This cozy mystery series has so much appeal, starting with its setting, which is a small town, West Hazel, in Oregon. Alice Pepper, the main character, is a librarian who struggles with getting older and wants to make the most of her life. She has found friendship and belonging with a group of West Hazel folks who love jigsaw puzzles -- which is a really fun thing to hang a mystery on! We learn so much about puzzles and the puzzle world while Alice solves her mysteries. In this one, the wife of a volatile, temper-prone artist goes missing. Alice receives a mystery gift, a puzzle, that closely resembles the artist's work, but it is missing a strategic piece. From there, Alice works backward to find out what happened to her friend.

#ThatMissingPieceIsKillingMe #NetGalley is another great addition to this unique series, featuring a group of jigsaw puzzle lovers.
Alice is a fun, easy to like character, and she genuinely shined in this story.
While solving another murder investigation, Alice has to time to think about her own fractured family, especially her daughter, who she's been estranged from.
There's something about this series that truly intrigues me and I'm hoping to read much more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Puzzle-loving librarian Alice Pepper is enjoying her life surrounded by family and friends in her large house and with a budding romance developing. She's startled out of her pleasant life when a friend, Michelle, suddenly goes missing. The missing woman was supposed to lead her class of dance students in a performance at a community event, but when no one can find her, alarm bells start to ring. As the community gathers to search for her, everyone is startled when her husband, artist Lars Olsen, claims to be too busy to join in to help. He doesn't seem all that worried that his wife is missing, even going so far as to move in his much younger girlfriend. As Alice and her friends look for the Michelle, they are unprepared when an even bigger shock is discovered not long afterwards. When someone fires a gun at the amateur sleuths, Alice decides there are several mysteries to solve before she can get back to her latest jigsaw. She also is sorting through some family drama when she gets word that her estranged daughter Lauren would like to meet with her.

I enjoyed the slow pace of the mystery and the genuine friendship between Alice and her friends. The small-town vibe was also very calming and peaceful (except for the possible kidnappings and murders!).