The Missing Piece

by Kiersten Modglin, Tara Sands (Narrator)

Jaicey Thomas doesn't feel like an average seventeen-year-old girl.

Quiet and awkward to a fault, her reserved nature is largely caused by the unanswered questions that surround her.

Why have all of the mirrors in her house disappeared?

Why won't her family read newspapers?

Why do her nightmares keep coming back?

Why does she feel so afraid of everyone around her, and who can she trust?

The mysteries surrounding Jaicey continue to grow and when she meets a mysterious stranger, he may be the only one who can help her find the truth...but will she be brave enough to let him in?

As she starts to uncover clues, she finds herself unlocking pieces of her memory, pieces that hold much more darkness than she bargained for.

In a fight for her life once more, Jaicey must force herself to relive that terrible night all over again.

With time running out and secrets deeper and darker than she could've ever imagined, will Jaicey finally be able to uncover the truth about her scratches?

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Young Adult

6 pages, Audible Audio

First published November 3, 2016

About the author

KIERSTEN MODGLIN is a #1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over two million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix's Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine's Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten's readers across the world lovingly refer to her as "KMod." A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.

CONNECT WITH KIERSTEN:

➜ WEBSITE: kierstenmodglinauthor.com
➜ NEWSLETTER: kierstenmodglinauthor.com/nlsignup
➜ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/kierstenmodglinauthor
➜ KMOD SQUAD: facebook.com/groups/kmodsquad
➜ INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/kierstenmodglinauthor
➜ THREADS: threads.net/@kierstenmodglinauthor
➜ TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@kierstenmodglinauthor
➜ TEXT ALERTS: kierstenmodglinauthor.com/textalerts


Kiersten Modglin may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future:

➜ kierstenmodglinauthor.com/events

Reviews

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the story seemed rushed, the idea was fantastic, and the ending was action packed full of suspense.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love Kiersten Modglin, but as her earlier books are being re-released for audio (yay) I am realizing that it’s hard to go from an author with more than 20 books of experience back to their earliest works. That isn’t to say that this was a bad book, because it wasn’t, but it wasn’t as great as what I have come to expect. I felt like this one was a young adult novel, and I think it would do better if it was marketed that way. I did think the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. This audiobook was short, about 5.5 hours, which is closer to a novella. This is a super hard book to describe without giving spoilers. I didn’t think the twist was particularly twisty, but I did think that this story was told in a pretty unique way. Overall I gave it 3.5 stars and if you like quick, thrillers more aimed towards young adults than this book would definitely be one you’d enjoy.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turner!

Lately, Jaicey has been feeling as if she was missing something. Her parents and classmates have been acting weird. The popular kids who used to ignore her are acting all friendly. While her parents are tiptoeing around her as if they know something she doesn't. Not to mention, all the mirrors in her house are missing. Why? What are they hiding from her?

This quick read had me grasping for answers! The author did a great job of keeping the readers in suspense. Highly recommend!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

[Marialyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Interesting but somewhat predictable 🥳

3.5 stars
Poor Jaicey has a piece of her life that she can't remember. The time was when she was fifteen so that when Jaicey meets Braydon, she is fearful and shy and doesn't know why. Braydon pushes her buttons in an attempt to get her to open up.

Jaicey's parents are worried as well as her friends and for some reason that makes no sense, all the mirrors in the house have vanished.

However that unknown entity presents a dangerous possibility to Jaicey's life, and as her memory starts to return, her life in put in jeopardy.

This was a fast listen, great for my am walks through the park. There were some surprises even though you might has suspected the villain in the tale.

Thank you to Kiersten Modglin, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to this tale of suspense.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do enjoy this author very much! But this book fell a bit flat for me. Don’t get me wrong— it’s a quick read and will definitely keep you turning the pages. But the characters were not developed nearly enough, and this made it difficult for me to get fully invested in the story. I didn’t find the main character as likable as she might have been, nor her storyline very believable. And the ending was a bit disappointing in that the motives behind certain happenings in the book, once revealed, were quite far-fetched, perhaps not explained well enough.

Admittedly, I was hoping for more based on the synopsis. But what could have been a great thriller read more like a teen/young adult book (except for some of the graphic violence) with a convoluted plot. If you’re a fan of this author, give it a try — hopefully you’ll like it better than I did. Regardless, I’ll keep reading her books because I love anticipating her twists!!

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

KMod is always a pleasure to read. This one read as expected. Fast paced with interest throughout. Whenever I want to read something to take me away for awhile, I find one of her books. You are kept wondering what is going on until the end, so there’s a steady air of suspense.

[Sarah Godfrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don’t understand all the 5 star reviews with this one. It’s made obvious that Jaicey has endured some form of trauma, to the point where her parents have removed all the mirrors in the home- she doesn’t trust anybody and is suffering from severe ptsd and yet after a guy stalks her and doesn’t respect her boundaries she just magically falls for him, after what, two days? Then life is all sunshine and lollipops until two more days pass and she just remembers every event of the three years she blocked out simply from seeing a scar on somebody’s back. The whole thing was just implausible and silly. I’m not usually one who will nitpick small details of a book but the whole thing just didn’t click. There’s no character development and I found myself just reading it hoping there would be a twist that would make everything make sense. There wasn’t.

[Laurie Beemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be given a rating of more than 5 stars. I have recently heard of and started reading Kiersten Modglin I am now hooked. I am reading everything this phenomenal author writes. I am absolutely hooked on the Carolina Killer Files Series. This is a series where each book can be read as a standalone. But once you read one of her books you have to read them all. This story was emotional, twisted, riveting, and just intense as hell. The main character was amazing and her story had be wondering what the hell happened. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for more clues. Love this book!!! Thank you for allowing me to read this and write about it honestly.

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast-paced as always, but there were no real surprises in it for me, and the characters were not developed enough. The book felt a bit rushed and I didn’t feel invested in the outcome.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally love this author so much. Every single book has an unexpected twist that I’ve been learning to expect, but my theories of how they will happen always end up wrong. I flew through this book because I was so hooked from the beginning. Another book I would highly recommend to anyone!!!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Missing Piece by Kiersten Modglin is now an audiobook narrated by Tara Sands. It was grand and KMod wrote a clever, suspenseful, mystery-thrilling that I couldn’t stop listening to. Tara Sands was a perfect choice to narrator this. She brought me right into it. The whole thing kept me captive and I find KMod to be one of my favorite authors. This was interesting, absorbing and powerful. If you’re looking for a mystery thriller then I highly suggest this one.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

[Amanda Shaul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. I have been blowing through a lot of this author's stuff and it's all been okay, but this one was absolutely terrible. About 10% in I wondered if I was somehow only reading half of the pages (on my Kindle) because it made zero sense.

I need someone to help me understand though: if the dad was sick with a brain tumor, how was he alive at her wedding etc as mentioned in the epilogue? I thought his prognosis was a few months. Why does the psychiatrist say something about Jaicey thinking her mom died at 15? When this story happens she is a senior in HS, so she's older than 15. Was her mom the one with the brain tumor? Just lost me, and I didn't care enough to read back through and see if I missed something.

I don't know. All of Kiersten's books are extremely short, which makes them readable enough but there is such poor character and plot development, I never know why I should care. I do keep reading them but I wish that maybe she would take one of her ideas and actually outline it and flesh it out instead of cranking out 5 books a month. Quality, not quantity!!

I'm actually surprised her books have such high ratings and extremely positive feedback. I am neutral at best on most of her stuff. 🙃

[Lori Stowell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoa ...

What an awful story I cannot believe i read this book, I skimmed the last few chapters. I cannot believe it got so many good reviews. After this i will be reading a feel good book. Where do people get these ideas from I had read another book from this author which wasn't too bad but this is just disturbing. Shame on you for writing this trash

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Tara Sands does a great job narrating this book! Her voice fits the main character perfectly and made it such an easy listen! The story definitely took me by surprise, which I loved! So many twists and turns most will never see coming! If you’re into psychological thrillers you should check this book out!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

In typical Kmod fashion, the ending of this story was action-packed. I did predict the twist but the story was full of suspense. Not my favorite book but still a good binge.

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one felt a little different than the ones I've read before. It was still very good. I'm obsessed with Kiersten Modglin right now. I'm engrossed into every book from the first sentence.

[Malori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book very much. The name of the book isn't fitting. I read that the name was changed, I feel like the old name is better. Not sure why it was changed. Jaicey was a really hard character to like. We didn't know anything about her until almost the end, which is hard to deal with for the main character. And I hated Braiden the moment he entered the story. The story line was great and the ideas were great but they were not greatly executed. I feel like it was a very short read and we could have gotten a much better story line had Keirsten doubled the pages. In the beginning, I was so confused... so much that I almost didn't want to finish reading it. I think that was the idea, was for us to be confused and know nothing just like Jaicey but it didn't work well for this book. I dont know, this book had great potential but I don't feel like it was met at all. It wasn't an awful book, it just felt very amateur. I still love Kierstens writing and I am going to dive into the next book of hers that I have.

[January · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Missing Piece by Kiersten Modglin
Carolina Killer Files #3
was previously published as The Truth About My Scratches... - Carolina Killer Files #3
5h 36m narrated by Tara Sands, 202 pages

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Featuring: High School, Anti-Social MC, Mysterious Past Event, Bonus Chapter

Rating as a movie: R for adult content

My rating: ⭐️🙄🪞

My thoughts:📱 9% 29:08 Ch. 5 - Meh. So far it is a lot of antisocial drama and thanks to the narrator I don't know if this guy's name is Derek or Garrett. I swear she has said both. This one is going on the back burner.
📱28% 1:34:09 Ch. 13 - This is starting to sound like a Gordon Korman story except we're not in on the plot.

This story was not good. Reading the synopsis would have been beneficial but I figured it out soon enough. Then just when I thought it could get worse, it did.

Recommend to others: Nope. You may like it or give it a pass, but it was a lot of high school angst and an outlandish reveal.

[Kiersten Modglin]

Author Links:
Website: www.kierstenmodglinauthor.weebly.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KJanaeAlways
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kierstenmodg...
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/kierstenmodglinauthor
Reader’s Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kiers...
Street Team: https://m.facebook.com/groups/6014489...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kierstenmod...
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2Fhq6II
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kiers...
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2EkJeEw
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b3cNFP
Masterlist: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KRkx...

[Sandra Browne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absurd

The story is unbelievable, completely implausible. The main character spends most of her time crying. If it wasn’t for the violence I would say the target audience for this book is teen, preteen. If you are a mature adult, don’t waste your time on this one. I have read a few Modglin books that are pretty good, but this is not one of them.

[Harris Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best from Kiersten

So many emotions from this book. So far this is my most favorite from this author.

Jaciey is troubled, she lost her mom at 15. She excluded herself from her friends. But then Brayden comes into the picture. Can he be trusted?

[LianaReads blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew there was something amiss with that guy but damn, that was scary.


KU read

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Audiobook

This book is one of my fav KMod books so far. The audiobook narrator was great.

At first I thought this was more of a YA book but then it got pretty violent/demented. Definitely for an older audience. I found myself holding my breath several times.

I loved how everything unfolded in this one. Pacing was perfect. The characters were well developed especially considering how many characters there were and that this was a shorter novel that what I usually read. So she covered a ton of ground in this book without any unnecessary filler.

I love that KMod always dives right into the story and keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

I loved trying to figure out what was going on with Jaicey as she seemed like a very unreliable narrator at first, and in a sense maybe she was, but you get more pieces of the puzzle as the story progresses. Things eventually make sense…so buckle up.

This guy Brayden comes outta nowhere, seems to know Jaicey really well and he falls for her quickly. The entire time I’m like omg this guy is coming on WAY too strong and is really possessive. Gave me Fear vibes. Jaicey gets those vibes too but is trying to live in the moment.

I never understood why she pushed all of her friends away, including Derek who I liked from the jump. I’m partial to Derek’s though. Married a pretty awesome Derek. 😉

I also appreciated the bonus chapter that she threw in at the end. I’m glad she did that.

I loved the emotional roller coaster I was on with this book. Now I’m off to nurse my book hangover.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I added this book because I wanted something quick (only 200 pages!) and Kiersten Modglin’s books have been added temporarily to Kindle Unlimited!

Wow, I was not expecting this!! Starts out intentionally confusing. So cryptic and intriguing. Definitely has a YA feel to it and when the puzzle pieces started coming into place I was just sobbing. Such a good read, probably my favorite by her!

[Zoe Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast easy read which I would say is more YA than thriller. Jaicey is a young girl whose whole life changed when she was 15 but she is struggling to remember what happened , with scars on her neck and no mirrors in the house through choice the story follows jaicey on her return to school after the “event”. When she finally remembers what happened the book really picks up pace and everything comes together

[Casey Maphis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everything about this book sucked.

[Amanda Krupitzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book! I really did. I’m usually obsessed with this authors books. But this one just fell way short to me.

The book starts years after some major event we don’t get to know about. Just out of nowhere. As the reader, you’re lost most of the book. I only kept reading to figure out the end.

Half of it makes no sense. In no way would a group of children lie to a girl for years about who she really was. The entire town and school lying to her. For years. Makes no sense.

Brayden was a very shallow character to me. I didn’t feel that he was well thought out at all.

To me, it would have been much better if we started out after the abduction and saw her struggles and her friends struggles in lying to her. This entire book would have made more sense if it had been set within a year of the abduction, not 3 years later.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started to piece this one together but still had a small twist in there at the end I wasn’t expecting which was nice. Also, loved that this one ended in a heartwarming way. Especially since the rest of the book was filled with so much sadness and darkness. I wish I could say more but don’t want to spoil it in any way. I can’t say enough how much I’m loving reading this authors books, now on to the next one by her….

[Katym521 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book and storyline!

I really loved this book. It was entertaining as well as having a lot of twists and kept me guessing to the very end! I loved the main character! I hope there is another book in the works with these characters!

[Kayla Hewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I didn’t expect to cry wtf!