Watch Her

Release date: December 29th, 2020
Hester Thursby Mystery #3

Synopsis:

Fans of Ruth Ware and B.A. Paris won’t want to miss this complex psychological thriller from an acclaimed author about a powerful Boston family desperate to keep their darkest secrets from coming to light.

While attending a gala at Prescott University’s lavish new campus, Hester Thursby and fellow guest, Detective Angela White, are called to the home of the college’s owners, Tucker and Jennifer Matson. Jennifer claims that someone broke into Pinebank, their secluded mansion on the banks of Jamaica Pond. The more Hester and Angela investigate, the less they believe Jennifer’s story, leaving Hester to wonder why she would lie.

When Hester is asked by the college’s general manager to locate some missing alumni, she employs her research skills on the family and their for-profit university. Between financial transgressions, a long-ago tragedy, and rumors of infidelity, it’s clear that the Matsons aren’t immune to scandal or mishap. But when one of the missing students turns up dead, the mystery takes on new urgency.

Hester is edging closer to the truth, but as a decades-old secret collides with new lies, a killer grows more determined to keep the past buried with the dead. . . .

My review:

Watch Her was a very, very slow burn. At some points, I began to wonder if it was even a murder mystery or even a mystery. When I requested to read this book I wasn’t aware it was part of a series and that may be a part of the disconnect I felt with the main character of the series. I know she’s closed off to others in the book but it felt like I was also shut out – the previous two books could 100% contain more background on Hester. The characters in the book while strong just felt incomplete and I believe it would have been in my best interest to read the first two books before this one. Hester’s love for Kate made this mama’s heart sing, as well as Angela’s secret love of George (and the fear she admits regarding him at the end of the book).

The most shocking twist was a character reveal that I was not expecting, aside from that the other reveals were fairly run of the mill. I knew that the Matson family was hiding secrets but I did not see it playing out the way that it did. I felt like 75% of the book was building up to the last 25% and after such a slow build I was a little disappointed in the overall outcome of the book. Fans of cozy mysteries that can get a little gritty might do well with this series though.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy mysteries, murder mysteries, suspense, female protagonists, and thrillers. I would like to thank Kensington Publishing, Books Forward PR, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Watch Her – all opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.