All the Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Sometimes the last thing you expect is exactly what you need, the final missing piece. And sometimes it comes in the form of a towering, broody sheriff, determined to get in your way at every step.
Ridley Sawyer knows what it’s like to miss someone, to feel like a piece of her vanished—because it happened to her the night her twin sister disappeared.
Now, Ridley channels that loss into hope, traveling the country covering cold cases for her true crime podcast. She might not have found justice for her sister but that doesn’t stop her from finding it for others.
Until Sheriff Colter Brooks gets in her way.
Colt knows what it’s like to have reporters descend on his town in the wake of a tragedy, and he’s not about to let a fiery podcaster stir up trouble. It doesn’t matter that her haunting blue eyes tell him there’s more to Ridley’s story or that he can’t stop imagining what it would be like to touch her.
But when Ridley’s cold case turns hot and she’s thrust into the crosshairs, Colt has no choice but to step in. Suddenly, Ridley’s living at his house, drinking his whiskey, and stealing his dog’s affections. But she’s also proving that she’s so much more than his first impression.
And as they get closer to the truth, the game they’ve been playing might just turn deadly…
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my review
Let me begin by saying that I am a huge Catherine Coweles fan. I discovered her last year and just fell right into all of her books. So picking her newest one as our first book club read of 2025 was easy for me. I am so glad that I did too.
In All the Missing Pieces we meet Riley, a true crime podcaster who has come to her profession through a personal tragedy of her twin sister going missing just before college graduation. Ridley goes where the clues lead her as she is working her sister’s case without anyone knowing.
This brings her to the small town of Shady Cove where there was an abduction years ago and the victim got away. Ridley believes this is actually the first victim by her sister’s abductor. This victim just happens to be the current sheriff’s sister. The very protective stay away from my sister, kind of a sheriff. The fact that Ridley finds Sheriff Colt Brooks hot is besides the point. She is there to help solve a cold case and he isn’t going to run her out of town.
Colt is carrying a lot of guilt when it comes to his sister and her cold case. He will protect her at all costs even if it means his run-ins with the beautifully interesting Ridley leaves him being less than polite. He is both drawn to Ridley and angry that she is in his town.
There is a lot of emotion in this book, both happy and sad. The whole town rallies around protecting Colt’s sister, Emerson, but then as they get to know Ridley they take her into the fold as well. In fact, there are plenty of times they give Colt a hard time for being mean to Ridley.
“Jesus,” I muttered. “You’ve got bikers and senior citizens teaming up to off your enemies?”
Ridley just smiled up at me innocently. “I like making friends.”
The side characters are simply wonderful! I loved Tater, Ridley’s cat, and the townspeople were a hoot at times. Trey, Colt’s best friend, was a wonderful addition and I must say that I would love to get his and Emerson’s story because there is clearly a story there.
The romance is good. Right from the beginning Ridley and Colt have that hate one another so much vibe, that you know that the thin line between love and hate is barely hanging on by a thread. Colt ends up putting his foot in his mouth a few times but he’s struggling with what happened and Ridley brings back a lot for him.
The mystery of who is the kidnapper/killer is great! I had a few people in mind and I will admit at one point I even thought it might have been Trey. I honestly did and it was heartbreaking for me. What I did not see was who it actually was. I think for a split second the actual kidnapper/killer made it onto my subject list but I quickly dismissed this person. All in all this was a great read that kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who done it. The perfect pair up of romance and suspense.
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I love Catherine Cowles books I haven’t read this one yet though it’s on my tbr!
This sounds like a really interesting book and one that will keep me reading for sure.
This was my first book by Catherine and it won’t be my last. I loved this book! Thank you so much for your review, Rita! 💜
This sounds like a great romantic suspense read. I like to try and guess who the perpetrator is.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
Love that title. Sounds like a terrific read. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a great suspense.