Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Penguin Putnam
Hero: Max Irving
Heroine: Ivy Dunlap
Sensuality: NA
Date of Publication: September 24, 2010
Started On: December 28, 2014
Finished On: January 4, 2015

“It’s happening again,” was all he said. It was all he had to say.

Criminal profiler Ivy Dunlop receives the call that she had been waiting for for the past sixteen years, since the murder of her son at the hands of a serial killer dubbed as “The Madonna Murderer”. Ivy had barely escaped death herself and has been awaiting the day when she would be able to avenge a loss that has left her with its blazing mark on her.

Chief Homicide Detective Max Irving doesn’t like it when he is ordered to “babysit” the criminal profiler from Canada. Its not like they weren’t receiving enough assistance from agencies already. But Ivy’s unique insight into the killer owing to her relationship with the case makes Max change his mind.

Hush is not a romantic suspense but rather a full on suspense novel that has the bare elements of a connection forged between the leads Max and Ivy that leaves readers like myself begging for just a tad more. I had no idea when I picked this up to read that Anne Frasier is in fact Theresa Weir, whose books I have previously enjoyed.

The writing style is evocative, drawing you deeper into the dark spell that the killer weaves. A killer with definite mummy issues, The Madonna Killer’s sudden re-emmergence after a long hiatus leaves the police reeling in its wake, trying to do their best with the limited resources to unravel who the killer is.

Though Ivy has studied criminal psychology and is considered a criminal profiler, her limited experience in the field shows when she turns up to assist Max in the case. Max himself has his own issues going, with his son Ethan, whose background itself lends an edge to the story.

I loved the descriptive writing, the haunting expressions. The backstories were told in a manner that left my heart aching and I wanted so much more for the characters before the story was through. There were certain unfinished threads to the story when it ended, and I don’t mean any sort of romantic elements since the story isn’t categorized as one to begin with. That made the story feel a little less well rounded though I enjoyed the sadistic and creepy killer brought to light with the “reel-you-in” style of writing by Anne Frasier.

Recommended for fans of suspense novels.

Final Verdict: Hush is a novel that is procedural without sounding dry & leaves you wanting more!

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