Review coming soon. Fell behind due to illness, amd working on all of the old ones now.

This one will not be forgotten. I finally read an Edwin Hill, and he is as great as everyone says. An original!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.


Pub Date was August 27th, 2019
#EdwinHill #TheMissingOnes #NetGalley

I'm late to the party reviewing this one. I was approved back in 2019.

First off, this can definitely be read as a stand alone. There's lots of back story regarding the first book, Little Comfort.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of. It took me awhile to find my groove. There was also a bit of confusion at times within the chapters as it jumped between the past and present.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for my review e-copy!

Hill knocks it out of the park, and a very vulnerable Hester finds herself struggling with PTSD and unable to return to work and send Kate to school....but when she receives an unexpected text beckoning her to a remote island off the coast of Maine, Hester goes...

There's trouble on the island, and of course, our favorite heroine stumbles across a murder....that will lead her down a tangled web of secrets to be unraveled to find out the truth.

The story begins with a text message: "It's me. I'm on Finisterre Island in Maine. Come find me"
This plea draws Hester Thursby into a dangerous search for her best friend Daphne Maguire, the twin sister of her boyfriend Morgan. The search takes her to a small island off the coast of Maine where she encounters a clannish community of islanders. On the surface it seems like a pleasant place (at least in the summer), but from the beginning there's an aura of danger: in the first chapter a young boy disappears for several hours although he is eventually found safe. As things progress, issues of drug addiction, homelessness and corruption are exposed. When Hester discovers a body on the shore, the tension rachets up as her hunt for Daphne expands into a hunt for a killer. There's an explosive conclusion involving a burning house as Hester and Daphne are finally reunited.

This is a gritty "chase" story, covering a basic whodunnit murder mystery. It's the sequel to the author's debut, "Little Comfort" and can be read as a standalone. The author does a good job of providing sufficient backstory for a reader new to the series to follow the story. However, reading the previous book will provide some colour and perspective on Hester, Daphne and Morgan.

The missing children angle is a red herring to me, it doesn't seem to relate to the story. There may be a subtle connection that am I missed. In the end, Daphne remains the only really missing person. Is Daphne an enigma to be continued in future books?

The cast of characters is a truly mixed bag of humanity. Hester, the protagonist, is a work in progress who luckily has Morgan as her backup.. The islanders provide local colour for the story, a set piece of small-town folks who have grown up together and now live as adults in the same place. The off-islanders are usually the bad people (Barb, the state police detective, and Hester et al excepted). The dog Waffles is welcome and the abused mutt George is a worthy addition.

Recommended as a well told multi-level story reflecting some of the problems of our time.

I requested and received a complementary advance reading copy from the publisher, Kensington Books, via Netgalley. The comments about it are my own.

Wasn't aware this was book 2 until after I read it, so apparently this can be a read alone, I imagine, though, I would have understood more had I read book one first. While I felt the book read a bit slow for me, I did enjoy the plot, and the characters were interesting.
4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sadly I wasn't a big fan of this one like I was hoping I would be, it was slow going which is ok , but there was times I just didn't like the main character , over all I'm still glad I read it .

Second in the Hester Thursby series A complex lead character she suffers from PTSD which colors her life.Well written full of twists and turns .A series. I highly recommend,this series,#netgalley#Kensingtonbooks.

3 for neutral, I tried on a few occasions to read this, but felt like I was missing something, because it had so many amazing reviews and I just couldn’t get into it. Found out it is part of a series, which may be the reason I didn’t get as engaged as most. Will update later, when able to obtain first book and read both, if I am able to enjoy the first. Will update if it does end up grabbing me.

The Second book in the Hester Thursby series finds Hester dealing with the traumatic events from the case she was working on previously. Hester and boyfriend, Morgan are raising Kate, Morgan's young niece, after his twin sister Daphne, took off. Trying to deal with the past, Hester is overprotective of Katie and finds herself lying to Morgan about her and Kate's whereabouts. Swearing off working on any more cases, Hester changes her mind quickly when she receives a mysterious message from Daphne. Calling herself Annie now, Daphne is living on Finisterre Island, Maine. Will Hester finally discover the secret behind Daphne's leaving Kate behind? Has Hester walked into something more than just a case of finding Daphne? Author Edwin Hill has filled this book with a lot of twists and turns, making it, an edge of your seat page turner! I am looking forward to reading more from this brilliant author! I received a copy of The Missing Ones by Edwin Hill from NetGalley and Kensington Publishers in exchange for my fair and honest review.

The Missing Ones is a complex mystery set in an atmospheric island off the coast of Maine. This is the second book in the series and can be enjoyed, in my opinion, without reading the first but I would recommend reading in order because Hester’s behavior will make more sense in context. The book is well-written and I think fans of mysteries with darker themes will enjoy it.

Trigger Warnings: <spoiler> homophobic slurs, drug use, ableist slur </spoiler>

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #TheMissingOnes #mystery #suspense

Synopsis/blurb.....

Hester Thursby has given up using her research skills to trace people who don't want to be found. A traumatic case a few months ago unearthed a string of violent crimes, and left Hester riddled with self-doubt and guilt. Caring for a four-year-old is responsibility enough in a world filled with terrors Hester never could have imagined before.

Finisterre Island, off the coast of Maine, is ruggedly beautiful and remote - the kind of place tourists love to visit, though rarely for long. But not everyone who comes to the island is welcome. A dilapidated Victorian house has become home to a group of squatters and junkies, and strangers have a habit of bringing trouble with them. A young boy disappeared during the summer, and though he was found safely, the incident stirred suspicion among locals. Now another child is missing. Summoned to the island by a cryptic text, Hester discovers a community cleaning up from a devastating storm - and uncovers a murder.

Soon, Hester begins to connect the crime and the missing children. And as she untangles the secrets at the center of the small community, she finds grudges and loyalties that run deep, poised to converge with a force that will once again shake her convictions about the very nature of right and wrong....
---------
My take....

The Missing Ones is Edwin Hill's second Hester Thursby book after Little Comfort, and while it works well enough on its own, I would probably have benefited from reading the first one before this.

Hester lives with her boyfriend and is caring for her best friend's four year old daughter Kate after Daphne (the mother) disappeared a year ago. Daphne is also the twin of Hector's partner, Morgan. She is also suffering from PTSD after events from Little Comfort and behaves - from the outside - a little irrationally in respect of her day to day life. She has separation anxiety over being parted from Kate and she's been bunking off work for a good while and lying to Morgan about how she's coping with life.

A "come and get me" text from Daphne sets the wheels in motion here........ a thinly populated island, isolation, everyone knows everyone, everyone knows everything about everyone, or so they think, a ferry, secrets, secrets that aren't actually secrets, and ones that are, a missing kid, an un-missing kid, a drug house, suspicion of strangers, tension between the island cop and the State policeman, unrequited love, an affair, drugs, an overdose, another missing kid, an assumed identity, a dead body and murder, arson and more.

I enjoyed it without feeling it was the best book ever if I'm truthful. I don't think I ever truly sympathised or was on-board totally with the main character, Hester. That said her heart was in the right place in respect of trying to do the right thing.

I liked a few of the supporting characters..... the State policewoman, Morgan the boyfriend. The setting was interested with the island location and the inhabitants all at the mercy of the tides and weather concerning getting on and off the place. There's a moment near the end which gave me pause for thought - totally jaw-dropping - and which I wasn't 100% sure I understood correctly. If it means what I think it means - WTF. I'm guessing there may be repercussions further down the road.

Decent plot, reasonable pace. I liked the author's style of writing and the narration of the story. I wasn't totally invested in the outcome, probably because I couldn't really feel much of anything for Hester, other than mild irritation maybe.


Enjoyable overall, just missing any real spark for me.

3.5 from 5

Read - October, 2019
Published - 2019
Page count - 261
Source - Net Galley
Format - ePub read on laptop

http://col2910.blogspot.com/2019/10/edwin-hill-missing-ones-2019.html

Description
Hester Thursby has given up using her research skills to trace people who don’t want to be found. A traumatic case a few months ago unearthed a string of violent crimes, and left Hester riddled with self-doubt and guilt. Caring for a four-year-old is responsibility enough in a world filled with terrors Hester never could have imagined before. Finisterre Island, off the coast of Maine, is ruggedly beautiful and remote—the kind of place tourists love to visit, though rarely for long. But not everyone who comes to the island is welcome. A dilapidated Victorian house has become home to a group of squatters and junkies, and strangers have a habit of bringing trouble with them. A young boy disappeared during the summer, and though he was found safely, the incident stirred suspicion among locals. Now another child is missing. Summoned to the island by a cryptic text, Hester discovers a community cleaning up from a devastating storm—and uncovers a murder. Soon Hester begins to connect the crime and the missing children. And as she untangles the secrets at the center of the small community, she finds grudges and loyalties that run deep, poised to converge with a force that will once again shake her convictions about the very nature of right and wrong . . .

My Review:
The second in the series The Missing Ones is full of mystery and intrigue. I have not read the first one, but feel this novel can be read as a standalone. The characters are well written and easy to follow. The novel kept me interested until the very end.

I received this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. If you enjoy a good mystery book, then this is the book for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Edwin Hill for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of The Missing Ones. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

I was so fortunate to have been sent not one but two books from Kensington. I was sent Edwin Hill’s first book in the series “Little Comfort” and the latest one “The Missing Ones” which I was very interested in reading. Sent hard copies at that - actual books I can hold in my hands - yippee!!! I was very excited to read both of them but decided to read “The Missing Ones” first since that was the one I was originally interested in.

I can tell you that this works as a standalone. There is history but nothing that detracts from the story being told. We find the main character, Hester Thursby, has been taking care of her best friend’s four-year-old daughter Kate for the past year. Daphne, the mother, left a note saying she would be gone for an hour and never came back. Hester is also in a relationship with Kate’s twin brother, Morgan. Meanwhile, on Finisterre Island, island life is a challenge. The tourists come and go but the islanders never escape. There are real problems now. Drugs have invaded the island and are turning the locals into junkies. Children also seem to go missing and then mysteriously turn up days later none the worse for wear. Hester gets a note saying that Kate is on the island and in trouble. Please come and get her right away.

When I first started reading, I found that there were a lot of characters in this story. You have the story with Hester, Morgan, the girl, and the missing Kate. On the island, you have Lydia who is married to Trey a cop, Rory her childhood friend who is secretly in love with her and also a cop. There are the drug addicts including Rory’s brother, Annie, Frankie and Seth. There is Vaughn the fisherman who is another islander that grew up with Lydia and Rory. I had enough faith that all the stories would meet up and reveal how they were interconnected. Each group had its own interesting storyline, so I wasn’t in any rush. I was able to keep track of who’s who as sometimes there can be so many people I am constantly referring back to try and remember who they are.

The story was interesting and I had a vested interest in finding out if Daphne would come back for her child. The part I didn’t understand was the mystery with the children. Since it is the title of the book I was expecting that it would have held more interest. It was a little confusing. I was interested enough to want to go back and find out what happened to Hester in the first book. There was some trauma there and I liked the characters enough I will read “Little Comfort” next.

I am a big fan of Edwin Hill’s Hester Thursby series and this 2nd novel is a solid addition to the series. Hester Thursby has a distinct personality and I really enjoy learning more of her backstory. I would recommend reading this in series order so as not to get confused.
Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author Edwin Hill for a digital review copy. This book was first published August 27, 2019.

The lead character in this book, Hester Thursby, suffered a traumatic event after using her mad librarian research skills to find missing people. As I didn't read the first book, Little Comfort, I am not entirely sure. And therein lies my quibble. Too many characters that I was a tad confused at first. Getting past that, the book developed into an interesting and unusual twisty thriller with a sucker punch or two along the way. Complex characters highlight this enjoyable tead.

A mystery that will keep the secrets hidden til the very end. Another mystery thriller that will leave Hester running for her life, while protecting others. So much was going on in this story. We get to see the background story on Daphne and the reason for leaving her daughter and family behind. Two children go missing in Finisterre Island, it will leave your mind boggling on who could possibly steal a child in a small island? You will find drugs are taking over the island and cops cannot be trusted. The plot was well thought out. The characters will leave you loving or hating them. Hester will continue to be superwoman in a world that will rage all it's hate and anger at her. Overall, people just don't change and they have a closet full of skeletons. Great mystery with plot twist throughout the whole novel. Don't forget to read book one Little Comfort.

The Missing Ones
by Edwin Hill
Length: 368 pages
4⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 2 of 2 in A Hester Thursby Mystery (2 Book Series)
Hester Thursby has given up using her research skills to trace people who don’t want to be found. A traumatic case a few months ago unearthed a string of violent crimes, and left Hester riddled with self-doubt and guilt. Caring for a four-year-old is responsibility enough in a world filled with terrors Hester never could have imagined before.
Finisterre Island, off the coast of Maine, is ruggedly beautiful and remote—the kind of place tourists love to visit, though rarely for long. But not everyone who comes to the island is welcome. A dilapidated Victorian house has become home to a group of squatters and junkies, and strangers have a habit of bringing trouble with them. A young boy disappeared during the summer, and though he was found safely, the incident stirred suspicion among locals. Now another child is missing. Summoned to the island by a cryptic text, Hester discovers a community cleaning up from a devastating storm—and uncovers a murder.Soon Hester begins to connect the crime and the missing children. And as she untangles the secrets at the center of the small community, she finds grudges and loyalties that run deep, poised to converge with a force that will once again shake her convictions about the very nature of right and wrong . . ............📒📫MY REVIEW📫 📒
Wow what a A dark complex, and suspenseful New England psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages far into the night. Everyone is lying about something in this book. Who do u believe ? The Missing Ones has more twists and turns than a roller coaster. I think the book would be best read with the first one. I had not read the first book and was a little lost at times. Still a good book. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an e-Galley of this novel

The second installment from the Hester Thursby Mystery series, The Missing Ones, to be a pretty good read. I give it four stars.

This is the first Hester Thursby mystery that I have read, even though it's the second in the series. It starts off with a 4 year old boy who goes missing on Finisterre Island in Maine. The rumor mill goes berserk, claiming that a local policeman named Rory did it so that he could play hero to the boy's mother when he found him. Hester is a librarian who is suffering from PTSD after the events of book 1. While I got a bit of an idea what happened, I really need to read book 1! Hester is headed to Finisterre Island after receiving a text that says "I need you." She gets to the island to hear about another 4 year old boy who went missing and then turned up. This story was so intense and had so many twists and turns! Every time I thought I would have something figured out, the author would throw another twist in. I felt so badly for Hester, locked in this hell from PTSD; so severe that she is unable to let her 4 year old niece out of her sight. She hasn't let Kate go to daycare or herself to work in a month. No one, other than the kids (& dogs), on the island was particularly likeable. Barbara from the State Police really had her work cut out for her. Overall, the author did a tremendous job on creating a very intense mystery and I can't wait to read more by Mr. Hill. Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story is dark, twisted and disturbing.....but completely mesmerizing. Hester has been caring for her best friend's child, 4-year old Kate, ever since her friend left unexpectedly. Daphne left a note saying she would be right back....but it's been a year, and she hasn't returned. Daphne is the twin sister of Hester's boyfriend, Morgan. Then out of the blue Hester receives a text from Daphne saying she's on an island off the coast of Maine and Hester needs to come get her. When Hester gets there she finds the situation is bleak -- the house is full of squatters and drug addicts. Not only that, but Hester discovers a dead body as well. There is a lot going on at Finisterre Island....and Hester wants to get to the bottom of it.

Wow....this was such an intense story. It was a bit hard for me to follow in spots. The Missing Ones is actually the second book in the Hester Thursby series, and I haven't read the first book, Little Comfort. I think I would have understood the situation and the characters a little better had I read the first book. But the plot in this story was strong enough to keep my interest, despite the fact I didn't quite understand the Daphne/Hester/Morgan issues. I'm going to backtrack and read the first book.....then re-read this one.

This book deals with some pretty intense adult situations -- drug addiction, kidnapping, violence, dirty cops. The story is not for the faint of heart. The suspense is wicked....and the story is twisted. Great read! I'm definitely looking forward to more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**