Title: Watch Her by Edwin Hill
Hester Thursby Mystery Series Book Three
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Fans of Ruth Ware and B.A. Paris won’t want to miss this complex psychological thriller from an acclaimed author about a powerful Boston family desperate to keep their darkest secrets from coming to light.
While attending a gala at Prescott University’s lavish new campus, Hester Thursby and fellow guest, Detective Angela White, are called to the home of the college’s owners, Tucker and Jennifer Matson. Jennifer claims that someone broke into Pinebank, their secluded mansion on the banks of Jamaica Pond. The more Hester and Angela investigate, the less they believe Jennifer’s story, leaving Hester to wonder why she would lie.
When Hester is asked by the college’s general manager to locate some missing alumni, she employs her research skills on the family and their for-profit university. Between financial transgressions, a long-ago tragedy, and rumors of infidelity, it’s clear that the Matsons aren’t immune to scandal or mishap. But when one of the missing students turns up dead, the mystery takes on new urgency.
Hester is edging closer to the truth, but as a decades-old secret collides with new lies, a killer grows more determined to keep the past buried with the dead. . . .
Review:
Watch Her by Edwin Hill is a multi-layered mystery that is quite riveting. Although this newest release is the third installment in the Hester Thursby Mystery series, it can be as a standalone.
Hester Thursby and her not husband Morgan Maguire attend a for profit college’s opening with their friend Detective Angela White. During the evening, the college owner’s wife, Jennifer Matson, reports a burglary at their home to her friend and college administrator, Maxine Pawlikowki. Maxine requests Angela’s assistance and they, along with Hester, try to figure out what occurred at Jennifer’s house. Both Hester and Angela are skeptical of her story after their search turns up no evidence anything is missing. Within a few days, Maxine asks Hester to uncover what happened to some of the university alumni who seem to have vanished.
Due to some very close calls in previous cases, Hester is making more of an effort to remain safe while she tries to unearth the truth about what is going on at Prescott University. She is also making progress with opening up to Morgan about her past. Despite their long standing relationship, Hester has been very tight-lipped about herself. In the process of revealing important details about herself, she is also discovering new information about Morgan. Coming to terms with her past is imperative to some important decisions Hester is contemplating.
With Hester on the sidelines, Angela becomes interested in events from the Matson family’s past. Her boss is Maxine’s brother, Stan, and she is shocked to learn he worked a case involving the Matsons in the late nineties. Treading very lightly, Angela has a lot of questions about that investigation and she requests Hester’s assistance to find answers.
Watch Her is a captivating mystery that takes many twists and turns. Hester, Morgan and Angela continue to grow and evolve which adds much more depth to their respective characters. Hester and Angela’s cases eventually entwine after a tragic murder. With long-held secrets in danger of being exposed, Edwin Hill brings this intriguing mystery to a dramatic conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this latest addition to the Hester Thursby Mystery series fans of the genre.
