I believe I bought the first book in this series in an airport. A desperation buy, in other words.

“Psychic detective!” I sneered upon reading the publishers’ summary. Then I bought it anyway. Beggars, choosers, airports and all that.

What I ended up with was one of the biggest pleasant surprises in my reading history. This is a much smarter, funnier, and more complex series thank ever would have guessed given the seemingly gimmicky premise.

Each book in the series has been a delight to read, and The Burning Island is probably the best of the bunch so far.

This time Young sends Charlie (along with her best friend) to Hawaii, where a vision of a girl in the woods seemingly in peril intersects with an assignment from Charlie’s day job as a journalist for an outdoor hobby magazine.

What follows is a densely woven, compelling, and well-plotted mystery in which Charlie’s psychic ability is important but not at the forefront of her investigative work.

I really appreciate how Young uses the psychic visions as a jumping off point and a plot device rather than as the focus of the mysteries she writes. It allows readers like me to keep from labeling this as “fantasy” despite a lack of belief in psychic abilities, and keeps the solve from being a cheap one only possible for one who sees the future.

Toss in the sharp, witty dialogue, likable and interesting characters, and some good nuggets of Hawaiian history and atmosphere, and Young has another winning installment in this series.

In fact, this book had but a single flaw, and said flaw was mostly just hilarious. In describing private school students, Young mentions “rich kids with expensive iPods.” This book was written in 20-9. iPods! In 2019! Remember iPods? I miss iPods.

I did not realize this was part of a series! Now I want to go back and read the first two to see if they fill in any gaps. This one was about a missing child in Hawaii. I found the plot device of her having visions of missing children interesting and it set apart of other similar books I've read.

The Charlie Cates series picks up in book three, where Charlie and Noah are settled into domestic life in Arizona. Except Charlie’s solving of a recent missing boy case has lead Charlie’s secret to be leaked all over the internet and news reporters have been hounding their house day and night. The solution? Noah suggests that Charlie and Rae take the girls trip they keep putting off.

Which is how we land in Hawaii, where Charlie’s editor tricks her into becoming involved with a missing girl’s case. You can tell that this novel was the answer to readers’ missing Rae in book two, since we got a lot of her here. And truthfully, I can’t complain because she’s a great contrast to Charlie. I was also fascinated by the evolution of Charlie’s psychic “powers” in this book and I’m interested to see how the author will continue to evolve those or work with them further in future books.

The aspect of the psychic is usually overwrought into a sense of the supernatural but using it as a matter of perspective to solve a case of missing persons in an interesting perspective. In “The Burning Island” [Hester Young/G.P. Putnam’s Sons/416pgs], Charlotte is a woman with kids who is a journalist by trade but her gift seems to be finding lost children. She lost one of her own though sickness so her perspective is fueled by saving those she can find and redeem versus those she cannot. The book begins with her and her partner Josh helping find a lost boy in the Arizona desert (through her visions), It is not clear if this was from a previous book or just a prologue. That said, after paparazzi and gossip publications camp outside of her house because she found these lost people through visions, she and her best friend decide to escape for a girls week on the Big Island of Hawaii to unwind. They choose a small local town with a bed and breakfast not far away from Volcanoes National Park. it is an isolated town but her assigning editor sends her there as well to do a piece on a local scientist with a penchant for Ironman competitions. What she finds is two of three interconnecting stories that pierce her visions but it is about unraveling these thoughts and her own hang ups. The back drop is an interesting perspective and the eventual reveals are low key but also not overwrought. It is a balanced read in a relaxed sort of way. Some of the human structure of behavior is both interesting but also divisive in terms of creating a sense of motivation (although an interesting perspective from a reverse psychological progression is something like “Baby Teeth“). “The Burning Island” is a specific read without too much density of trouble in paradise but the texture of life hanging just below the surface.

B-

By Tim Wassberg

Charlotte “Charlie” Cates and her fiancé Noah rescue a missing twelve-year-old boy. Charlie’s dreams lead her to Alex’s location and enable her to locate the missing boy. It’s not the first time Charlie’s dreams have helped her save a child, but this time her abilities have been made public by the media. She escapes the unwanted attention by spending a week in Hawaii on a working vacation with her best friend Rae. She has an assignment to write a profile about Victor Nakagawa who studies volcanoes. However, soon upon her arrival, Charlie begins dreaming of a local girl who has been missing for six weeks. Charlie learns the girl’s name is Lise and has a connection with the subject of the article she is writing. Charlie would like to just relax with Rae, but can’t ignore the fact that her gifts could help find the missing girl.

The Burning Island is the third in a series featuring Charlie Cates, but it reads like a standalone novel. I have read the prior two books, but it’s not necessary to read either of them to enjoy this one. The first book in the series is one of my favorite all-time mysteries, but the follow-up was disappointing. Although not as excellent as the first book, I enjoyed it much more than the last one. As much as I like Charlie and Noah as a couple, their immature interactions in the last book took away from the story. This time, the focus is on Charlie herself and she communicates mostly with Rae and the people they meet in Hawaii.

The setting of each of the books in the series have been very different (Louisiana, Arizona, and now Hawaii), but all have added to the story. The sometimes horrible things going on in this book seem worse somehow set against the backdrop of an island paradise. The mystery is very interesting and the novel works well because Charlies doesn’t only rely on her dreams and visions to search for Lise. She and Rae research and find people who knew Lise and ask them difficult questions. Charlie learns some truly horrendous things during her search for the missing teenager. It would have been easier for her to walk away, but as a mother who has experienced the loss of a child, she won’t allow herself to turn her back on the search.

I really enjoyed this book, especially seeing Charlie in a different setting and seeing the growth in her character. The reader is in store for many surprises before the book ends. Some are disturbing but are handled well by the author and by Charlie. In addition to the intriguing mystery, the book is as much about the search for Lise as it is about Charlie accepting her gifts and how to best help others while finding happiness for herself and her family. I don’t know if there will be additional installment in the series, but if not, this book ends on a hopeful note.

~ Christine

Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Hester Young for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

My rating is actually 4.5 stars, but since there aren't half stars I always round up.

Like:
- The premise: woman who dreams about/get vibes from people who are in danger, missing or dead
- The supernatural/psychic elements are just enough to allow the story to happen, while still keeping the genre as mystery/psychological thriller
- Find my Phone App playing a vital role in the investigation

Love:
- Slow burn mystery that ramps up at the perfect time
- The main character’s friend, Rae: bold, supportive, kind, encouraging
- The setting of Hawaii … need I say more? But it’s obvious the author is familiar with the area
- The mystery, search for a missing girl, ends up being so much better than I thought
- The revelations at the last 1/3 of the story … OMG!

Dislike:
- Seriously messed up families —> But that’s also what makes the book great in a messed up kind of way

Wish that:
- There’s another book in the series, preferably a sequel to this story
- Learned more about the owners of the B&B
- We could learn what happens to the cultish family’s kids in the future

Overall, a wonderful mystery that’s written perfectly. A slow burn suspense that packs a big punch at the end. Definitely worth the read!

I was so glad to be able to read the end Charlie's unique visions follow her there and get her entangled in a missing persons case. There are some very intense and crazy moments and I was never sure who the "bad guy" would turn out to be.
Hester's writing is superb and reads easily. I read through the last 50% really quickly!

Charlie Cates is back and her psychic ability to find missing children is out in the open. Deciding to escape the intrusive assaults on her private life she decided to travel to Hawaii with her best friend Rae, on what is suppose to be a girls getaway. Well you may evade your home life, but your clairvoyance is another matter. Visions of missing children do not take a holiday and Charlie finds herself embroiled in the disappearance of a young girl and a whole host of other strange occurrences.

I enjoy this character and have enjoyed the other books in this series. However, I found myself getting irritated with Charlie and her constantly wanting to play it safe not realizing her sight is a gift and she needs to accept who she is. The ending was redemptive with a suspenseful conclusion and Charlie finally coming to terms with her talent and deciding not to hide from it any more. I look forward to the next in the series.

Recommended! This book will be published in January, 2019.