I’m not into creepy characters and thrillers. Occasionally, I read one, sometimes by accident. And, I don’t like women and children in jeopardy books. If you like books with menacing atmospheres and intense scenes, you might want to try Edwin Hill’s debut mystery, Little Comfort.

Hester Thursby is a librarian at Harvard, but she’s on leave right now. Her best friend, Daphne, took off one night while Hester and her partner, Morgan, Daphne’s brother, were out with friends. And, Daphne left her three-year-old, Kate, with Hester and Morgan, saying she’d be back in an hour or so. Months later, Hester is still acting as stay-at-home mom, a job she doesn’t feel up to handling. She does have a little side business though. Hester, using her skills as a librarian, is very good at tracking down missing people. When Lila Blaine shows up, Hester assumes it will be easy to track down Lila’s brother, Sam. He ran away from home twelve years earlier.

Despite the lack of an online presence, Hester is able to find the twenty-seven-year-old. He lives right there in Boston with the man he ran away with, his best friend, Gabe. But, Sam doesn’t want to be found. Sam and Gabe have lived all over the country. While Sam cozied up to wealthy marks, trying to take them for money, Gabe stepped in to rescue him whenever the person or their family became wise to them. Now that Sam has found a new wealthy woman in Boston, Hester could jeopardize all of his plans. And, Gabe, who only wants a house and family and a normal life, develops a fascination with Hester. Hester’s little side job could threaten her life and Kate’s.

Hester may be a librarian, but she’s certainly not always responsible. She takes Kate with her when she’s working. But, she’s not the only irresponsible one in the book. Morgan dumps Kate on Hester because he doesn’t know how to cope. And, everyone in the book lies. In fact, poor Kate is the only likable one in the story.

Little Comfort is a violent, intense story with dislikable characters. There’s little comfort for the reader when faced with this troubling story.

Edwin Hill’s website is www.Edwin-Hill.com

Little Comfort by Edwin Hill. Kensington, 2018. ISBN 9781496715906 (hardcover), 304p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.