The One That Got Away

It had been twelve years since a string of girls had gone missing in the little town of Reine, NY, when Kira Shanks goes missing and is presumed to be dead, thought murdered by a town outcast. Only one of the original string of girls, Alex Salerno, had survived, but her life had been rocked. Barely hanging on in New York City, she is summoned back to Reine several years after Kira’s disappearance by a university student trying to make his name in journalism. He wants to crack the Kira Shanks cold case and thinks Alex can help him. Drawn into a maelstrom of memories and surrounded by people who don’t want things stirred up, Alex finds herself in constant danger, but she can’t let go until she discovers the truth.

Author Joe Clifford has written a convoluted, complex page-turner of a book that will keep readers seeking clues to unravel this fetid mystery right along with Alex Salerno. The premise is a bit far-fetched, but if one can suspend disbelief for a few hours, one will find this a fairly satisfying thriller. The writing is solid, the characters creepily believable, and the story compelling.