Watch Her: A Gripping Novel of Suspense with a Thrilling Twist

Edwin Hill

Dec 2020 · A Hester Thursby Mystery Book 3 · Kensington Books

About this ebook

“Complex…a masterly mystery.”
—Kirkus Reviews

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. . . .
 
“Hits that elusive sweet spot yet again with an impeccable blend of intelligent and relatable characters confronted with a dangerous and complex crime in a fascinating setting. Hill masterfully ratchets up the tension until it's impossible to look away. Hester Thursby fans will not be disappointed!” 
—Karen Dionne, award-winning bestselling author of The Wicked Sister
 
“Suspenseful…a grade-A mystery.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
 

Ratings and reviews

Watch Her by Edwin Hill Hester Thursby Mystery #3 Book three of the series sees Hester and Morgan cohabiting and caring for his niece Katie as they work, live, and love one another. Their relationship has weathered nine years so far and Morgan wouldn’t mind having Hester more than a roommate. This is a story of family and secrets…HUGE secrets. This story is complex, dark, sometimes grim, filled with strong characters, and very hard to define in a paragraph. I will contemplate it for a while, I am sure. What I liked: * Morgan: intelligent, caring, intriguing, interesting, patient, and wise * Katie: precocious, young (5), loving, brings lightness to the story * Hester: inquisitive, excellent researching skills, outgoing, conflicted, good friend, complex, shows growth in each book. * Getting to see some of the characters from previous books * The past as it impacts the present in more than one life * That characters are deep and well structured with more than one layer * That some characters that seemed unlikeable had hidden traits that I came to understand and admire * The way the many threads finally came together * That though I felt it was “slow” in the beginning it was well worth reading * Seeing the relationship between Morgan and Hester move forward in a positive way * Angie’s situation…intrigued me for some reason * Barrett: I found this person interesting and complex…wonder how it will work out ultimately in their life. * Maxine: Not sure that I *liked* her but I did want to learn more about her. Felt the same about Jennifer as I read more of the story. * That it seemed “real” in all of its dark gritty glory * It wasn’t an easy read and it left me thinking even when I finished…what would *I* have done if in the shoes of some of the characters. What I didn’t like: * The secrets and how they were used negatively * The coverups…and the impact they had and may have in the future Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more in this series/by this author? Yes Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4-5 Stars

Watch Her alternates narrators Maxine, Angela, Hester, and Barret. All tangled up in Prescott University – a privately owned establishment in the heart of Boston – they navigate the media, hidden motives, and secrets. But the school is only the beginning. Maxine has devoted her life to helping the Matson family – Jennifer, Tucker, and Vanessa. The family now includes Vanessa’s husband, Gavin Dean, whom nobody seems to like. But the secrets expand beyond just disliking Gavin. Maxine and Tucker have a secret. Jennifer has a secret – possibly more than anyone is aware of – and Maxine and the rest of them help her hide it. But it’s possible that Vanessa has the biggest secret of all, and she might not even be aware of it. Hester, a librarian, works with Angela, a detective, to discover just what is going on in this town as it seems to revolve around the Matsons. And of course, Maxine is at the center of it, making sure no one knows more than they need to. It's a bit difficult to jump into the story as many characters are thrown into the mix quite rapidly. It was sort of a murder mystery. It also had a lot going on with the Matson family, who owned the Prescott school, where Maxine was a close friend of the family and head of the Prescott School (at age 25 too). Hester who was sort of friends with Maxine in a way I have to figure out (maybe it was in the other two books or else I just couldn't figure it out). Angela, was a Sergeant with the police force, who was a partner of Stan, who is Maxine's brother. What a tangled web. I was interested for most of the book but was disappointed with the ending. There seemed to be a lot of plot holes and things that weren't really explained in the end.

This was a slow burning thriller, blending past and present into a dangerous mixture of secrets and what someone will do to protect those secrets and those that they care for. The Matson family seems to be the perfect well to do family that owns Prescott University and what seems like half the city. But there are cracks beginning to show as Jennifer goes off the deep end with mysterious intruders and Hester dives into some anomalies with missing students from the university. It is not a fast thriller but I sped through it because I wanted to know all the whys and whodunits. This may have been the third book in the Hester Thursby mysteries but I had no problem getting into the story and figuring out characters. I love that Hester is a librarian by trade but that has not stopped her from figuring out mysteries and stopping killers. She is a likeable character and I am definitely going to read the other two books that she is in now.

About the author

Edwin Hill is the author of the critically-acclaimed Hester Thursby mystery series, the first of which, Little Comfort, was an Agatha Award finalist, a selection of the Mysterious Press First Mystery Club and a Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books selection. Formerly the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin's (Macmillan), he now teaches at Emerson College and has written for the LA Review of Books, The Life Sentence, Publisher's Weekly, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and their lab, Edith Ann. Visit him online at www.Edwin-Hill.com.