Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Published: 2016 by Harlequin Mira
Genre: Mystery; Fiction; Thriller; Suspence
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Length: 282 pages
Goodreads' Rating: 3.62 / 5 stars
My Rating: 💜💜💜 (3.5 / 5)
Goodreads' Synopsis:
Sarah Quinlan's husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. For years Jack has avoided returning home, but when his beloved Aunt Julia is in an accident, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded.
Upon arriving, Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago. But as facts of Julia's accident begin to surface, Sarah realises that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack's past, but the father she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth she may not be prepared for.
Book Review:
I have mixed feelings about this book.
I have had this one on my TBR ever since I read another book by Gudenkauf, called One Breath Away which I really enjoyed.
By reading the synopsis, it sounds as though you are going to be diving into a really interesting mystery with a lot of suspense and family secrets. Which, you do, just not to the extent that you imagine..
We have Sarah, who believed that her husband's parents died in a car accident, as that is what Jack had always said happened to them and why would he lie about something like that? She finds out that this is not the truth, in fact, his mother was murdered in the basement of their family home and his father was the prime suspect, as he disappeared right after the tragedy occurred. Sarah is now in a complete state as she has been lead to believe one thing and now finds out that Jack had lied to her. But what else was he lying about? She goes on the hunt for answers to find out what really happened to the mother-in-law that she never knew.
As we go along, following Sarah in her quest for the truth, we are trying to put together the pieces of the latest mystery - the accident of Jack's Aunt - which may not be what it looks like.
The plot itself wasn't boring. It was quite a short book (282 pages) so it went along at a relatively good pace. and kept me interested, as I did want to know who was responsible. I had my suspicions but they turned out to be wrong - the antagonist was a surprise - so the ending of the book wasn't predictable, which I liked very much.
My main issue was the characters of the book. Firstly, Jack and Sarah had been married for over twenty years and had two grown daughters. Reading their interactions with each other, I found it really hard to believe. There was little chemistry or lovable interaction between them and I struggled to find their relationship believable.
The other characters were just one-dimensional, there was little development with them through the story. The character of Margaret was a little odd too, she was the dispatcher at the Sheriff's office, and she stole the case file of Jack's mum's murder for Sarah so that she could look through it. I find this a little far-fetched as they only had just met, and no one would risk their job in that way to help a stranger
Overall, the plot was enjoyable and there were twists and turns to keep me interested - I just found many of the characters and their relationships with one another to be a little one dimensional.
Thank you for reading my review of Missing Pieces. I would love to hear your thoughts on the book if you have read it, or are thinking of reading it!
Until next time, happy reading!
About the Author:
Heather Gudenkauf was born in Wagner, South Dakota in the US and is the bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and Missing Pieces.
2017 Book Challenges Update:
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 4 / 50
Library Love Challenge: 4 / 50
Audio Book Challenge: 1 / 20
Reading Assignment Challenge: 0 / 12
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