Review: All the Little Pieces

by Julianne Hoffmann (HarperCollins)

A thoroughly compelling read that will have you balling your fists in anticipation of inescapably nasty conclusions and possibly even skipping work to get to the end. All the Little Pieces dives right into the horror of a serial killing, this action taking place in the first 50 pages of the book.

The little pieces in the title hint at not only the pieces of the killers’ hapless victims, but also the breakdown of Faith Saunders’s sanity as she deals with her own guilt, perceived inadequacies, lies, as well as her contemplation of what could so easily have happened to her and 4-year-old daughter, Maggie, on the night of the atmospheric tropical storm when she witnessed the killers and their victim, but did nothing to help the young Angelina.

Naturally, the truth will out, and in this instance, it is little Maggie who spills the beans, ensuring the incident is reported to the police. And this is the catalyst that really pushes Faith over the edge, since it draws the killers to her as she tries to pick up the pieces after that awful night.

The writing is fast-paced and suspense-filled, though I did find myself wondering if the somewhat abrupt ending might signify a gateway to a follow-up novel seeing it did not quite tie up all the loose ends.