A clever mystery and a dynamic protagonist in Hester make this a good read for cozy fans looking for something a bit more complex than usual. While part of a series, it's also fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the good read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was a decent mystery story, although I liked the first two books in the series a little bit better. There were some good twists I didn't see coming, which is always a good thing for me. All in all, I enjoyed this book!

Okay, I need to lodge a complaint. I'm trying to catch up my TBR stack that seems to keep growing no matter how quickly I read. WATCH HER is the 3rd book in this series and it is so good, I'm going to have to read the first two.

Murder mystery, thriller and fiction all mixed together to form a compelling story centered around a university and the myriad problems that come when you mix so many people with differing backgrounds together. It's no accident when the murders start and our main characters are pulled in to investigate. Compelling is a very good description of the entire book. When I had to take a break from reading, I was still trying to figure out what was happening at the Prescott University.

this could be read as a stand alone but i'm headed back to my kindle to find the first two books.

I wish I knew that this was part of a series, I was missing the character development that had already been built and I found myself lost

I wanted to like this one due to all the hype. I will try again some other time. It didn’t ‘grab’ my attention.

Very spooky. A little too scary for me, but will be recommending to my thriller-loving friends for whom this will be perfect.

This is a fast paced thriller that I didn't want to put down. I read this book without having read the other two books in the series, and didn't feel too lost, but now can't wait to go back and read the first two books in the series. Hester is such an interesting character. She is smart and good at research, but also good at getting people to talk to her. I liked following her on the path to find the missing students that she was researching and was intrigued by the story that followed. There was a lot of suspense in this book that kept me turning the pages and wanting to see what would happen next. I hope that there will be many more books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sadly I won't be going on with this series . I just can't get into it at all. Been trying to get into and just can't do it.

The beginning started out bumpy for me. At first I felt a bit bombarded with all of the characters, and I wasn't sure who I should be concentrating on. There is a lot going on in the first few chapters. Once the story got into full swing I enjoyed it.

I've tried several times to get into this book, but it's the story and writing style just aren't working for me. I keep putting it aside, finding myself uninterested in picking it up again. Ultimately, I'm marking it a DNF.

This is the third outing for Harvard librarian Hester Thursby but the first book I’ve read in the series, and it works fine as a standalone. I was immediately drawn in by the first few pages, with their perfect mix of action and real-sounding dialogue—enough to make me drop another book I had picked up and become completely committed to finding out what was going to happen in this one. The characters are quirky and emotionally guarded, sometimes to a degree that defies belief. (Years into a serious relationship, if it really takes a strict one-question-a-day “game" to be permitted to know if your partner’s mother is alive or dead, you might benefit from some form of therapy.) I loved the author’s frequent references to real places in the Boston area, in the manner of the late Robert B. Parker. Towards the end, I found the story less compelling, possibly because every character had connections to so many others that things started to feel slightly artificial, but I would not hesitate to read another installment in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for a digital advance review copy.

A great mystery is a rare thing to find these days. First, you have to have a story that reels you in slowly and keeps you trying to solve it before the last page. It should be full of details but not tedious and have characters of questionable intent that will make you wondering who is the culprit in the caper.
Secondly and perhaps most importantly, your protagonist needs to appeal to the audience. They can be sly and debonair or they could be a quirky, determined, intelligent, feisty character like Hester Thursby.
Watch Her by Edwin Hill is the third installment in the Hester Thursby series. Edwin Hill knows a good mystery and delivers again with a slow-burn of non-stop suspense that ignites into an inferno that will keep you guessing until the end.
Harvard librarian Hester is the sleuth with the perfect mixture of book smarts and common sense. She is determined to find out what is going on and not afraid to enlist the help of others like her boyfriend Morgan and her friend Detective Angela White.
Angela and Hester are called to the home of one of Boston's most powerful educational families. The Matsons, who run the prestigious Prescott University, have been the victims of a break-in. Or have they? Why would matriarch Jennifer Matson lie?
Hestor is then asked by the university to do additional research on their alumni and suddenly Hestor finds out there are cracks in everyone's stories. Lies and deceit are enough to keep the reader wanting more but add murder to the mix and Hester has a full-blown explosion on her hands.
Reading the first two Hester Thursby books will give you insights and background information on the relationships especially between Hester and Morgan but this is a well-written mystery that can be a stand alone.
I recommend Watch Her for fans that love a good mystery without all the gimmicks but a startlingly good story.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #WatchHer

Watch Her by Edwin Hill is 3rd in its series but can also be a stand alone read. A mystery about a murder that surrounds an elite family in Boston. It was very interesting how this book was written, in my view it was multi levels. For those that love a good mystery with a dash of thriller, a read you can’t put down this is a read for you. I found this book to be very entertaining, I will now be reading the previous books.

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” is part of the “Hester Thursby” series, but new readers can easily follow along. Harvard librarian Hester Thursby has a little side “business” of finding missing people. She, non-husband Morgan, and young niece live together with three dogs and a six-foot-long green iguana. This book is about ordinary people with chores, kids, friends, jigsaw puzzles, and Legos on the floor. They live normal lives until extraordinary events happen; people make connections with other people who turn out to be awful.
The drama centers on Prescott University and the powerful Boston family that owns it. Family always comes first, but this family has secrets. When someone breaks into the family home and leaves behind nineteenth-century novel about a love triangle and a dead baby, of course people turn to the librarian for answers. A lot of characters weave in and out of the narrative, some connected and potentially dangerous, some just bystanders. The trick is figuring out which category fits which person. The story is told from alternating points of view so readers know what other characters do not. Things get complicated when Hester looks for students at Prescott University but finds an admissions scandal.
“Watch Her” is about complex and complicated personal relationships. It is also about the cost of keeping secrets. The title itself hints at the interesting interpersonal dynamics. I received a review copy of “Watch Her” from Edwin Hill and Kensington Books. It is easy to read with unusual characters who live complicated lives.

This was my first Edwin Hill book, and I found it to be a solid, intelligent, and well-characterized mystery with compelling characters. I particularly enjoyed Hester Thursby, a quirky and non-traditional non-detective "detective" with a knack for finding missing people. I also loved the Jamaica Plain, Mass. setting and Hill peppers the book with a lot of Jamaica Plain and Massachusetts history, which I found really interesting.

This book has a couple of intertwining mysteries surrounding a for-profit college run by a wealthy family with secrets and mysteries. Though there's no actual murder for a little while, the twin mysteries of a decades-old child death and present=day missing people will keep you interested until then.

Edwin Hill's characters are well-drawn, quirky, and a breath of fresh air from the more recent genre regulars. Hester is a VERY reliable narrator and a fun main character. I am interested enough to read more books from this solid and interesting series.

Thanks to Kensington Books, the author and NetGalley for the introduction to Hester. I'm looking forward to learning more about her previous exploits.

Watch Her by Edwin Hill is a great thriller that will keep the reader guessing with excellent characters.

Hester Thursby is talking to her friend Detective Angela White at a gala at Prescott University when they are sent to the university owner’s house to investigate a break in. Hester and Angela don’t believe someone broke in. Why would Jennifer lie about someone breaking into her house?

Watch Her is the third book in the Hester Thursby Mystery series but can be read as a standalone. The benefit of reading the series in order is that you get attached to the great characters.

Watch Her is a great continuation to the Hester Thursby Mystery series. All of my favorite characters returned. Hester is determined to find out what is going on like always. Hester and Morgan start to open up to each other and share about their pasts. Hester starts to think about what Morgan wants rather than just what she wants. Angela is in this book more than the others and is a great character. The story was very intriguing and I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on. Watch Her includes scandal, lies, and protecting others. I like all the strong female characters in Watch Her especially Hester and Angela. Maxine and Jennifer were interesting characters. They are best friends but do not always treat each other the best. Maxine is trying to be a mother figure to Vanessa, but Jennifer is Vanessa’s mother. There was so much mystery around Barret and I kept switching between thinking he was good or bad. I love this series and hope there will be a book 4.

Thank you Kensington, Books Forward PR, and NetGalley for Watch Her.

I loved the first two books in this series. They were both excellent and page turners. This one however is just not good. I've read 38% and there is still no action or murder. Nothing to hold my interest. I feel I have given it way more time than I would have most books and I feel awful that it's not holding my interest.
I see nothing about anyone being killed. It just hit on the missing students yet still nothing that makes me want more or feel there is an edge of your seat thriller or mystery going on. I honestly am shocked after reading the reviews on other places. I expected this to be a wonderful story. A real mystery. Hester Thursby is not at her best in this book. I am so disappointed. I absolutely loved the first two books. They took off and didn't let go. This one is just dragging. If it gets better that is great but I have already given it way more of my time than I ever have other books that dragged this bad.

I can not in good consciousness recommend this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #EdwinHill, #Kensington for this ARC. These are my own true feelings about this book.

2.5/5 stars from me.

Watch Her is the third book in the Hester Thursby series, and I will say up front that this is an exceptional mystery. While it is not necessary to read the preceding books, it would likely add even more depth to a cast of characters so already fleshed out they could, in another, magical world, simply walk off the paper and into the real world without missing a beat or seeming out of place.

Hester is an information-digging, crime-solving dynamo. Paired with Detective Angela White in a nonofficial way, Hester blazes through the book, listening to what people tell her and what they do not. Her musings on what she has been told, and what she tells other people - including Morgan, with whom she lives - are some of the finest indirect action I've seen in a mystery. Nothing gets bogged down, the internal dialogue doesn't veer into infodump territory, and those dialogues are organic, exactly how I would imagine would think them through.

Hester has been hired by a wealthy family to perform what is, to her, a simple task: sorting through information to complete a project and present her conclusions. The only speedbump winds up being a police report about a breakin at that wealthy family's house that sounds off to both Hester and Angela, and which launches us into a decades-old mystery, with a current mystery as a chaser.

There is a rather large cast - this is just a note, not a particular warning, since paying attention will keep you squared away on who is who, how they're related, and what animals they own.

It seems that everyone in this book has a secret: the circumstances surrounding a drowned child, a secret (or not so secret) affair, a cop who did something no cop should do, a woman who has not been out of her house in years.. I'm curious as to whether the author was playing a bit on the title - Watch Her to Watcher is not a big step to make when secrets start spilling out toward the end.

The ending wraps up nicely, the only loose end being the now strained relationship between our two leads due to the events of the book. I've no doubt they will patch things up in their next outing, something I am looking forward to, whenever it comes out.

The only ding I'd give it would be the "Chicken Day" painting, full of blood. It's a reference to processing meat chickens, which I myself do each year. Certainly there is some blood, but it doesn't look like your average slasher flick.

Five out of five stars.

Thanks to Kensington Press and NetGalley for the review copy.