The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris

Audra has not had an easy 2 years since her husband unexpectedly passed away. Raising Jack without him and  still dealing with grief- Audra decides that what she and Jack needs is a fresh start. A brand new page in the life of Jack and Audra shall begin in Philadelphia- Audra will continue her work as a veterinarian and Jack will go to a new school, with new friends. This is the plan- until they board the plane. Jack has a reaction- a terrible reaction and the plane is forced to turn around and take Jack and Audra back to the airport.

Audra is concerned (what mother wouldn’t be?) but, one reaction like that might can be explained by a million factors. When Audra is called into the school to look at some pictures Jack has drawn- her concern increases. Then, the night terrors. Audra knows there is trouble- and yet, she can’t explain or even wrap her mind around a possible suggestion. One night, when Jack turns up missing at a fair- a former soldier named Sean Malloy finds him. Something Jack said to him triggered a figment of a  memory- and Sean, suffering from a memory loss due to an event in Afghanistan, wants to know more.

Together, Audra and Sean begin to piece together a story from World War II- a story of love, of deception, a story that still has the ability to potentially hurt people of today. As each piece of the story is put together- Audra comes closer to understanding why her son, the son she loves and cares for beyond all things possible- has turned into a child who is withdrawn, anxious, and suffering from night terrors.

As the reader delves further into Audra’s life and learns more about the mystery of WWII and how that connects to today’s time- the reader will be amazed, touched and entertained.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

This is my first Kristina McMorris book. Several months ago, the Twitter-verse was excitedly talking about Kristina’s upcoming book- and a blogger I trust (BookMagnet) raved about Kristina’s previous books. After reading and hearing such good things, when Kristina offered me a book- I jumped at the chance. This story, oh my, this story- weaves together perfectly a mystery of WWII and a current day mystery. The characters- Audra, Jack, Vivian, Lulu, Gene and Judith- are written in such a way that you can almost see them. You can see the characters- the mistakes, the love, the reasons for what they did- and understand  them.

 

The Pieces We Keep takes 2 stories- 2 stories that are strong enough to stand on their own- and places them together. No, not places. Immerses these stories in each other. Criss-crosses them in ways that are not immediately apparent. And makes a story that is a can’t put down, must stay up and read as much as you can story. Once the reader gets to a certain point of the mystery- the intrigue to find out what happens next will outweigh the need to do laundry, talk on the phone or even cook dinner. Clear your schedule and enjoy The Pieces We Keep!

 

*This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts & opinions are mine alone.