Norah is considered the “Lucky One” because she escaped the clutches of a serial killer. She doesn’t tell anyone what she did to escape. She graduates, leaves town and decides to train as a MMA fighter. She doesn’t want to be put in a situation where she can’t fight back. She goes back home for an old friend’s wedding and then a murder happens. The author add plenty of suspicious characters to keep the reader wonder who is the killer? A fast paced thriller, with a great plot and well written characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Imagine if you survived the unimaginable, a serial killer. After witnessing her friend’s murder, Norah is forced to do anything possible to escape from her captor. The question that haunts her for years after the tragedy is why she was the lucky one to have the opportunity to live another day. The past and present collide in this fast paced psychological thriller. This character driven story pulled me in immediately and I couldn’t put it down. Is the killer a horrific stranger from the past, or is danger lurking behind a familiar facade? I highly recommend this unputdownable thriller. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was very good but I think in a way I ruined it for myself by reading better authors first, like Riley Sager. The premise is similar but not as well written. That being said, this is face-paced and has a few twists, even if they are unrealistic. Quite fun, if not very original

Short synopsis: Norah escapes a serial killer after watching one of her friends be murdered. 10 years later she’s an MMA coach, but has to go back to her hometown to deal with the unexpected death of her father. The night she gets back, another friend is found dead. Could the notorious Hansel be back?

My thoughts: Such a fun serial killer thriller that kept me flipping pages and staying up far past my bedtime to find out what happened next. I loved the integration of the serial killer survivor and her becoming a Bad-Ass MMA fighter. Strong female characters are my favorite.

I did guess who the killer was, but the twist towards the end had me questioning my guess. It was well done and I enjoyed watching it unfold. This would make such a fun movie!

I also enjoyed the podcast and novel aspect in relation to the “true crime” story. It is so similar to what we see these days so total current with the times.

Read if you love:
* Serial Killer thrillers
* String female characters
* Compulsive story to keep you up late at night
* True Crime podcasts
* Survivor stories

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book. This is out now!

I didn't want to put this book down! What a page turner! I loved the twists, turns and revelations. I also thought the use of two timelines was very intriguing. That really worked for me.

I read this a while back and some of the details escape me. Norah is an MMA trainer living in Los Angeles. She returns to her small hometown after 10 years because her friend is getting married. Norah fled home after high school; she had been the survivor of a serial killer but her best friend wasn’t so lucky. Now she’s back and bad things start to happen; bodies turn up and Norah can feel that she’s being watched.

There was nothing about The Lucky One that really stood out for me – the ultimate resolution was just sort of eh in retrospect. One thing I’ve noticed about serial killers in suspense novels (including this one) is that they do not seem to follow the script common for real life serial killers. I believe in real life serial killers are mostly sexually motivated (or there is a sexual component to their killings, at least). But in the fiction I read, rape or sexual abuse is much rarer. It’s not like I *want* to read about rape, but I find the omission interesting – it’s like rape is a bridge too far, is too lurid, but murder isn’t. The motive of the killer in this book wasn’t very clear to me. I gave this a B- when I read it but I’m bumping it down to a C+.

A great physiological thriller
A book you will not want to put down
A real page turner
With a great storyline
Thanks NetGalley

Wow I can’t believe this is only Jessica Payne’s second book, the first “Make Me Disappear” was good…. This one was great!!!!

Norah Silverton was called “The Lucky One”. As a teenager, she managed to escape the well-known Kansas serial killer, Hansel, despite him killing the friend she was with at the time when he kidnapped them both. Norah never felt “lucky” though, and at the first chance she had she left her hometown of Kansas to move far away from all the awful memories of that night. However, they still haunt her, but she is determined never to be a victim again and has forged a great career for herself as a coach to MMA fighters. No one will ever sneak up on her again or kill someone she loves. 10 years have passed when she gets a telephone call to say her father has passed away so Norah heads back to Kansas, the place of her nightmares to make arrangements for her father’s funeral and to sell his house. Hansel was never caught so Norah feels she is still looking over her shoulder and being back in Kansas has not helped this feeling of unsafeness that someone is watching her. Soon after Norah arrives back, there is another death close to her and this one is being investigated as a murder; Norah was told by her therapist that the odds of falling victim to a serial killer is 0.00039% but the chance of falling victim to a serial killer twice is surely so small it’s impossible…. isn’t it? Who can Norah trust and will she get out of Kansas alive?

I really think Jessica Payne has real talent; she weaves such a great story. I admit I had reservations about this one as I am not a crime/ serial killer book fan and was a little apprehensive starting it, but I really enjoyed Jessica Payne’s first book so wanted to give it a go and boy I am so glad I did! The book packed a punch pretty early on and the whole book was intense and extremely gripping, I definitely didn’t want to put it down and it really did keep me guessing, I did sort of guess who the baddie was but that was very close to the final reveal and also, I had changed my mind probably about 10+ times trying to figure it out so it wasn’t cut and dry.

Overall awesome and I would highly recommend this one to any psychological or crime/ serial killer book fans. I will have no hesitation in the future about reading any book by Jessica Payne as she is just a brilliant and enthralling writer, and I can’t wait for her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Payne and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Ten years ago Norah Silverton and her best friend August were kidnapping by the infamous serial killer Hansel. Only Norah survived.

Ten years later, Norah, now a seasoned MMA fighter, finds herself back in her home town dealing with the death of her father. When one of her childhood friends is murdered in the same way as Hansel’s previous victims - Norah finds herself in a game of cat and mouse trying to escape the clutches of a deadly killer for the second time.

I LOVED this one - the right amount of thriller, suspense, true crime and smattering of romance - I was hooked. Payne is a great writer and kept the twists coming right up until the end - a great read for the crime junkie fan!

Thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture, and Jessica Payne for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you like:

+ Serial Killer Dramas
+ Murder Mysteries are your thing
+ True Crime Profiling

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this title.

This mystery was pretty quick paced, I enjoyed the overall tension created by the author. Jessica Payne will be an author I look for in the future. I think that while I may have saw the ending/twist coming, it was still a worthwhile read. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for accepting my request to read and review The Lucky One.

Published: 09/14/22

Sadly, a miss for me. There was no mystery. I am a lifelong reader, and have seen this trope come full circle. I am longing for it to be a thing of the past.

I hung on as long as I could justify my time. My time centers around an endless supply of books that I want to pick up, just like I wanted to read The Lucky One. I ended up skimming and the story ended, as I expected early on.

I think the author has potential and I will pick up her next.

OMG ! This book was awesome. I cant recommend it enough. The tension was killing me. The ending was top notch and another reason why I loved it so much. The short chapters and pace was on par. All round a fantastic book.

It was worth 5 stars..........................

The Lucky One by Jessica Payne is a gripping psychological thriller. The plot is so absorbing and interesting that I could not take my eyes off. The characters are so secretive that I was not even able to guess the real culprit. But the end was so fantastic and twisted. Definitely, a powerful debut.

5 stars for the book. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book.

This was a fast paced thriller I really enjoyed!! Kept me reading late into the night until I got to the exciting finale. Definitely recommend

I was interested in this book just from reading the synopsis and when I finished it reading I knew that I did a good choice. I was gripped by this fast-paced very well-written story, with all those secrets, and a serial killer lurking...just perfect for my taste. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. Can't wait to read something else from this author.

Norah escaped from a serial killer, but her friend August wasn't so lucky. The killer, "Hansel" was never caught. After leaving Kansas, she hasn't returned. But when her father passes away, she has no choice but to return. And she realizes that Hansel has been waiting for her.....

Tense, exciting psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, and guessing! Definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

Love Love Love Jessica Paynes writing. Her stories are unique and twisted and hook you until the end. The are quick reads and you can just fly through them

I thought this was a good, solid thriller. It definitely kept me engaged and overall I had a great time reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.
It captured my attention from the get go and I loved the fast paced.
It kept me guessing right until the end as I kept changing my mind on who I thought was “Hansel”!
Jessica Payne is a great writer and I have loved both of her books (both read from netgalley)! I can’t wait for a next one.

“No matter who Hansel is, if I ever encounter him again, I’ll have a fighting chance. And if it’s a copycat, I have no doubt I’ll win. It’s what I do.”


Wow, this was a really gripping psychological thriller!

I had a hard time putting it down. I always told myself one more chapter, but they’re so short I ended up reading several more every time.

The only thing keeping this book from ‘must-read’ status is that there is quite a bit of language.


The first chapter reads: “According to my former therapist, the chance of falling victim to a serial killer is .00039 percent. The chance of being the victim of a serial killer twice is so small as to be… nearly impossible.”

Well Norah is the ‘lucky’ one.


Here’s a brief summary and some other comments:

Brief Synopsis

The main character is Norah. She and her friend, August, were kidnapped by a serial killer (nicknamed Hansel because his MO involved ‘breadcrumbs’) on prom night. Norah watched her friend die but managed to escape in a surprising way.

The killer was never caught.

Norah lives a somewhat paranoid life and had to escape Kansas because of it. She landed in LA where she became a successful MMA fighter and coach.

Her dad’s sudden death brings her back to Kansas where her past catches up to her and more people close to her start dying in similar ways to a decade before.

Hansel wants her back.

Can she figure out who it is before more people die? And can she use her newfound fighting skills to finally end the anxiety and paranoia and get rid of Hansel once and for all?


Comments

Norah’s character reminded me a lot of Nina Guerrera, Warrior Girl, from Isabella Maldonado’s series (beginning with The Cipher). Nina also escaped from a killer when she was young and knows he’s still out there. They both grow up in careers that enable them to keep their vow- Never to be a victim again.

I really liked this book and the Guerrera series so the similarities are a positive thing.


My first guess of who the killer was was wrong. My second, also wrong. My third, correct. Even though I figured it out, it was okay. The suspense was definitely still there and there were times I questioned. I think if the killer is a surprise out of left field it probably meant the clues weren’t really there for the reader to follow and that’s sometimes not as fun!


I think my biggest criticism of the book (other than language) is the premise that she didn’t tell the cops ‘everything’ that happened the night she got away. That there was something she had to keep hidden or didn’t want people to know about.

The prologue reveals how she escaped. She convinced him that she loved him and she would return. But there were still comments throughout the book making it seem like there was something else to be revealed about that night. Unless I missed something there was never something else. This was it. And we know it immediately.

Which is fine, it didn’t necessarily need something else, but then don’t play it up like it’s going to be a big reveal in the end. Because then it feels like the author forgot something.


I also felt like the parts describing her actual encounter with the serial killer were pretty short so the trauma she lives with after the fact doesn’t feel as visceral because the reader’s vision of the encounter seems too shallow. We didn’t really get to understand what Norah means when she says, “she doesn’t know what it’s like to stare into the eyes of someone who enjoys, no relishes— the thought of killing you.”

Not that I wanted a graphic account by any means, but even her friend’s killing happened in a matter of a few sentences.


Then there were the two stupid things:
- Once Janie went missing, Detective Cron didn’t take it seriously, which considering the murder of their friend days prior and their suspicions that Norah’s dad was drugged, you would think they would want to investigate that a bit.
- When you find out who the killer is, and that they drugged people, best not to drink anything they give you…

There is also the fact that reporters and journalists are just THE WORST. I have yet to read anything involving them that makes me think they’re decent people. At least in the fiction world. All they want is the big story and the next promotion. Prove me wrong.


Recommendation

Even though I had a few criticisms, I would still recommend this book because of how hard it was to put down. That’s how a thriller should be.

If you can look past the language and the one oversell, then I think you’ll really like this book!

And if you like this one, definitely check out Maldonado’s series!

Jessica Payne also wrote a book called ‘Make Me Disappear’ that I’m tempted to read now.



[Content Advisory: 65 f-words, 43 s-words, 27 uses of God’s name in vain, an LGBTQ relationship between two characters]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**