Life is filled with difficulties, but for married power couple James and Kelly, things can only get worse before they get better. Their four-year-old daughter, Alyssa, has battled cancer, their marriage is falling apart and James in particular is sinking into depression. But when Alyssa is kidnapped, the estranged couple must join together to save their child before it's too late. Ian J. Keeney has been a part of very meaningful pieces of art, most notably the eye-opening film The Meaning. His work is an introspection of the human race. While The Meaning deals with religion, A Thousand Pieces deals with human nature at its worst. One quarter of the novel is a mystery, one quarter is a love story, and the other half is pure introspection and theorizing about how humans could be so cruel as to cook a kitten in a microwave or kidnap a little girl. It's not a long essay for a sociology or psychology class, however. It's a well-written mystery story that just happens to be about human nature at it's not-so-subtle core. The characters' respective narrations showcase their disparate personalities and what they think of themselves, their significant other, and the world in general. The reader, if they don't find their own opinions echoed, may find themselves enlightened about their own lives. Happiness, love and balance can only be found within and when you work for them, and this book teaches that, as well as it just reconfirms that evil people exist, good can overcome if you want it too. You don't need a Hollywood movie ending, you just need to do the very best that you can. -Kelly Smith Book Reviews