It's halfway of May already. It's summer here in the Philippines and it's scorching hot. We haven't been to the beach yet. My summer did have a good start. I went to Korea last April and it was spring there but it felt like it was still winter. The air was still freezing cold. I had a blast though. I had a lot of first experiences in South Korea which I will treasure for the rest of my life. I felt so alive and it's been quite a while since I've felt like that.
So, this book is a suspense-thriller. At first glance, you may think that it's a bit of drama. I thought so. The title seems to suggest that some secrets are about to be uncovered. Major drama, right? Well, not too far out. This book is really a revelation. There's family drama, I give you that. Yes, secrets are about to be revealed and more.
I know I've said in my previous posts that I am a mystery, suspense, thriller fan. It's my favorite genre. The guessing game and the excitement keeps me glued to the stories. And being such a big fan, I have become familiar with some of the things that come with thriller stories. I then start to formulate my own theories as to how the rest of the story will unfold or who the killer is or what the big mystery is about. Unfortunately, in this book, my experience and great affinity with mysteries wasn't very helpful. This is a very riveting story and a few suspects were thrown in but were actually too far from what really is going on. And that's the best part. I love that a story could throw me out of my wits and keep me wondering. And at the end of it all, I was flabbergasted because it was totally different. It's a satisfaction every reader loves, to be thrown out of the loop, yet the ending is way way much better for it. I crave that kind of high. This story delivered it all with much gusto and much more.
Nothing could have prepared me for this story. The blurb may have been a bit longer than usual but there's more to it. You would think that it has summarized the story in all its essence but you are very very wrong. There's more and much more. I love it! That's why it's good to read blurbs to at least know what you're walking into. But it's much more satisfying, like ice-cold water after a parching walk under the sun, to read each page and find out that there's a great deal more to know. It's an adventure in itself going through each page and be more confused and horrified that all your theories had to be scrapped. It's a great satisfaction to realize that the author is a master and has played you cruelly in her hands. Cruel because you can never figure it out for yourself.
I had the time of my life reading this book. I never put it down. I had to finish it if I wanted to maintain my sanity. I need to find all the hidden pieces and where each character fits into the story. The ending was so far out of my thoughts that it was a relief and really satisfying to finally know. Ah, what a great adventure it is having to accompany Detective Hobbs and be as astounded as she is when the truth finally hit her. It was wow!
I can't say enough how I have enjoyed this story and how I was confused and bewildered by the turn of events. I was actually happy to be confused and be out of my wits figuring it out. It's one of the best things about this book. You will never know. So, I gave this 5/5 puzzle pieces. Everything just fits perfectly.
There was something about accepting an apology so many years after the fact that made it insufferable. It was like the nominal payment of a library fee many years after the book had been destroyed in a horrible fire - long after the fine was written off.
- Jillian Thomadsen, All the Hidden Pieces -
