This was part of a series and I was unaware of it. I felt a bit like I didn't know some of the back story at times so would recommend reading the other novels before this one

Putting aside the fact that it's part of a series, I enjoyed the premise and it was well written

The Girl Who Ran by Nikki Owen

4 stars

A tightly-woven plot and unique protagonist make for an excellent, stand-out thriller

Dr Maria Martinez has Asperger’s syndrome and has spent most of her life under the control of the evil Project Callidus, an organisation that uses drugs and brainwashing techniques to attempt to advance the cognitive power of its subjects. On the run with her friends, Patricia and Chris, Maria is desperate to locate her mother, Isabella, who appears to be locked up in a psychiatric hospital in Geneva. Using Chris’ hacking skills, the trio are also attempting to expose the Project’s murderous ways with the help of the UK Home Secretary. Unfortunately, the enemy is everywhere and Maria can’t be sure who she can trust or how much of a hold the Project may still have over her.

‘The Girl Who Ran’ has an intense and fast-paced plot, an entertaining cast of characters and plenty of twists and shocks throughout. The narrative is written from Maria’s point of view and split between the present day (where Maria is being held by the Project and re-conditioned) and the 36 hours prior to her re-capture, which present-day Maria struggles to remember clearly due to the mind-altering drugs administered to her. Knowing from the present-day sections that eventually the enemy will catch up with her, the parts of the story that describe the days before Maria is caught have a foreboding and threatening atmosphere and as her memories of them come back to her, she starts to fight against the conditioning and eventually tries to escape, which makes for an exciting and tense climax.

Despite being the third book in a trilogy, this story can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The reader is quickly brought up to speed on what has been going on in Maria’s life, particularly the actions of the sinister Project Callidus, and the breadth of the author’s imagination is evident in the complex and connected threads of plot that have clearly been woven together intricately throughout all three books. Some of Maria’s past experiences (such as the death of her father) didn’t have a very strong emotional impact on me as a reader, but there was no confusion as to what had been happening and I was able to follow the plot completely despite having not read the previous two instalments. However, whilst certainly entertaining, the idea of an organisation running experiments on autistic adults as an MI5-associated counter-terrorism operation was obviously a little far-fetched and at times some of the more complex plot points didn’t fully add up or left a few questions unanswered.

Maria Martinez was an extremely interesting protagonist and her Asperger’s was well-portrayed and convincing. Her view of the world is obviously different to ‘neurotypical’ people, but was still engaging and thought-provoking– for example, Maria can decipher complex codes in seconds but finds it impossible to know what someone is thinking or feeling from their facial expressions. These attributes give her a clear advantage in some situations and an extreme disadvantage in others, particularly when it comes to knowing who to trust and who her friends truly are. The way that her struggle with relationships is manipulated by those around her added another layer of complexity to the plot and helped make this stand out from many other similar stories.

In the end, The Girl Who Ran is an interesting and well-written novel and distinctly different from many other thrillers. I would say that it is well worth a read for fans of this genre and I would be interested in reading the previous two books.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I have send my opinions directly to the publisher through the review section.. I missed the previous 2 books in the trilogy and it affected my ability to engage with the storyline

Still on the run from The Project, the strict organisation that has controlled her since birth, Dr Maria Martinez must avoid being recaptured at all cost. But going against this establishment is easier said than done, fleeing Spain and heading for Switzerland Maria and her new found friends, Chris and Patricia, must outwit the Projects Operatives at every turn. Soon though there’s nowhere left to run and Maria finds herself questioning the motives of those closest to her.

Will returning to the place she fought so hard to leave finally give her the freedom she so desperately craves?

This is the third and final instalment in this series, similarly to the previous books this story is told across dual timelines, the first from a Project facility and the second counting down the hours until recapture. Although you know from the get go that incarceration is imminent Owen writes in a way that makes following the journey far from boring.

Determined to expose The Project, Maria and her friends contact someone within the government in the hope they will aid them in their mission, but as the story unfolds Maria begins to doubt who she can trust and so does the reader. I found myself constantly second guessing all the characters and changed my mind several times when trying to ascertain the final outcome.

As always Owen’s style of writing as Maria was impeccable, so easily able to make the reader feel all the characters’ confusion and social misunderstandings. Although many will wish for more I believe the 3 books were the ideal amount to tell the story and the lack of “padding” often found in long winded series was enjoyably absent.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

The girl who Ran by Nikki Owen.
Dr Maria Martinez has finally escaped The Project facility that has been controlling her since birth. But in going against The Project’s rigid protocol, the powers at the very top of the organisation will go to any length to re-initiate her. Their aim? To bring her back to the tightly-regimented headquarters where their intense ‘training ‘of Maria can be completed.

Fleeing to Switzerland in an attempt to outwit her enemy, Maria must never lose sight of potential danger, but soon finds there’s nowhere to run. And as she starts to question whether she can trust even those closest to her, returning to the one place she has fought so hard to leave might be her only option.
A really enjoyable read with great characters. I was rooting for Maria. Had me on the edge of my seat. 5*. Netgalley and hq.

Firstly, this is the final book in a trilogy so you really need to read the first two before this one. There are a few catch-ups included but these are more geared to reminders rather than being full-on explanations so I think a lot of what is contained within won't really make sense without reading both The Spider in the Corner of the Room (Subject 375) and The Killing Files first.
Having finally escaped the clutches of the Project, Maria is still on her mission to expose them and what they are doing. Together with Chris and Patricia, they contact someone in the government to try and help them. From the again split timelines, we know from the start that recapture is imminent but what a journey to get to that point, and indeed beyond. Still reeling from information gleaned from the previous books, Maria is also on a more personal mission with regards to her heritage. Having been lied to pretty much from birth regarding certain things, and knowing what she already knows about the project, will she succeed on her mission to both retract her past and expose the project, shutting it down once and for all. But, more importantly, who can she trust along the way?
Blooming heck, after simply devouring the first two books in this trilogy, I knew this one would hit the mark - well I hoped as much - and I am very pleased to say I was right. There is action and intrigue right from page one, with an intensity that doesn't let up until the very end. As a reader I was very much tested by the author with respect to my allegiances to and my emotions about several characters along the way. I was also extremely impressed with the technological elements of the book. Whether the things that Chris et al achieve along the way are indeed credible or even possible, I have no idea, but the way that the author explains them had me totally convinced at all times.
I've said before that I connected with Maria right from the off and am pleased to say that that connection held strong through this book too. I also said in my review for the second book that I loved the connection between Chris and Maria and, again, this continued to be the case here too. Patricia is typical Patricia throughout, ditsy one minute, worldly-wise the next. The trio really do complement each other very well.
Pacing was excellent throughout too. What has really impressed me throughout this trilogy has been the use of alternating timelines. When done well, like here, they can be a very effective storytelling tool. With the past very action packed, the switch to the present day moved the focus away from this frenetic pace and more to the cerebral mind games of the Project. The two threads merging towards the end at just the right time in the book to give a rather explosive ending which left me completely satisfied.
Now the trilogy is over, I am actually really sad to leave some of the people I have met along the way. I am not sure what the author's plans for the future are but I would really like to re-connect with some of them again, even as bit part players or in a cameo role sometime in future stories.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I was confused reading this book, then realised it was part of a series!

Overall it's easy reading and good story. Suspenseful and wish I'd read the others first!