Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf Review!

A woman uncovers earth-shattering secrets about her husband's family in this chilling page-turner from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf 

The Book

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. The case rocked the small farm town of Penny Gate, Iowa, where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalized in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded. 

Upon arriving in Penny Gate, Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago—barely a trace of the wounds that had once devastated them all. But as facts about Julia's accident begin to surface, Sarah realizes that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack's past. But the farther in 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.

The Author

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, the youngest of six children. At one month of age, her family returned to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where her father was employed as a guidance counselor and her mother as a school nurse. At the age of three, her family moved to Iowa, where she grew up. Having been born with a profound unilateral hearing impairment (there were many evenings when Heather and her father made a trip to the bus barn to look around the school bus for her hearing aids that she often conveniently would forget on the seat beside her), Heather tended to use books as a retreat, would climb into the toy box that her father’s students from Rosebud made for the family with a pillow, blanket, and flashlight, close the lid, and escape the world around her. Heather became a voracious reader and the seed of becoming a writer was planted.

Heather Gudenkauf graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and continues to work in education as a Title I Reading Coordinator.

Heather 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.

The Review

Small town life can be so simple, so easy.  A simple stroll down the sidewalk can turn into coffee with a friend.  Neighbors look out for one another and are usually willing to lend a helping hand.  Days flow into one another with pure simplicity, until something happens that shakes a small town to its very core. 

It was an event such as this that brought Jack Quinlan and his wife Sarah back to his hometown of Penny Gate, Iowa.  His aunt had taken a bit of a tumble, if you will, down the stairs in her home.  Jack and Sarah thought they would just be dropping into town for a few days to help in his Aunt recovered from her accident, but little did they know that shortly after their plane touched down, their lives were about to be altered forever.

In true Heather Gudenkauf fashion, this tale unravels in a creepy way that will give you goosebumps and an urge to keep turning the pages.  Missing Pieces, Gudenkauf’s latest release, is truly a murder mystery with a very modern spin.  As strange events start to occur, Sarah finds herself questioning everything she has ever known about her husband Jack and the life they have built together.  She finds herself befriended by a local and together they ask the questions that no one else has the nerve to ask.  By doing so, a truth is revealed – a truth that this small town was not ready for and it will never be the same.

In this action-packed thriller, Gudenkauf weaves a tale that only she can.  This story is thought-provoking and a page-turner to say the least.  While it is questionable as to whether this is her best novel so far, it will definitely leave the reader with goosebumps.  

A copy of the book was provided for review and there was no monetary compensation.

Guest Reviewer: Kate Kelly