Title: Little Comfort by Edwin Hill
Hester Thursby Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating:
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
In a brilliantly twisted debut set among Boston’s elite, Edwin Hill introduces unforgettable sleuth Hester Thursby—and a missing persons case that uncovers a trail of vicious murder . . .
Harvard librarian Hester Thursby knows that even in the digital age, people still need help finding things. Using her research skills, Hester runs a side business tracking down the lost. Usually, she’s hired to find long-ago prom dates or to reunite adopted children and birth parents. Her new case is finding the handsome and charismatic Sam Blaine.
Sam has no desire to be found. As a teenager, he fled his small New Hampshire town with his friend, Gabe, after a haunting incident. For a dozen years, Sam and Gabe have traveled the country, reinventing themselves as they move from one mark to another. Sam has learned how trusting wealthy people can be—especially the lonely ones—as he expertly manipulates his way into their lives and homes. In Wendy Richards, the beautiful, fabulously rich daughter of one of Boston’s most influential families, he’s found the perfect way to infiltrate the milieu in which he knows he belongs—a world of Brooks Brothers suits, Nantucket summers, and effortless glamour.
As Hester’s investigation closes in on their brutal truth, the bond between Sam and Gabe is tested and Hester unknowingly jeopardizes her own safety. While Gabe has pinned all his desperate hopes of a normal life on Hester, Sam wants her out of the way for good. And Gabe has always done what Sam asks . . .
Review:
Little Comfort by Edwin Hill is a twisty-turny, suspense-laden missing persons case that soon becomes a murder investigation. This first installment in the Hester Thursby Mystery series is an outstanding debut that I HIGHLY recommend to readers who enjoy mysteries featuring amateur sleuths.
Harvard librarian Hester Thursby is currently taking time off from her regular job to care for Kate, the three year old daughter of her best friend Daphne. She lives with her boyfriend, Morgan, a veterinarian who is also Daphne’s twin brother. In addition to her regular career, Hester also takes on the occasional missing persons case. Her latest client, Lily Blaine, requests her help finding her long missing brother, Sam, who along with his best friend, Gabe DiPursio, vanished twelve years ago. Armed with nothing more than a series of postcards Lily has received over the years, Hester quickly finds Sam, who is currently romancing socialite Wendy Richards. She also locates Gabe, who lives a rather solitary life with his lifelong friend. Just as she begins to uncover the truth about Sam and Gabe, Sam’s past crashes headlong into his present which puts Hester and her family in grave danger.
Hester is a smart and feisty woman who is quite resourceful due to her dysfunctional childhood. Despite all of her successes, her past still affects her since she remains afraid of commitment. Hester has no intention of becoming a parent and she does not want to admit how much she loves Kate. She makes some very questionable decisions throughout her investigation into Sam, Gabe and their past. Hester’s compassion and empathy are admirable traits that leave her in a very precarious situation when she offers friendship to the wrong person.
Sam is ruthless in his quest to move up the social ladder and he leaves a swath of misery in his wake. He easily sheds his old identity when he starts over in a new city and he adapts easily to his new surroundings. Sam is quite charming and charismatic which makes it incredibly easy for him to insinuate himself in his target’s life. He is also very manipulative with sociopathic tendencies that make Sam a very dangerous man to cross.
Gabe is incredibly loyal to Sam and he will do anything for the one person who has always been there for him. He does not seem to care that he lives in Sam’s shadow but he does yearn for a normal life with a family. Gabe is quite captivated by Hester and he builds an elaborate fantasy about a future with her. But as Sam’s current situation changes and he wants to tie up loose ends, will Gabe continue to blindly follow his orders?
While not a traditional mystery, Little Comfort is a tautly-plotted, tension-filled novel that is fast-paced and compelling. Hester is an immensely appealing yet flawed lead protagonist who is impossible not to like. Gabe and Sam are well-drawn, eerily sinister characters who are absolutely ruthless when their appalling schemes are inevitably unmasked. Edwin Hill brings this spine-tingling novel to an action-packed, chilling conclusion. A marvelous first installment in the Hester Thursby Mystery series that is sure to be a hit with readers of the genre.
