I was struggling to read the first half of Hidden Pieces. It was written well and Mary Keliikoa did keep things moving with the investigation, although not in a way that I really enjoyed.

I felt like the sheriff was running around accusing everyone. This was explained because he hadn’t really been doing his job for the past five years because of the loss of his daughter and all three of the deputies he had were green, but it felt more like a cozy mystery with the heroine running around town accusing everyone for the slightest of reasons.

And for me, there was just so much of the sheriff’s depression leaking off the page. Which also was written well, but when I’m reading a thriller I’m more into the investigation and looking into the twisted mind of the killer. So for others this may not even register with them while reading the book.

Then we get to the second half of the book and that’s when it starts to really get interesting. Things pick up a lot. We start getting more clues and actual evidence. More than one investigation is going on. People are rushing from scene to scene, just missing the suspect. Or people who are supposed to be somewhere are not in contact.

I thought I knew what was going on the whole time and who the killer was. While I was partially correct, the twist that Keliikoa presents was wonderful and I didn’t see it coming. But looking back all the clues were there.

Because of the second half of the book I look forward to checking out more of Keliikoa’s novels.

Allison is reported missing by her mother, Emily. The local Sheriff, Jax Turner, is on the verge of a suicide when he gets this news. Allison didn't get on school bus and didn't even attend the school that day. Where the hell is she?

All the suspects and involved people are talking. It's like Jax got everything and nothing. It feels like everybody is hiding something. Are they even telling the truth? Every theory and escalation he had is leading to a dead-end. He feels that he is so close to finishing the puzzle.

In the midst of this chaos, only one person knows where Allison is. How do they know? Should they tell the police?

Well, well, well!!
This book, right here, is amazing. It had the grip on the reader throughout the story. You will never expect the twist in the climax. You might guess the antogonist before the climax, but there will be unanswered questions that will take you to the end.

I really loved this fast paced thriller! Thriller fans would love this. I don't want to give out any spoilers here. So, I am keeping my review short. Thank you Netgalley and Level Best Books for the ARC.

I always look forward to Mary Kelikoa's books and was really excited to read this one. This is the start of a new series i enjoyed it alot! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this one. Can't wait for the next one, i'll for sure be reading it!

I would highly recommend Hidden Pieces to fellow thriller readers. The story peaked my interest from the very beginning and there were a few unexpected twists, which I enjoy. The ending was a little confusing, but I did enjoy the book and will definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to Level Best Books and NetGalley for this ARC of Hidden Pieces by Mary Keliikoa!!

I could not put this book down. I started reading it on a Monday afternoon and within just a handful of days, I was finished reading. I have started reading more and more thrillers, and this book was fast paced and had me wanting to read faster so I could find out what happens next.

An old cold case crosses paths with a new abduction case in a small town called Misty Pines. It’s unusual, but the new case has elements that the old case had. The unsolved cold case by Sheriff Jax Turner causes him to have repeated flashbacks, which starts him on a vicious hunt for a killer on the loose when he’s confronted with the new abduction case. Torn between wanting to avenge the cold case’s victim and find the new abduction victim before time runs out, Jax is confronted with his own inner demons and twenty-five year heartache to get his focus back as town Sheriff.

This is a perfect thriller for October & one that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The only thing I had comments about that aren’t positive or negative, was some typos and some errors with names being switched where I think the another character should have been in dialogue situations.

I will be posting this review to my Instagram book page closer to the pub date and will share the link to the post then.

Misty Pines Mystery #1

Sheriff Jax Turner is staring down the barrel of his broken past. On the brink of ending it all, he feels like a failure following his daughter's tragic passing and his subsequent divorce. But when a schoolgirl vanishes, and her backpack is found in a sex offender's back seat, the weary lawman drags himself into action and vows to nail one last sociopath.

This is the first book in a new series where we have Sheriff Jax Turner investigating. The case shows possible links to a case he had worked on decades earlier, Jax is looking for a fourteen-year-old girl who never turned up for school. We get many different scenarios surrounding the disappearance. Jax and his team have to question many of the towns' folk, so there is lots of suspects to choose from. The character backstories are interesting and have real dept. Jax Turner is portrayed in a very clever way, I loved the authors writing style. The plotline held mt attention throughout. the pace is fast from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this new mystery series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #LevelBestBooks and the author #MaryKeliikoa for my ARC of #HiddenPieces in exchange for an honest review.

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and Level Best Books. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Sheriff Jax Turner is in a bad state after the death of his daughter. He has essentially checked out of his career, the town, and his life, but when he receives a call that a local teenage girl is missing, he pulls himself together to search for her. Along with 3 deputies in training, his #1 back at the station and the FBI he rushes to save Allison before it is too late.

While searching for her, things are reminesent of a case he worked years ago with his old partner, which was never solved. His ex-wife is with the FBI, and he enlists her help to run some tests that weren't available years ago.

This book kept me guessing until the end. The perp is alluded to several times, and every time I thought I had figured it out, it changed again. I now have a new series and author on my list to watch out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Level Best Books, and Mary Keliikoa.

This story caught me right away. A missing girl with connections to the past, unexpected twists, but had a confusing ending. The sheriff was on a journey of personal angst and redemption so I felt a lot of sympathy for him…

Hidden Pieces by Mary Keliikoa is set in the Pacific Northwest in Misty Pines, Oregon. Which is what got my attention enough to want to read it.

Be aware before starting this book: Trigger warnings due to suicidal thoughts.

Sheriff Jax Turner is sitting in his vehicle, and with gun in hand, he's seriously considering ending his pain from the loss of his family. His young daughter died from cancer, and his wife left him because she couldn't handle how he couldn't get beyond his daughters death. He's written notes for his ex-wife and others explaining why he was about to "eat his gun", when a call came over the radio that got his attention! Allison was waiting for the school bus, but by the time the bus got to that stop she had gone missing! No one saw or heard anything, so he had to try to focus enough to find out what happened! Did she leave on her own? did someone kidnap her and if so, who and why? where was she being kept? was she alive, or already dead?

I honestly love most books like this, but I have to say, this one was a hard one for me to read, and I believe it was the suicidal thoughts that did me in. With that being said, as long as you are aware of what the Sheriff is planning to do, its a good book that will keep you guessing. There are plenty of possible suspects, all with various reasons that could place them behind the kidnapping of Allison.


I want to thank NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for the free ARC. and this review is my own and honest opinion

This book left me with mixed feelings. I thought the characters were okay, and the idea of the missing girl was intriguing. However it just didn't grip me in the way I expected it to, it lacked excitement and felt a bit flat, sorry that I didn't enjoy it more.

I never repeat the blurb. This wasn't really enjoyable...More like hard work. I'd guessed the "twists" far too easily and none of the characters were either likeable or memorable. Sorry.

Highly recommend this one! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last. The characters will stay with you long after you finish the book and you will find yourself wishing the story would never end.

My reading of the beginning of this book was slow due to life interruptions, however I demolished the last 80% of this book in one sitting. Fuelled by unexpected twists and turns, Keliikoa’s writing had my eyes glued to my screen and I truly felt like I was taking part as a detective within the case.

Keliikoa’s ability to mislead a reader down many paths with plausible explanations and the carefully constructed, slow reveals of the crimes had me so caught up in the multiple possible leads that Jax and the other detectives followed. Although at times I did struggle to follow along with the large amount of side characters, overall the plot was easy to follow at its core when referring to the key characters of Jax and Elena. I could absolutely see this book becoming a fantastic movie adaptation in which I believe the side characters would become more clarified and add to the story. ore successfully in a visual sense.

I really enjoyed the unexpected psychological twist within the case, and although I did question the choice of perpetrator and conclusion of the novel at first, I recognise how cleverly aspects of psychology were intertwined and some of my suspicions throughout were correct! I’m very interested to see how my experience reading it again will differ now that I know the subtle signs to look for that hinted towards the conclusion. There are a handful of things about the closing of the case that I hoped would turn out differently, but it did not sway me from the thrill of the reveal and I was absolutely encapsulated in it all. Definitely a recommended read in my opinion, especially for crime/thriller buffs such as myself.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and Mary Keliikoa for allowing me to delve into this ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

When a 14-year-old girl doesn't report to school, Sheriff Jax is called in. At first it looks like she ran off, after all she and her mother have not be getting along, and she wanted to live with her dad who is divorced from her mother. After looking into this closer, it is determined that she has been kidnapped. Who and why? There are many questions but hardly any answers. Sheriff Jax was all ready to end his life when he got this call. this could be his last case. It doesn't help that some of the people are not telling the truth. Will the truth come out in time? As I had one part of this story figured out there was a huge, and I mean HUGE part I totally missed! Kudos Mary Keliikoa!! I would give this book 20 stars if I could. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Hidden Pieces is chock full of mystery and suspense. Jax, the sheriff of small town Misty Pines, is ready to give up on life. He lost his daughter to cancer and his marriage fell apart, leaving him feeling like he has nothing to live for. Then he gets the call that a local teen girl, Allison, has gone missing. The clock is ticking as he tries to find her. Could her abduction be related to a 25 year old unsolved case? Lots of drama and a surprising ending make this thriller a great read.

I quickly became invested in the characters and the pacing was good most of the way through, with the tension and suspense propelling the narrative to the final chapters. The ending had a couple of twists but one came out of left field and wasn’t very credible to me. All in all I enjoyed the novel and would definitely read others by this author but the conclusion didn’t live up to the rest of the story for me.

looooved this spooky thriller! it is for sure going to be popular during Halloween this year! all the stars. highly recommend

A small town missing person incident escalates into much more. No spoilers, but I had to work at keeping characters straight as well as physical from psychological. A good mystery, but not necessarily a great one.

This was such a page-turner that I read this in 24 hours. I enjoyed the humanity of Jax and the vulnerability that he exhibited. The twists and turns that this story took left me with my mouth open and gasping.

This was a thrilling mystery and I can’t wait to read more in this series.

Misty Pines Mystery, book #1

“Hidden Pieces” is an adrenaline fueled psychological thriller set in the fictional small community of Misty Pines. It is an absorbing and expertly plotted story with the loss of a child at its core. Not only did I found it to be a delectable page-turner full of secrets and revenge it also crackles with realism. Ms.Keliikoa expertly weaved the intense search for a missing child with a similar cold case 20 years prior all the while grief shadows the main character’s every moves.

Sheriff Jax Turner (main character) is grieving the loss of his daughter to cancer but when a schoolgirl vanishes and her backpack is found in a sex offender’s backseat he drags himself into action. Soon we are into so many twists and turns it can be overwhelming. When you think you figured out who may be behind.. zap another spin and suspicion shifts from one suspect to the next. This mystery had me on the edge of my seat.

The psychological approach was unique and written with skill. It starts strong and keeps this tempo form the opening page till the conclusion. I like the main character but I admit to have had a bit of trouble keeping track of the supporting ones.

In whole a good, entertaining story