Book Review: Pieces & Parts by Dawn Hosmer
Genre(s): Thriller, suspense, paranormal
Content warning: There are some scenes of violence depicted in this book.
This is book 2 in the series. I read and reviewed the first book, Bits & Pieces, in January 2022. You can read my full review of that book here.
Pieces & Parts picks up approximately five years after the first book left off. Tessa is now married, she’s been without the colorful flashes that plagued her during the first book since her final encounter with the serial killer, she’s still painting, and she’s still friends with the psychic, Chaundra. Life seems to be going very well for Tessa—until she uncovers bones in the creek near her home. The bones lead to a new wave of flashes, and once again, she finds herself on the hunt for a killer.
As a second book in a series, this one was pretty good. It was well written and had an interesting plot, similar to book one, yet different enough to capture my attention. It wasn’t as emotionally charged as the first book, though it did have its moments. The scenes of violence were also toned down significantly, and the story was more focused on Tessa’s relationships rather than the mystery and suspense related to the crimes she is investigating.
While Pieces & Parts is in line with Bits & Pieces, I enjoyed the first book more. The second book had a different feel to it, one that I can’t quite put my finger on, and the characters didn’t seem as relatable to me. Even after reading through the novel, I’m not sure if it was a subtle stylistic change or something about the characters themselves that caused the disconnect. (I think if I’d waited a few months to read the second book, that change—whatever it was—would not have been so pronounced, and perhaps it wouldn’t have stood out to me as much as it did.)
Even though I liked the first book better, Pieces & Parts was still a very good read with an engrossing storyline. Based on some of what I said above, some readers may disagree with me and find they like this book much more than its predecessor. Pieces & Parts had a much more uplifting ending, as well. All in all, it was definitely worth the read.
Author website: dawnhosmer.com
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