All The Little Pieces by Jilliane Hoffman, Book Review: Genuine page-turner

Jilliane Hoffman’s All The Little Pieces is a thriller that sucks you into its vortex while character backstories add depth and plausibility. Read my full review.

Jilliane Hoffman All The Little Pieces

All The Little Pieces Book Synopsis

Faith Saunders is the perfect wife, mother and sister – loved and admired by all who know her. One night will change everything.

As she drives home in the pouring rain, a dishevelled young woman appears out of nowhere, pleading for help. The isolated stretch of road is dark, and with her four-year-old daughter Maggie asleep in the backseat, Faith refuses to let the stranger in. What she sees next will haunt her forever.

When the missing-person posters go up, Faith’s guilt consumes her. Then the girl’s body turns up, and her perfect life begins to unravel. Because it turns out Maggie wasn’t asleep that night and – unlike her mother – she’s not afraid to speak up.

Maggie’s testimony leads to an arrest, but Faith is the only one who can identify a second man who was at the scene of the crime. She has one chance to convince a jury of what happened. If she fails, two murderers will go free – two men who have killed before and who will undoubtedly kill again.

And they know exactly where to find Faith and her family…

(Harper Collins)

Genre: Thriller, Crime-Detective, Drama

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BOOK REVIEW

Jilliane Hoffman’s All The Little Pieces is a genuine page-turner. I do not think I have read such a chunky title so quickly.

While I love psychological thrillers, rarely do I pick up ones involving serial killers. All too often their premise seem totally unrelated to my personal experience and so I fail to engage with the protagonists.

Many years ago I can vaguely recall thinking a protagonist’s actions were so silly that I found myself barracking for the killer! Pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen. No, I cannot remember the title… I didn’t finish it.

What really clicked for me with All The Little Pieces is that everything just felt so realistic. Faith Saunders was not perfect (who is?), but the actions she is haunted by (and hounded by the media for), are complex but understandable. I felt sympathy for her plight.

In an interview with Killer Reads, Hoffman cited Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter as the ‘greatest fictional criminal’.  That, if nothing else, should give you an indication of the grisly acts and personalities of the perpetrators Hoffman brings to life with chilling effect in All The Little Pieces.

Hoffman’s investment in the development of her characters’ backstories and motivations, the good and the bad, really added depth and plausibility. In particular, I thought the lead investigator’s personality and the way he interacted with other characters really grounded the plot.

If you are looking for a thriller to suck you into its vortex and have you rapidly turning the pages, I recommend All The Little Pieces. It was my first Jilliane Hoffman title but will not be my last.

BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 4 / 5

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About the Author, Jilliane Hoffman

Jilliane Hoffman began her professional career as an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting felonies in Florida from 1992 to 1996, with special assignments to the Domestic Violence Unit and the Legal Extradition Unit. Through 2001, she was the Regional Legal Advisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), advising more than one hundred special agents on criminal and civil matters in complex investigations involving narcotics, homicide, and organized crime. Originally from Long Island, New York, she presently resides in South Florida with her husband and two children. Check out Jilliane’s website and connect with her on Twitter.

More domestic thrillers:
Her Perfect Lies by Lana Newton  /  The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster  /  Le Chateau by Sarah Ridout  /  The Girl in Kellers Way by Megan Goldin  /  The Ice Child by Camilla Lackberg

Book Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Jilliane Hoffman’s latest thriller All The Little Pieces, Harper Collins Australia offered a trade paperback copy for giveaway.

SORRY, ENTRIES CLOSED – The winner was Tracey @ Carpe Librum.

* My receiving a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes did not impact the expression of my honest opinions in the review above.