In a brilliantly twisted debut set among Boston’s elite, Edwin Hill introduces unforgettable sleuth Hester Thursby—and a missing persons case that uncovers a trail of vicious murder . . . 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 … 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.
Sam has no desire to be found. As a teenager, he fled his small New Hampshire town with his friend, Gabe, after a haunting incident. For a dozen years, Sam and Gabe have traveled the country, reinventing themselves as they move from one mark to another. Sam has learned how trusting wealthy people can be—especially the lonely ones—as he expertly manipulates his way into their lives and homes. In Wendy Richards, the beautiful, fabulously rich daughter of one of Boston’s most influential families, he’s found the perfect way to infiltrate the milieu in which he knows he belongs—a world of Brooks Brothers suits, Nantucket summers, and effortless glamour.
As Hester’s investigation closes in on their brutal truth, the bond between Sam and Gabe is tested and Hester unknowingly jeopardizes her own safety. While Gabe has pinned all his desperate hopes of a normal life on Hester, Sam wants her out of the way for good. And Gabe has always done what
Sam asks . . .
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Little Comfort by Edwin Hill
Wow! Swept me in and kept me engaged from beginning to end!
This is a story of loneliness, wanting to belong, wanting more and needing to be wanted.
It is also the story of what ifs…what if those needs just mentioned had been met early in life and had not created such a huge vacuum that allowed choices to be made that would lead in a completely different direction.
Hester Thursby is a librarian. She is in a loving relationship and has been for a number of years. She and her partner are caring for the daughter of his sister and they are a family that Thursby really never envisioned herself being a part of. She is an interesting self-made person that I found intriguing. She sometimes doesn’t use the best judgment but she is who she is and makes no bones about it.
Hester is asked by Lila to find her brother – a brother she has not seen for twelve years – a brother that left with a friend – a brother who was only fourteen or so when he left. Hester is a finder of people and as a librarian and sleuth she has had great success so with some postcards from brother Sam sent from various places he has lived Hester begins to search and soon finds Sam and his friend Gabe not too far away.
As the story unfolds hints about the characters are leaked that indicate what one might surmise on first meetings is not necessarily true at all. The person that seems to be good could very well be just the opposite. The bad guy may not be quite as bad as he seems…or then again…he could be.
I came away thinking about the difference one choice can make. That choice can be made by self or it can be made by someone else. That choice can lead to a life that is filled with light or darkness.
This book will stay with me a long while and I have to say I am intrigued by Hester, Morgan and Kate and look forward to more books by this author whether in a series starring Hester or something else completely different. This is an author I will be looking forward to reading again soon.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Fast-paced and riveting . . . takes off from the opening pages and never lets up. Don’t miss this can’t-put-down debut.
A few years ago I spent large portions of a vacation missing all the magnificent sites around me as I was unable to put down a book- well, “Little Comfort” did it to me again. I was thoroughly sucked in from the get go. Mystery-solving Hester and the characters around her are not to be missed. It’s the kind of book that makes you immediately rip open the sequel, and I just hope more installments will be on the way STAT.
Little Comfort is the first book in the series and the first book I’ve read by this amazing author!
Each character is described so well that you feel like your there and in their shoes. They are awesome, even the ones you love to hate!
You get drawn in from the first page and your not let go until the very last page. It was edge of seat at times, there were WOW did that really happen moments, they were times I was teary-eyed, but I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
If you haven’t read any of Edwin’s books, do yourself a favor and read this one, you won’t be disappointed! I’m excited to read the second one in this series.
#Hester #PI #Waffles #MindBlowing #Sam
This is the debut novel of Edwin Hill and man, he sure did it right. The story follows Hester, a Harvard librarian, who is known for finding things. Mainly finding people. She finds lost people and people who want to stay lost. Hester is also struggling with raising her partner’s 3 year old niece, Kate, whose mother left and hasn’t returned.
Hester is hired to find a young man, Sam, who left a decade ago and hasn’t been seen since. During the course of her investigation, Hester gains a stalker that throws a whole other twist in the story.
The book is well written and keeps your attention. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery.
Thank you Kensington Publishers and Edwin Hill for Little Comfort, this is my fair and honest review.
Suspense thrillers are one of my favorite genre’s to read. Hester Thursby is a librarian on leave helping her boyfriend Morgan take care of his sisters little girl. His sister was also Hesters best friend, who at times tends to disappear and this time she left her daughter behind. Taking care of a small child when you aren’t use to it can present a whole different sort of problems. Toss in the fact at times Hester helps locate missing people, and of course you have an interesting storyline. I have read this book in less than a day, and found it to be extremely well written. This was the first book in the series and I really enjoyed getting acquainted with the characters in the book. I look forward to seeing what adventure will come next. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy a good thriller.
LOVED this debut, the mystery, adventure, but most of all the character Hester Thursby. I love a fun, interesting new approach to a mystery. I loved the thinking of the complex characters and how you felt empathy for some even when they were twisted and haunted. I’m really looking forward to Hester’s next adventure.
“Little Comfort” stars a librarian, but it is not a cozy! This is a fast-paced thriller set in Boston, Somerville and New Hampshire. Harvard librarian Hester Thursby is on leave, caring for the 3 year old daughter of her best friend Daphne (who has a habit of disappearing for days, weeks and months at a time). Hester maintains her side business of finding lost people – including some that will go to any length not to be found. The author does a great job with describing both settings and characters. Everyone in the book is flawed, and makes questionable decisions – just like in the real world. I had trouble putting this one down, and can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Really good characters.
This is a great book. I was lucky to attend a Zoom meeting that Mr. Hill was featured to talk about his books. After listening to him talk about this series, I had to read this book. I am glad that I did. It is wonderful. Mr. Hill does a wonderful job with the characters with all their complex emotions and personalities. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Few books manage to simultaneously draw you into the struggles of the underclass and the privileges of the upper class at the same time. This book accomplishes that feat while building suspense and, for the most part, avoiding cliche.
I am not usually a mystery reader but was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of this wonderful debut novel. I couldn’t put it down. Lots of bonus points for being set in Boston/New England so I knew where everything was, but I really loved Hester. The story was intriguing, the characters grabbed me and pulled me right in and overall I was riveted. Looks like this will be an ongoing series too, and I’m looking forward to the next one!
This is a very good and entertaining book. You think you know what is going to happen but the author had other plans. A bit far fetched at times, great characters you become attached to and care what happens.
Extremely well-written
Hester FINALLY tells it like it is. A very likable character, she is every woman. Caring for a three year old toddler, a dog who is her shadow, Morgan, her significant other and her dysfunctional mother, Hester’s career is put on hold. Because she can “find people” from home, her amateurish sleuthing skills are put to the test when she discovers dauntingly questionable character in the client who hired her.
Author Edwin Hill has written an exciting book filled with suspense! Librarian, Hester Thursby is in the business of helping to locate people. Hester has her hands full at the moment due to taking care of her best friend Daphne’s three year old daughter Kate. Daphne left Kate with Hester’s boyfriend Morgan, who is also her twin brother, and Hester and hasn’t been heard from in three months. Feeling overwhelmed, Hester has an appointment with Lila Blaine to discuss finding her brother, Sam. Little does Hester know but the beginning of an avalanche has begun. Not being truthful from the beginning, Lila puts not only Hester in danger’s path but also Kate. Locating Sam and his friend, Gabe is no trouble for Hester. Sam has numerous alias that he has used over the years but his habits are still the same. He links himself up with the extremely wealthy and becomes “whatever they want him to be”. As the postcards show different states and places he has been, they each hold a clue to a missing person or one found murdered. Will Hester be able to get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late or will she be the ultimate sacrifice, along with Katie? This book had me on the edge of my seat ! This is the first book I have read from this brilliant author and it definitely will not be my last! I highly recommend this awesome suspenseful novel!
Despite being set in the New England winter, Little Comfort by Edwin Hill is a perfect beach read. Harvard librarian Hester Thursby, a tiny but powerful woman, knows how to find things, whether in-depth research or missing people. On leave and trying to find her way through instant-parenting the three-year-old daughter of her boyfriend’s absentee sister, Hester takes a job finding a young man who ran away from New England ten years earlier. Locating the man and his psychopathic friend isn’t hard, but deciding how to handle the pair of obvious con men and their complicated web among the Boston elite while juggling her adorable almost-daughter puts Hester in serious trouble. With vivid, distinct characters worthy of Patricia Highsmith, and a thrilling look at the upstairs/downstairs world of America’s oldest families, Hill’s debut gets the heart pumping, even when trapped in waist-high snow. Can’t wait to read the second Hester Thursby book!
Life has been so busy. I haven’t had a lot of reading time, so I started this title, reading here and there before bed. Yesterday, it turned out to be a lazy day, and I read the WHOLE book. I barely looked up from the book before the day was gone!
Hester Thursby, a sassy little librarian (like myself) has taken leave from her favorite place, the library to take care of her best friend’s daughter, who happens to be her beau Morgan’s niece, Kate. Daphne has disappeared, and while Hester has the resources to find Daphne, she has decided to allow her to have this time to find herself. All in all, Hester has a charmed life with Morgan.
Things begin to change when Lila Blaine hires Hester to locate her brother, Sam so that she can give him half of the monies from the sale of their parents’ house. It seems like an easy enough assignment, but as Hester begins looking, she finds herself revealing a dark past. Hester finds herself compelled to dig a little deeper. Little does she know that the more she digs, the more she is putting herself in danger.
Hill knows how to weave a fast-paced and captivating novel. I look forward to future titles!
Absolutely loved this suspense filled book! A first by me from this author won’t be my last! I absolutely loved the authors amazing detail in each character and the story itself. A real page turner you won’t be able to put down! I loved the main character Hester and her love of animals as well as her boyfriend Morgan! This book will not disappoint! A must read!
“Sam will look right through you. He’ll look right into your soul. He’ll uncover your dreams, your demons, and your very core. And he’ll use all of it to get whatever he wants.”
Crossing paths with Sam Blaine can be the worst thing to happen to a person…unless it’s Gabe DiPursio. It’s probably worse than worse. Then your whole life is linked to Sam. The two of them have been through horrific events that bind them together no matter what. This book takes the reader on a thrilling investigation of a psychological killer on the run along with his faithful and devoted friend.
Hester Thursby is a Harvard librarian who also is very good at tracking down missing persons. She is hired by Lila, Sam’s sister, to track him down after he’s been missing for years. Hester has no clue what she’s getting herself into. This is a page turning story that doesn’t slow down as the reader is taken along with Hester to locate Sam and Gabe. There are clues that are sent to Lila by Sam through out the years and Hester starts to piece the puzzle together. In the meantime, she has a “family” she’s trying to hold together and that adds to the depth of the book.
The author has written a deeply suspenseful and page turning book with descriptions that put me in the story. I wanted to turn and run away from what was happening but I couldn’t help but turn the pages to find out what was going to happen next! The POVs throughout the book switches between the main characters. There are passages that link the past to the present story and bring it full circle as to why they are at this place in their lives. The last part of the book is non stop thrilling with hardly any time to breathe.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. This is out of my usual genre but I found it well written and entices me to see what Hester Thursby’s next investigation will be in book two of this series, The Missing Ones. I want to thank Mr. Hill for the copy of this book and the opportunity to read and review it.