This is hands-down the best romantic suspense book I have ever read! I was intrigued and interested in the mystery elements. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters. The FMC and MMC had sort of a hate-to-reluctant friends-to-lovers thing going on. I will 100% be picking up the other books in this series. I cannot wait for the next installment!

Ridley Sawyer runs a podcast on missing people. Her sister was taken ten years ago, and her body was never found. She has discovered that there are 23 cases connected to her sister's case. She has come to town to speak with a girl she believes may be connected to her sister's case.

Sheriff Colter Brooks is determined not to let her talk to his sister. He wants her to leave town. During her research for the podcast, she is stirring up trouble in town. When Ridley is attacked, he takes her to his home for protection. It seems the assailant is now intent on killing Ridley and is close to succeeding.

This is a great mystery, suspense, and romance book. There are two narrators, and they do an excellent job.

All the Missing Pieces was my first Catherine Cowles but I will definitely be diving into her backlist!

After losing her sister to a cold case disappearance, Ridley is set to help others put together the missing pieces of true crime cases. She solves them best in the small town cities themselves, setting her now in Shady Cove. She believes this town and Emerson's case are the missing puzzle piece she's been looking for to solve her sister's disappearance. She won't get by without the assistance of town sheriff Colter, who truly doesn't want her there. But they will have to come together to solve the case when threats come, with someone not wanting to be named the killer.

I let out the biggest gasp and then searched the killer's name in my Kindle because boy was I NOT guessing that person. The beautiful thing about All the Missing Pieces was that it kept me on my toes and made me NOT want to put it down because I needed to solve the case. I had several guesses of who could have been the killer and while some were a "nope" right on, there were others that made sense until the reveal was put out. While I liked the romance aspect with Riley and Colter, I felt more invested in the mystery aspect and wanted more of that when the romantic parts came out to play. I am curious if Cowles will continue with this story and their story and who may be up next in the cast of characters she crafted. Those who enjoy small town romances, think Tarah Dewitt, or mysteries like Ally Carter's will enjoy All the Missing Pieces. If you want an immersive experience, the audio read by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York, is a solid choice however; not necessary to dive into this tale.

Catherine Cowles delivers a gripping and emotional ride with All the Missing Pieces, a mystery-psychological thriller that hooks readers from the very first page. The story begins with a heart-wrenching tragedy: Ridley’s twin sister goes missing, a loss that shapes her life and sets her on a path of relentless determination to uncover the truth—not only for her sister but for other cold cases as well.

Ridley’s quest for justice takes her across the country, eventually leading her to a small town where she crosses paths with Colter, a man whose past echoes her own pain. The discovery that Colter’s sister may have been the first victim deepens the plot, bringing layers of tension, mystery, and emotional resonance. As their stories intertwine, the narrative builds in intensity, leading to revelations that are as satisfying as they are surprising.

Cowles has a talent for creating characters that feel authentic and compelling. Ridley’s resilience and Colter’s strength make them a dynamic pair, and their shared struggles add depth to their connection. The pacing is perfect, balancing suspense and emotional beats that keep readers invested throughout.

This novel is not just a standalone story; it’s a world begging to be expanded. Ridley’s dedication to solving cold cases would make an incredible series, offering endless opportunities for new mysteries and character growth.

With its rich characters, masterful storytelling, and a plot that keeps you guessing, All the Missing Pieces is a must-read for fans of thrillers and mysteries. Cowles has crafted a tale that lingers long after the final page.

Rated 4.5 Stars

All The Missing Pieces was a beautiful story. It was also a compelling read, one that was difficult to put down and also difficult to read at times. It snatched my attention from the very beginning and kept it to the very end. I loved it. I loved listening to the narrators, Andi Arndt and Sebastian York tell this story, bring these characters and their emotions to life as well as the setting. They did an amazing job. Both are masters of their craft and and that showed in the way they used their voices expertly to ring every emotion, every twist, every turn to maximum effect. They were an absolute joy to listen to. I very highly recommend this book and can't wait to read the next I the series. I loved this community and the secondary characters.

*Edit to add audiobook review*

I have listened to and enjoyed narration from both Andie Arndt and Sebastian York in the past and this audiobook was no different. They both do a great job of using their varying tones and inflection for different characters and to convey emotion. I definitely prefer Arndt’s male voices to York’s female voices, but neither is distracting or something that pulls me from the story. I would easily recommend this audiobook to anyone asking for my input.

Apologies to Broken Harbor on its short-lived reign as my favorite Catherine Cowles book. It’s already been replaced by this one.

I’m a true crime podcast/tv consumer through and through, so books that include that element are always going to call to me. There is a curiosity to how it’s going to be handled because in reality, there is such a thin line between respectful and thoughtful production and exploiting pain and suffering caused by the darkness in the world for the sake of “entertainment”. It is handled so well in this book. Ridley is the ideal kind of podcaster who has genuine motives and intentions behind the work she is doing. She’s careful and considerate in her approach to the people she seeks out and the overall case she’s covering. She has experienced her own loss that provides her a place of empathy and understanding to operate from. Her own story and emotional tie to this case really helped drive the urgency and feel the deeper desperation for answers in the plot.

As for the romance part of the romantic suspense that Catherine Cowles does so well, I love a man who goes from reluctantly protective to “who did this to you?” to “never again” BUT also respects and believes in a woman’s ability and need to handle things for herself as well. Colt is all of the above. He is a protector by nature, and when it comes to Ridley he tries to fight that even though he’s destined to give in. There is so much that connects them and draws them both in. I love the way they interact and I love that Ridley doesn’t back down from him. He loves it too, and it creates a healthy, respectful partnership where he’d love to shield her from everything but knows he can’t and chooses to have her back while she does what she needs to do instead.

I can’t move on without mentioning that I deeply admire Emerson and hope this is more to come in this universe that might give her her own HEA with a certain handsome bartender/her brother’s best friend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Team Catherine Cowles for the eARC, and thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I swear with every new book Catherine Cowles releases, it immediately becomes my new favourite book by her.

All the Missing Pieces was a wonderfully tragic, suspenseful romance story where finding justice and long sought after answers meets trauma bonding and turning it into hope, healing and love.

I absolutely loved the traveling true crime podcaster angle this story took. It created a unique perspective to solving crime and seeking justice and healing - themes that are very common in many romantic suspense or romance involving law enforcement.

Ridley Sawyer was such an inspiring main character in how she wielded her ongoing pain to pursue truth and justice with a compassionate and understanding approach. It's powerful to read how she makes herself vulnerable to help others while still being fiercely independent and strong to her core.

Colter Brooks' character development was entirely altruistic. That man always put his sister and her wellbeing above all else. After putting up walls, he came to realize that Ridley wasn't there to intentionally cause harm to the community but to help them all - including him - heal from their decade old trauma.

Ridley and Colter's love story develops from Ridley's unwavering kindness and Colter's fierce protective streak. While exasperated by her, Colter cannot help but want to keep Ridley's safe. Ridley's heartfelt approach to Colter's sister and their entire community is what snags Colter's heart.

The twist at the end had me reeling. Catherine is notorious for throwing me off kilter, however - I don't think any of her twists have truly shaken me like this one did. I have message receipts of my reaction the the twist where I plainly express that there are two characters in which I became the tiniest bit suspicious of for a fraction of a second then brushed the thought away thinking "it couldn't be..." As I approached the 85-90% mark, I became increasingly suspicious of one of those two characters, but was desperately hoping I was wrong. Thank goodness I was - however it did end up being the second person I had a fraction of a thought about, and yet... I was still absolutely FLOORED by the revelation! Catherine completely bamboozled me in the best way.

If this book wasn't good enough as is, it was only elevated by the narrators Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. These two are the holy grail of audiobook narrators for me. I discovered my love of audiobooks (and romantic suspense novels) by listening to A.L. Jackson's backlist of audiobooks and SO many of them are performed by Andi and Sebastian. They are the reason I fell in love with audiobooks, so for me having them perform the narration in All The Missing Pieces elevated my reading experience that much more! Their performance was fantastic - the only thing that could have made it better was performing in duet (but I feel that about any audiobook ever lol).

Thank you so much to Catherine Cowles, Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for providing the opportunity for me to read and review this audiobook in advance.

Kicking myself for waiting so long to finally pick up a book by Catherine Cowles but this was a great place to start! If you like romantic suspense, stories about true crime podcasters, cold cases, small towns, serial killers, grumpy sherrifs, spunky cats, cute nicknames (Chaos + Lawman), strong family bonds, bad ass FMCs and great enemies to lovers slow burn, this is the book for you. It truly has it all and I was blown away. I also didn't see the end coming and can't wait for the next book in the Shady Cove series (I hope it's Colt's sister). This was also excellent on audio narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York (two of my favs). Can we also take a minute to appreciate the gorgeous cover?? Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Catherine Cowles for the ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest

4.5⭐️

Ridley is a podcast host who looks into unsolved cases and has even helped solve a couple. She is motivated by the pain of her twin being abducted the night before their college graduation. 4 years into her podcast, she thinks she’s connected 23 cases across the country and wants to start at the beginning with the first victim who escaped, Emerson.

Colt is the grumpy sheriff who doesn’t want Ridley causing trouble in his town and wants to shield Emerson from any spotlight from this podcast.

They butt heads immediately but eventually are forced together and end up working as a team.

I enjoyed this book a lot. As someone who listens to crime podcasts I thought that part of the story was really interesting. The suspense was a good mix with the romance. I like suspense books but sometimes it’s too much and I stick with romance but this was a nice combination so I got a bit of both!

I’m seeing mixed reviews on the nicknames and I’m torn, I equally loved and cringed at them throughout the book.

Both narrators were great!

Tropes:
Grumpy/sunshine
Forced proximity
Small town
Dual POV - two narrators

So excited for another new series from Catherine Cowles. Ridley and Colt is just total oil and water ans I love the setting of Ridley being a true crime podcaster.

This story is not only the mystery of figuring out what happened to Ridley's sister but also looking at how a traumatic experience impacts others.

The romance didn't kick into about 60% of the story and there was some attraction mentioned earlier.

I didn't see the killer coming and loved how it all tied together.

Sebastian York and Andi Arndt did a great job with the narration. I can't wait to get the next book.

Thank you @sourcebookscasa @dreamscape_media for a copy of this book.

Ridley has a popular podcast where she delves into open criminal cases. And she's been successful in helping to find critical clues to close the cold cases she's worked on.

She's now determined who was the first victim of a man who has attacked many women. And one of the victims was Ridley's own twin sister. The first victim had been attacked and hurt, but she was alive. She now lives as a recluse and is closely protected by her brother, Colt. He's also the local sheriff and he thinks Ridley is a charlatan. But Ridley manages to speak with Colt's sister and make her an ally.

As Colt and Ridley get to know each other better, they find they have incredible chemistry.

The reader really doesn't know who the bad guy is until nearly then end of this exciting and well written book. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

I listened to the audio book and the narrators did a great job. I felt that I was almost part of the story.

this was a very good audio! I've been a big fan of Catherine for the longest time. This series has so much potential. It's dark and disturbing but it definitely had me hooked. I'm excited to see where it goes. I hope Emerson has a book! I want to see her happy ending.

Wow is this my favorite Catherine Cowles book to date? If it isn’t number 1, it sure is up there. I’ve said time and time again, Catherine can really write a grumpy hero and it did not fail here👏🏻

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for my #gifted copies of this book.

I adored Ridley and Colt. I don’t think there’s much more to say than that. These two had a connection not many people could understand. I loved watching them understand each other and learn to grow together.

I loved the care that Ridley used when talking to victims on her podcast and the empathy she had for everyone. I really enjoyed the true crime side of this one.

I honestly didn’t try to figure out who the perpetrator was in this one, but let me tell you, I was not expecting that!

🎧I have eyeball read this one and listened to this one and it was amazing both times. Andi Arndt and Sebastian York did such a great job as Ridley and Colt. Two of my favorites brought these characters to life.

This was my second book by the author and I liked it but it left me a bit underwhelmed. My favourite part of the book was the cat, all her literal biting was hilarious to me. The spice was pretty good even though I never quite clicked with the MMC. I really liked the FMC, but her likability felt slightly overboard into manic pixie dream girl territory. The mystery was the most disappointing part. There was no setup for the final reveal and therefore no payoff. The romance was okay, no third act break up. The moment the FMC tells MMC she loves him for the first time is another highlight of the book for me, really great payoff there.
The audiobook was really well performed by both narrators.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly don't think I have the words to explain how much I loved this book. Catherine Cowels is always an immediate read for me and has never disappointed. The prologue immediately has you hooked, I seriously couldn't put this down. As someone who takes great pride in always guessing the bad guy right this one had me completely stumped and beyond shocked.

The grief is strong in this book but is such an integral part of their story. I love how invested Ridley is in her career because of her personal experiences but also because she truly cares about the people she helps. Like Ridley, Colt's grief is also his motivation for his career (there is just something about a man in law enforcement written by Catherine Cowels)

The grumpy x sunshine is so strong between these mcs and the tension is unbelievable. Hate to love doesnt always work for me but Ridley and Colts shared grief and trauma make the bonding and friendship between these two so strong.

As always in a Cowels book these side characters are perfectly included and built without taking away from the main characters. The whole of Shady Cove has my heart with how protective they are of Emerson and how they accept and will do anything Ridley.

Andi Arndt and Sebastian York did a fantastic job on this audio

Outlier island…again.

2.25 Stars

I REALLY wanted to like this book, and I'm sure many people will. But it just didn't work out so well for me.

We follow our FMC, Ridley - she's a murder podcast host who travels around the country to report on cold cases that are similar to the one she has a personal connection to.

Our MMC, Colt, is the town's sheriff. Initially he's not thrilled with the arrival of Ridley in their small town. They 'banter' as 'enemies to lovers' for a few chapters and then it's a little insta for me.

It might not even be super insta but it all felt so formulaic. I felt like I'd read this before. I've only read one other Cowles book and it felt just like this one lol. There's a Hallmark undertone to these stories that I don't like. The dialogue is trite. The characters are cheesy.

The suspense was alright but it felt overshadowed by all the romance so the balance felt off to me.

I do still recommend this one - if you've enjoyed Cowles previously, you'll likely enjoy this one as well.

Also! Audio girlies! This one is narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York - they did a fantastic job! 👏👏

And the cover is freaking gorgeous!

Anticipated Release Date - 01/07/2025


╰⪼ 💜True Crime Podcast FMC
╰⪼ 💗Sheriff MMC
╰⪼ 💜Grumpy ✘ Sunshine
╰⪼ 💗Forced Proximity
╰⪼ 💜Lovable Three-Legged Cat
╰⪼ 💗Small Town
╰⪼ 💜Romance ✘ Suspense





✨ Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the complementary advanced audio copy, all thoughts are my own. ✨
126 likes

This was my first title by this author but I’m definitely a new fan! This story grabbed me from the start and kept me guessing at every turn. The narration was well done and easy to listen to.

It has been a few years since I picked up a book by Catherine Cowels but what I recall is that her romantic suspense stories always felt interesting and intense. I liked this newest audiobook for the depth of the characters, the focus on solving the cold cases and the believability of the main characters connection. The mystery they were trying to solve involved a possible serial kidnapper and killer that could possibly be related to the FMC’s sisters abduction. I liked the twist of the podcast to relate to the current trend of reality crime interest by the public. The narrators were excellent. Loved them both. 4.5 stars. Was a tad long at almost 400 pages. Overall a great read.

To say I'm OBSESSED!!!

A True Crime podcaster with a tragic past goes head-to-head with a local Sheriff and boy oh boyyy was it DELICIOUS.

🎙️ small town romantic suspense
🎙️ grumpy / sunshine
🎙️ hate to love
🎙️ found family
🎙️ amazing cast of characters in the small town
🎙️ a 3 legged cat who is a delight

Oh my there is just SO much to love about this story! Ridley is a true crime podcaster who arrives in Colt's town, looking to help solve an unsolved crime that she believes is connected to many others. Colt wants nothing to do with her or her podcast, but truly, cannot help but be enchanted by her. The chemistry between these two is just SO good!

The suspense/mystery plot of this was amazinggg! I literally GASPED when the big reveal happened because honestly, I like REALLY did not see it coming!!! Maybe her best reveal yet?? One day I will guess it right... 😆

The small town setting of this could not be beat! So many fun characters that added so much to the story and had me chuckling throughout the story!

I really cannot recommend this book enough!!!

Thank you Netgalley dreamacape and sourcecasa for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. Holy moly this was so dang good and literally jaw on the floor. This is so well done and freaked me out. I am excited to see what the rest of the series has in store..

Absolutely phenomenal

5/5☆