Book Review: Missing Pieces

Title: Missing Pieces
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
To Be Published: February 2016
Publisher: Harlequin (US & Canada)

Many thanks to Harlequin (US & Canada) and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts with Sarah Quinlan following her husband, Jack, back to Penny Gate, Iowa, after he learns that his Aunt Julia has been in a serious accident. It’s the first time Jack has returned to Penny Gate following the death of his mother over 20 years ago. Sarah feels uneasy learning things about Jack that she hasn’t seen evidence of throughout the whole of their marriage – what happens when you start to believe that everything you know about your husband seems to a lie? A story that shows you the consequences of keeping secrets from loved ones.

If you’re a fan of a classic ‘whodunit’ this book will be perfect for you and your mind will be working overtime to figure out who the villain is – there are so many to point the finger at!
However, I felt that this book had a slightly slow start. I wasn’t immediately drawn to the narrator Sarah; her relationship with Jack seemed strange as there was a distinct lack of communication for a married couple of 20 years. Perhaps Jack needed to be distant to highlight the past he was hiding?

‘It seemed wrong, almost unholy, to be intruding on this very private moment in Jack’s life. But there was no turning back now. She had to hear the rest.’

The suspense as family secrets were revealed was excellent, I was pulled into the mystery and genuinely had no idea who was responsible for the savage killings so the ending gave me that great ‘gasp’ moment – brilliant shock power. Sarah and some other characters were slightly lacking (although I can’t go into detail because of possible spoilers), however I was leaning towards a 5* review.

Rating:

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