Missing Pieces [Hardcover]

Joy Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 1997

Keenly observed psychological detail and breathtaking suspense combine to make this Joy Fielding's best novel yet, sure to appeal to fans and win new readers for the bestselling author of See Jane Run and Don't Cry Now.

Family therapist Kate Sinclair repairs other people's troubled lives, all the while reveling in her stable marriage and handsome home.  But there are demons in her past that will not stay buried forever, and the carefully constructed edifice of her life comes tumbling down when her half-sister JoLynn announces her plans to marry Colin Friendly, a man on trial for the brutal murders of thirteen Palm Beach women.

Kate soon finds herself embroiled in a desperate struggle to protect her family from Colin's increasingly sinister advances.  To make matters worse, her aging mother is losing her tenuous grip on reality and her rebellious daughter Sara is falling under JoLynn's wayward influence--a development that would worry Kate in the best of times, but which in this case might well prove deadly.  As the strain begins to tear Kate's marriage apart, into the fray comes the smooth-talking Robert, her high-school crush, who soon displays an unhealthy interest in the results of Colin Friendly's trial.

As Kate Sinclair slowly slips across the razor-thin line separating ordinary life from unspeakable terror she realizes that there is no one she can trust, nowhere she can run...and no way she can deny that she and her loved ones may be the next targets of a demented serial killer.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?Fielding's novelistic version of "Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives" is almost a send-up of topics heard on advice shows. The heroine, a professional family counselor, has the hots for her old high school flame even though she is happily married to a wonderful, caring guy. She refuses to see that her mother is becoming senile and her teenage daughter is rebelling; in addition, her airhead sister marries an imprisoned serial killer to whom she becomes attracted while attending his trial. Once the tabloids move on from this sensational story, Sis helps her killer husband escape from prison only to become his ultimate victim. The desire to wring all of the characters' silly necks is strong, but the author does it first, while at the same time pointing out their motivations for being so foolish. Despite possible disgust with these women's behavior, readers will find that Fielding's writing keeps them turning the pages, and good sense prevails in the end.?Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Therapist Kate Sinclair expertly deals with her Palm Beach clients, but her own family is flying apart. Her delusional half-sister Jo Lynn, who marries and divorces abusers, is now obsessed with Colin Friendly, an accused serial rapist-killer. Sara, Kate's wily and buxom daughter, escalates teen rebellion to new heights, seeking the unstable Jo Lynn for support, and Kate's husband of 24 years retreats into avoidance. When Robert, an old flame, turns up the heat by offering Kate her own therapy show on one of his radio stations, her prim assisted-living mother wigs out. Kate worries that if she keeps giving pieces of herself away, there won't be anything left. The suspense intensifies when Colin escapes from prison and threatens Sara. Best-selling author Fielding (Don't Cry Now, LJ 3/15/95) conjures up three-dimensional characters with fresh, rapier-like dialog. Although her spirited humor flags occasionally from credibility-straining exaggeration, devoted fans will gobble up the story and savor the tasty imagery: "sleep was curled around her voice, like a kitten in a basket." Enthusiastically recommended for library patrons.
-?Molly Gorman, San Marino, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (July 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385485212
• ISBN-13: 978-0385485210
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,237,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joy Fielding is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Still Life, Charley's Web, Heartstopper, See Jane Run, and other acclaimed novels. She divides her time between Toronto and Palm Beach, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced contemporary fun-reading, a real pleasure, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing Pieces (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a nice break from more serious heavy reading. Any woman over 30 who has ever had a child, husband, mother or sister must read this. Humerous yet with a fast paced plot. I read it in a 24 hour period. The characters are fun and believable and lovable. This was my first Joy Fielding book and I will certainly seek out others.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What ARE the "missing pieces?", January 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing Pieces (Mass Market Paperback)

The story itself wasn't as interesting as its title was. It is mainly about a family therapist, Kate Sinclair, who struggles with her defiant teenage daughter, her stepsister who falls in love with a man who killed thirteen women, and her former high school sweetheart who still attracts her very much. The story is written from Kate's point of view. It has unnecessary repetitions that don't have anything to do with the main theme, which is finding the missing pieces. For example, Kate and her sister goes to the criminal's trial every time. But nothing happens. It is only written about how Kate Sinclair feels about everything from her point of view. For example, there is a part when Kate complains about how she cannot have a normal sister like everyone else. Also, I didn't understand the ending because the author clearly didn't state what the missing pieces were. It was boring because there weren't any exciting parts where you didn't want to put the book down. Every chapter seemed the same to me except for the parts when some killings occured.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Once again, Joy Fielding did not disappoint, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing Pieces (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read several of Fielding's previous books, I was anticipating a thoughtful and mesmerizing novel - I was not disappointed! I found "Missing Pieces" hard to put down and entertaining throughout. I liked her style of closely examining Kate and her family members while keeping up the suspense. Perhaps I could relate to this novel because I am similarly situated to Kate, with a teenage daughter. Although I thought she made some poor choices in overlooking or ignoring her family members' behavior, I found this totally believable. It is hard to see what you don't want to be present in family members.