very first page.

The writing was good, suspense could have been sprinkled uniformly in the prose. This was quite slow paced and many a time, I wanted to ask Mia to run away. Rob was a typical smooth operator, the forked tongue who could make any woman fall for him with his charm. Mia tried hard to gain my support and sympathy. Never understood the rest of the characters. There was just so much of anger and bitterness amongst them. Better motives for every character might have made it far more interesting.

Overall, it was an okay tale but quite familiar as many have been done on the same lines.

Captured my attention from the beginning in the way different perspectives were used to help tell the story. The characters were well written and fulfilled their roles within the story well. The twists and turns made me a bit dizzy but added to the atmosphere of the book. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book thanks to The Book Club Reviewer Group on Facebook, the publisher, and the author.

Rob Creavy has been shot dead. And, quite frankly a man like him has so many enemies it’s anyone’s guess who could have shot him. Which is lucky for us as a reader.

The first part of this story is told from the perspective of Mia in the present. Who is Robs ex-wife. And, that of Jess told in the past narrative. Through their stories we start to piece together the nasty piece of work that Rob is. He charms the ladies, promises them the world then basically as his name suggests, Robs them blind. Like I said, he’s got plenty of people with good motive to kill him.

We slowly uncover that Mia isn’t quite as squeaky clean as she’s trying to make out. What secrets is she keeping? And, who on earth is sending her nasty emails?

The One That Got Away is a great mystery drama. I love the way that the story and lies start to disentangle. When you think you have one mystery solved then another bombshell explodes and you have more mysteries to uncover.

I really hated Rob so in a way I was excited to find out who killed him just so I could high five them. Is that wrong and twisted of me? Well why don’t you read about his exploits and see if you think the same.

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