Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to suicide, physical abuse, the loss of a child, torture, and murder.

Ryan is one of the main protagonists of the novel. He is described as being tall and intelligent, and according to a comment from his friend Eddie, women find him attractive. He has loving parents, and in high school, he is the popular basketball star. His girlfriend, Alison, nicknames him “Dodge” for his smooth on-court skills. Ryan is faithful to Alison through four years of high school, though she admits to kissing another boy. His life, however, gets turned upside down when he ironically fails to dodge the blow from his girlfriend’s abductor that renders him unconscious. After she is kidnapped, the police first suspect Ryan of malfeasance. Even after they find no evidence to associate him with the crime, he remains under suspicion. Amateur true crime theorists propagate various theories arguing that he is guilty, and the new nickname he receives on the basketball court is “Killer.” Ryan’s initial trouble-free life as Dodge is over. He runs from his past and the public suspicion, legally changing his last name to Smith and transferring universities before embarking on a career as a law student.