Hester Thursby has a reputation for finding people, but after a few too many close calls, she's sticking close to home focused on raising her niece and her her day job as a reference library. Despite her penchant for independence, she discovers that she has accumulated a close group of friends and is beginning to consider next steps with her not-husband Morgan. When asked to gather contact details for some alumni for a local university, it seemed like a easy--and safe--assignment and she accepts the commission with Morgan's blessing. Events and people conspire to drag Hester deeper into a murder investigation than she wishes to go. I love how this series allows the characters to grow and change in the context of some rich plotting.

You can read Watch Her without having read the previous two entries, but you'll have a greater appreciation for Hester if you start from the beginning.

Thanks to Kensington for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

The parts of this book that reveal some of the shady dealings with for profit educational institutions were interesting to me, especially since I am an educator (at non-profit educational institution). However, other than that I found myself to not be really interested in the plot of the book. There were too many backstories for me that didn't really seem to be necessary to moving the plot forward. I think that they were included to help provide depth for some of the characters, but that didn't really work for me either. I found myself often wondering why a particular detail was included. Another thing that I didn't really enjoy was the use of so many different narrators to tell the story. I did appreciate, that unlike some authors who use this technique, the narrator of each chapter was clearly identified so I wasn't left wondering who was telling the story at a particular point. However, it was too much switching of perspective for me to really enjoy it. I found myself finishing the book more out of a feeling of obligation than a desire to know how it turned out.

Gut Instinct Rating: 2.5
Characters: 3.5
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 3
Excitement Factor: 3
Story Line: 3
Title Relevance: 4
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 3.25
Overall: 3.63

I love watching the main characters evolve and grow

The third Hester Thursby novel is Edwin Hill’s best work to date. One of the best mystery/crime fiction writers in the business. He keeps setting the bar high and easily soaring over it.

Hester Thursby is a librarian at Harvard. She has a talent for using her research skills for finding people. Hester, her partner Morgan and her friend Angela, a sergeant with the Boston police, attend the opening of an art gallery at for-profit Prescott University. Hester and Angela are brought into the lives of the owners of the University – the wealthy Matson family, who appear to be hiding many secrets. Angela reports to Stan, whose sister is Maxine, the university’s general manager. Maxine is strangely involved in every aspect of the Matson’s lives.

First Angela is asked to investigate a break-in at the Matson mansion. Then Maxine asks Hester to help with some research and she soon discovers irregularities going on at the university. As the story evolves, it is clear bad things have happened in the past and are taking place now in this slow-burn mystery. Then the inevitable happens, someone is murdered. I enjoyed how this entertaining story unfolded.

Watch Her is Edwin Hill’s third book in his Hester Thursby series. It looked so good that I jumped in without reading the first two. And while it would have explained some things, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone. The author has created a diverse universe of people including strong women and several LGBTQ characters, which is good to see. I’m looking forward to reading more.

Review posted on MicheleReader.com.

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.