If you've been a reader of this blog for any length of time you know what I do when I discover an author I think is the cat's pajamas. I look for any other books they've authored and set about acquiring them. I was thrilled when I saw a number of volumes listed for Heather Gudenkauf. Most are on the way thanks to the magic of inter library loan. And I was able to find Missing Pieces in Orono Public Library.
Sarah, Gudenkauf's narrator, is living the good life. She loves her married home on Larkspur Lane. Her twin daughters, Emma and Elizabeth, have just moved out to start college. Jack is a wonderful father and husband.
There's only one fly in the ointment. Jack's parents had died in a car accident when he was fifteen. He and his little sister were taken in by their Aunt Julia and Uncle Hal who raised them as their own. He's very reserved about his past, resisting any questions.
"Did he look more like his mother or his father? What books did she read to him before bedtime or did she call him by a pet name? Did his father teach him to bait a hook or skip rocks across a pond? But every time she broached the subject, Jack would find a way to avoid the conversation. He wouldn't let her in."
Jack has only been back to Penny Gate, the small Iowa farming town he was raised in, for funerals and weddings. The last one was his cousin Dean's marriage when the twins were babies. Sarah has never been there.
But all that is about to change. Jack receives a phone call. His Aunt Julia has had a bad fall and is hospitalized. Pretty soon Jack and Sarah are on a plane. After landing they go right to the hospital where Hal, Dean and wife Celia, and Amy are keeping vigil. Julia is unconscious. A social worker has questioned Hal about whether there was any reason Julia might feel unsafe in her home. Sarah says they must have to ask when there's an accident.
The next day Julia, still unconscious, goes into a massive seizure. Because of a do-not-resuscitate order medical personnel can't take extreme measures.
A doctor has commented that she didn't think Julia's fall was an accident. Her injuries were too severe to fit with that scenario. Soon the Sheriff has declared her death to be a homicide. Amy is in jail. But other family members also had motive and opportunity. Hal's home is being searched for clues.
And Sarah has learned something disturbing about Jack's past. His parents didn't die in a car accident. His mother was brutally murdered in her home. In fact Jack was the prime suspect until his father vanished. What else has he been lying about?
If, like me, you're a fan of Lisa Scottoline and Jodi Picoult, you owe it to yourself to read Missing Pieces. Meanwhile I'll check out Gudenkauf's other work and let you know what I discover.
On a purrrsonal note, as I write this review I'm in geek paradise. I don't have to go out into the cold, gusty rain that's predicted to last the day. I'm still in my new Christmas pajamas, lying on the living room sofa with good Tobago cat snuggled up. The Christmas tree lights are on. Who could ask for more?
Actually that's pretty much how I spent the first weekend of vacation. My kidney stone had been seriously flaring the last two weeks of fall semester. I'd enjoyed those weeks but ended up totally exhausted. The very welcome rest helped me start to recover. (Jules)
The weather outside sounds dismal. It makes me really grateful for my cozy, warm home. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to readers traveling for Christmas with best wishes for safe arrival at their destinations.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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