Hester Thursby returns in this second book of a series by Edwin Hill. Hester has severe anxiety which keeps her from allowing "life" to get too close to her family. She has closed off herself to most things she enjoyed before her trauma in the first book. She needs a shock to be able to return to herself. The shock comes as a call for help from her SIL and best friend. Hester finds herself on the way to a remore island, accompanied by her 4yr old niece.
This series is very well written. Edwin Hill has developed his characters and set them into a story line where they are surrounded by choices. But which choice is the right one and what are the consequences if they choose wrong. The story flows, never boring...to me anyway. Some twists I could predict but there were many I could not. A good read that definitely places Edwin Hill and Hester Thursby on my TBR list.

Good story overall, and well written. I would have benefited from having read the first in the series. It wasn't always clear why the main character had such intense anxiety, although it did become fairly clear by the end.

Finisterre Island, a small isolated place off the coast of Maine, is normally a lovely and peaceful place. But a house with strangers annoys the locals as well as the summer guests since it seriously disturbs the idyllic atmosphere. When on 4th July a boy goes missing, suspicion rises. Just a couple of weeks afterwards, another boy vanishes. Is there a connection between these incidents and the newly arrived woman of the suspicious house? Annie seems nice enough, but she obviously has some secrets, not only her affair with a local policeman, but also her mysterious and sudden appearance in town.

The plot sounded intriguing to me, children going missing, a small island where everybody knows everybody, characters with secrets, but unfortunately, the novel didn’t really reach me. I found the beginning of the novel quite slow and it took me a lot of time to sort out the two lines of the plot. The toughest for me was the fact that I didn’t sympathise with any of the characters which makes it hard to really care for them and their fate. Additionally, what I really detested was how they all treated children. Just like some object that you thoughtlessly can move from one person to the next.

As I figured out much too late, this is the second instalment of a series. Maybe I just didn’t understand the crucial point of the novel since I hadn’t read the first book, there were actually some perplexing aspects that did not make too much sense to me. I also missed some kind of explanation for the characters’ really strange behaviour which unfortunately never came. All in all, a novel that I couldn’t really relate to.

The Missing Ones is an outstanding sequel to Little Comfort. in which librarian Hester Thursby makes a return appearance. Although I hadn't read Little Comfort, I was more than happy to pick up this mystery/thriller. It worked for me as a stand-alone, but I think it would be even more beneficial to have read the books in chronological order.

This was an intriguing, captivating, and superbly suspenseful novel. The timeline was set in the present and went back in time as events in the story required it. Edwin Hill's character creation was first-class though some were flawed and not particularly personable. The plot was gritty, dark and troubling. The ending left me unsettled but hopeful for Hester.

A truly remarkable read touching on themes of obsession, arson, murder, crime and kidnapping. I'll be reading the first book as I'm impatiently waiting for a third instalment!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Librarian Hester Thursby returns in this outstanding sequel to Little Comfort. On a small island off the coast of Maine 2 children have disappeared and questions arise. Hester Thursby, accompanied by her ward, Kate, travels to the island when she receives a cryptic plea for help from her good friend and Kate’s mother, Daphne. As Hester unsuccessfully tries to find Daphne, she uncovers a dead body, along with an island full of unsavory, dangerous characters and many hidden secrets.

If you are a fan of Paul Doiron, Nevada Barr, Julia Keller and C. J. Box, you need to add Edwin Hill to your list. The characters are multidimensional, relatable and appealing. Hill’s writing has a heart-pounding flow to it and I couldn’t put this do n once I started. The descriptions of the stormy island setting capture the mood flawlessly and are reminiscent of Nevada Barr’s Boar Island, which I also loved. I am so excited about this series and can’t wait to see what’s on Hester Thursby’s agenda next!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Kensington and Edwin Hill for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It took me a while to get around to reading this, and even longer to come up with my review.

I truly enjoyed The Missing Ones. It was fast-paced, full of intriguing characters and a mystery that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. While I enjoyed this read, I found myself wishing that I had read the first novel in the series first. The characters were rich and well-developed, but because I missed out on the action of the first book, I couldn't fully comprehend the characters in the way that I'd hoped.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but the lack of context, partially due to my inability to read the first book, was disorienting enough to lower my rating of this novel.

Hester Thursby has been through a very traumatic event in the first book by Edwin Hill, called Little Comfort. The Missing Ones picks up the story and ties up some loose threads.

What's happened to Daphne? She has left behind her little girl, Kate, with Hester and Morgan. Hester has become an over protective, helicopter mom/aunt to Kate after Daphne has disappeared by choice. Going through the horrific events, with Kate along, Hester has resorted to all kinds of self reasoning to lie to Morgan about where she and Kate are to protect her. "She hadn't realized how much danger lurked in secrets, or that some things-some people-were better left lost." Then one day Hester gets a mysterious message and life takes another turn that she must see it through.

Mr. Hill took me along with Hester to the tourist island of Finisterre, Maine. This island is beautiful and an ideal place to go and spend some time to relax and enjoy the summer. Except this island holds so many secrets and mysteries. Missing children, murders, drug dealing, corrupt cops, and most of all an old abandoned Victorian house that's the center of all the drama. "Here, on the island, in this house, your truth was what you wanted it to be." I was pulled into this underground world with Hester by the very descriptive and detailed writing of Mr. Hill. It was a read that was filled with "hold on tight" suspense and action. It was twists, turns, and drama that I felt I was in the center of. I even had such a vivid experience with walking into the old Victorian and the dilapidated conditions inside with the rottenness, filth and human uncleanliness.

The characters in this book are a wide range of personalities. Each one built up with characteristics that describe them completely. There are some that I connected to and liked. The main character, Hester, is unique and one I want to keep learning about and be with as she lives and learns what it takes to survive the situations and even the personal challenges she faces. Kate is a cute little girl and her personality just drew me in. There are characters I love and then the others who are the creeps and bad guys I can't stand. All this put together makes a novel that needs each one to bring this suspense thriller to a page turning "who done what" ending with twists that are a total surprise.

I am very grateful to Mr. Hill and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. It's one that had me guessing and being surprised through out the pages. Thank you!

The Missing Ones are young children missing from a touristy island in Maine. Damaged heroine Hester Thursby is unwilling dragged into the case by a cryptic text by long-missing best friend Daphne.

In the excellent Little Comfort, the first book in this series, three-year-old Kate is left behind by Hester’s best friend, Daphne. Hester is still seriously disturbed by the events in the first book. She clearly has PTSD and won’t let Kate leave her side even to go to preschool. However, when she receives a text from Daphne asking for her help, Hester sets off to help her. Hester decides not to tell her boyfriend Morgan, who is Daphne’s twin, and takes now four-year-old Kate with her to the Maine island where four-year-old children are turning up missing. Again, Hester is having anxiety issues. She is obviously not thinking like the shrewd Harvard librarian or missing person investigator she was in the first book.

While I miss the smart Hester from Little Comfort, it is realistic that she would have PTSD from the horrific events she has gone through. It is also rare and refreshing to see an adverse reaction from a mystery character. I believe this is the first time I have seen it relate so directly to a previous plot.

The mystery itself incorporates many modern themes like homelessness, the opioid crisis, and a small town’s reaction to both. The atmosphere of gloom and fear relating to the looming hurricane and the missing children feels almost like a character within the book. My only complaint is that the pacing is more like literary fiction than a mystery or thriller. It takes a while to get to the meat of the plot. This may be in part because Little Comfort aftermath is such a big part of this book that the author has to describe it fully. I’m not sure. But as a standalone, I would rate it four stars. I think it would be much better for your reading enjoyment to read Little Comfort first. I previously rated that book as 5 out 5 stars so you are in for a treat.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love this book. This is the second book in the series and I thought it was even better than the first one. I hope the author is working on the third book. I can't wait to read more by Edwin Hill.

Set on a small island off the coast of Maine where all of the locals know each other, it's easy to be drawn into the small town vibe, from kidnapping, murder, drugs, and mayhem along the Atlantic ocean. There were also a lot of who done its, that made for a very interesting read. I found the story fast paced so it really held my interest.
However, I feel that I should have read the first book in the series, Little Comfort, to get to know more about a couple of the main characters before reading this.
Many thanks to the author, Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc. This review and opinions are strictly my own. I gave this book 4 stars.

Hester Thursby is still traumatized from her last case to trace a man who did not want to be found. She pretends to go to work at her library job and drop off her 4-year old niece Kate at school but has done neither for months. Kate's mother Daphne has been gone for a year and Hester both hopes and dreads the time when she decides to return home and claim Kate back.

Maine's Finisterre Island is remote and tiny enough that everyone there knows both locals and visitors. When 4-year old Oliver Pelletier goes missing on the Fourth of July, a frantic search takes place. Although Oliver is eventually found safe by the island's local police officer Rory, the incident stirs suspicion among locals. A few months later, another 4-year old boy goes missing as a nasty storm approaches the island. Then Hester gets a cryptic text from Daphne asking her to come to Finisterre Island. Once there, Hester finds the community cleaning up from the storm and uncovers a murder.

Hester believes the squatters and junkies living in a dilapidated Victorian house are linked to state police officer Trey Pelletier's murder, the missing boys and Daphne. The opioid crisis has also found its way to the island, with key players and victims in Maine's drug trafficking network playing a major role in the tragic events affecting the community.

This was a well-written follow-up to Little Comfort, the first book in the Hester Thursby series.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Kensington with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

One thing Hester Thursby knows is tragedy. After a terrible life changing experience Hester Is hesitant to let her niece, Kate, out of her sight. However, she receives a text for help from her Sister-in-law she is headed to an island of secrets to help.
I really enjoyed this story. I found it to be well written and captivating. This is the first book I have read by Author Edwin Hill, but it will not be my last.
Thank you netgalley and Kensington publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest opinion.

THE MISSING ONES(Hester Thursby’s Mystery #2) by Edwin Hill

Hester Thursby is back but doesn’t want to go back into finding people after what she and her niece, Kate, went through the last time. They had both been kidnapped and Hester was hurt pretty bad. She is so afraid of losing Kate that she has started lying to her boyfriend Morgan about her going to work and Kate going to preschool. She’s to afraid of letting Kate out of her sight again. But she gets a text and off she goes again.

It’s not just any text, it’s a text for help from Kate’s mother, Morgan’s twin sister, who you meet fairly early in this story.

Anne/Daphne is in trouble and wants someone to know just in case she does not make it, or if she just goes missing and needs help. She’s been staying on an island for a few months in an old Victorian house where drug addicts usually stay. While there, two children have gone missing. One belongs to the town’s bakery owner, Lydia, while the other belongs to a drug addicted woman. The local cop, Rory, is in love with Lydia and everyone in this small town knows it.

Trey, Lyndia’s husband is a cop also but I didn’t like him. He seemed like a real jerk to me. I liked Rory for a while but figured him out too. I liked Vaughn, Lydia and of course loved Hester. I also did not like Daphne. I think she is a terrible person and I hope she never comes back into Kate’s life. She deserted her and in my opinion gave up her rights to the child when she left her alone with a post it note. Even though it was explained why she left I personally think she could have done it in a better way. Anything could have happened to the child. So no I do not like Daphne either.

I think Morgan is a very understanding man and Hester should love him. I hope they get married eventually and get to raise Kate. I also hope they get to keep Ethan. Ethan needs a loving, caring, understanding home and he would certainly get that with them.

This book was very well written. I loved or hated the characters. It made me cry in all the right places and laugh out loud in a few. Kate, the four year old, is so funny. I love how she is portrayed. She’s a very loving and happy child with Hester and Morgan. Though she loves her mom she is happy with her uncle and aunt. They take such good care of her.

This book is set in the present and in a few places it goes back to when certain things happened so you know exactly what is going on. It’s well written and will keep you turning pages until the very end. I had to read the ending a couple of times to realize exactly what was going on I admit. But it’s setting the scene for the next Thursby book I hope....

I loved it!!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Kensingtonbooks, and #EdwinHill for the copy of this book in exchange for my complete and honest review.

I give it 4 stars and highly recommend it!!

I enjoyed this book even though I did not read the 1st book in the series. I feel like this could be read as standalone or in the series.
I loved the characters in the story and the development.
There were many twists in this story that kept me guessing.

This was a dark and twisted story. It kept me hooked from the first page, I couldn't put it down. This was my 1st time reading anything from this author. I look forward to seeing what his does in the future.

Rating 3.5

The first novel in this series, Little Comfort, introduced us to Hester Thursby, a librarian with a profitable sideline in searching for missing persons. At the time she was on leave from her library position, having been left to care for 4-year-old Kate, daughter of her best college friend, Daphne. Daphne took off and left the child with her and her "not-husband," Morgan, who also happens to be Daphne's twin brother. The events of Little Comfort left her nearly dead and overly protective of Kate. Hester can't let out of her sight long enough to return to the library job, or even let Kate go to pre-school. Worse, she has been lying to Morgan about it. Upon receiving a cryptic text from Finisterre Island, off the coast of Maine, Hester is off once again, Kate in tow. Upon arrival, she finds not the idyllic place that most tourists see, but the real island with missing children, suspicion, rivalries, drug problems, and extra-marital entanglements.

The Missing Ones has more twists and turns than even Little Comfort provided. Finisterre is based on Monhegan Island, but highly fictionalized. As someone who vacationed on a Maine Island for many years, I can attest to Hill's accuracy. My island is much smaller, with even fewer amenities, but over the years, I came to understand just un-idyllic and challenging life is for the year-round residents. A tremendous amount is going on beneath the placid surface, if not to the dangerous level of Finisterre. The Missing Ones foreshadows events to come, and I am eager to find out what happens next. Hopefully, Hester, Morgan, and especially Kate can find a bit more normality.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an advance digital copy. I highly recommend the series for readers of mystery and suspense.

RATING- 4.5 Stars

Another creepy tale from Edwin Hill. A continuation of the Hester Thursby series, I thought the tone of this book was surprisingly different from “Little Comfort.” I enjoyed number 2 a lot though, even though I usually avoid drug and missing children themes. In “The Missing Ones,” the very likable Hester and Morgan are back, trying to track down Morgan’s sister Daphne, even though it isn’t clear that Hester wants to find her, or that Daphne wants to be found.

I’m hoping for more in this series. I’m hooked on these characters.

In the second book of the Hester Thursby Mystery series, Hester has given up her missing persons business, focusing on caring for her young ward, still traumatized and reeling from her last case. But a cryptic text about a missing child sends her to an island off the coast of Maine, a place recovering from a devastating storm. Hester uncovers a murder, a crime which seems to be connected to the missing children. Like the first book in this series, The Missing Ones is unputdownable, filled with secrets and compelling, complex characters. I look forward to more books in this series!

Two four year old boys who go missing a few months apart and are found safely soon afterwards.
Drug addicts; drifters and dealers squatting in a derelict Victorian mansion.
A woman who doesn't want to be found, using a false name.
A massive storm.
A dead body.
All of this plays off on a rocky island community a two hour ferry ride from the coast of Maine where no secret is ever kept hidden for long and outsiders stand out and are not welcomed.
And then add Hester to this mix with her terror/paranoia about Kate, her 4 year old niece, going missing. And her great talent for finding people who don't want to be found.
From the moment I started reading this story it enthralled me. Mysterious characters with stories that they try to keep hidden capture your imagination. I understand that this is the second book in a series involving Hester Thursby, but it appears this book can be read as a standalone as the reader is filled in briefly as to what Hester's involvement in the first book was. Aside from Hester it seems almost all the central characters are new to this story.
The ending is rather eery and you realise there is SO much more to Daphne than what this book reveals - am left wondering if she played a part in the first book too, but I feel she has a few stories in her. A mysterious character that gives off a vigilante vibe, but I don't know why. I feel I'd need more information on her to understand both her and her strange actions.
All in all a gripping read. The islands become another compelling character - isolated, rocky, dangerous, but beautiful.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

This is the second in a series but this book will stand alone. It was so action packed and I didn't get bored at all and I could not wait to get to the end to see what happened.
On a small island in Maine nothing usually happens but all at once Rory, the only policeman on the island, is kept busy. Drugs are coming into the island and more addicts showing up on the island. There is a mysterious woman that Rory knows nothing about. When things happen he questions whether she could be involved. He loves Lydia but she is married so he pines for her and the whole island knows he loves her.
I am going to go back and read the first book and cannot wait for book three.