Pirate Patty Reviews

A Hester Thursby Mystery

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.

Harvard Librarian Hester Thursby is sidelined when her boyfriend’s sister Daphne, leaves her 3-year-old daughter on their doorstep and disappears. Hester has no idea what to do with a toddler and doesn’t think this is something she would want to do full-time.

Her specialty is finding people. And an unexpected call from a woman in New Hampshire has her intrigued. With nothing but a name, Sam Blaine and his friend Gabe, along with a stack of postcards that seem to make no sense at all.

Hester has no problem popping little Kate in the car and trying to figure out where Sam and his friend are based on the postcards. It takes her just a few days to find them and make contact. But why are they so threatened by her? And why do they keep changing their names?

Sam was a very charismatic character and Gabe follows his instructions to the letter, he is so afraid of being alone. But when Sam finds out that his sister has hired Hester just to find him, he decides that Hester is a threat to his life of scamming rich people and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, but for the first time Gabe just may stand up to Sam for Hester.

This was a story of really awful child sexual abuse and the events that were set in motion one late night years ago and that only  now are coming to light.

Sam had sociopath written all over him and Gabe is just so emotionally damaged it was sad. The sister, Lila, is no angel either.

Hester is a tiny package of dynamite! She may be impulsive and brave but now she has a child and it has definitely changed her outlook after she and Kate almost lose their lives.

Good Job, Mr. Hill!

Netgalley/ Kensington August 28, 2018