Sarah Quinlan thought her life was complete.  Happily married for twenty years, a mother of two college-age daughters, a beautiful Montana home on a lake, and a fulfilling career.  It wasn’t until she accompanied her husband Jack back to his Ohio home town following a family tragedy that she noticed the missing pieces of the puzzle…

Jack’s aunt, who raised him, has suffered a nasty fall and has been hospitalized.  The next day she is dead.  But was it the fall that killed her?  Jack’s sister Amy is a very damaged woman – depression, drug abuse, the works.  It seems everyone blames her for Aunt Julia’s death.  Is Amy just an easy scapegoat?

Jack has lied to Sarah.  He has always told her his parents died in a car accident when he was fifteen.  Now Sarah finds that his mother was murdered.  Bludgeoned to death in the cellar of their home.  His Dad was blamed for her death but was never charged due to the fact that he disappeared the same day…   And there is more!  Jack’s secrets are revealed one after the other – like dominoes falling.  Sarah is afraid that her marriage is unsalvageable.  She fears she has never really known Jack and wonders how she could have been so blind.  Everything about her life with Jack is now put into question.

Using her skills as an investigative reporter, she delves into the family’s past finding evidence that rocks her faith in her husband and everything she has ever believed to be true.

The sheriff who investigated Jack’s mother’s murder is still the acting sheriff.  If I had to pick out what I perceive to be a flaw in the plot is that the security of Sheriff Gilmore’s office is so lax as to be preposterous.

A suspense filled novel of family secrets and deception, “Missing Pieces” will appeal to anyone who likes to read domestic thrillers.  Fast-paced, and interesting throughout!

I received this novel from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden.

Heather was born in Wagner, South Dakota and now lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running. She is currently working on her next novel.