Hush Hush

By Mel Sherratt

‘Fans of MARTINA COLE will love this’ Katerina Diamond

A gripping new series from million-copy bestseller Mel Sherratt.

‘I love all Mel Sherratt’s books’ IAN RANKIN

‘Twists and turns and delivers a satisfying shot of tension’ RACHEL ABBOTT

A killer is on the loose, attacking people in places they feel most safe: their workplaces, their homes. It’s up to DS Grace Allendale to stop the murders, and prove herself to her new team.

All clues lead to local crime family the Steeles, but that’s where things get complicated. Because the Steeles aren’t just any family, they’re Grace’s family. Two brothers and two sisters, connected by the violent father only Grace and her mother escaped.

To catch the killer, Grace will have to choose between her team and her blood. But who do you trust, when both sides are out to get you?

An unforgettable thriller that fans of MARTINA COLE and CARA HUNTER won’t be able to put down.

Authors love HUSH HUSH:

‘On a thriller cocktail list, Hush Hush would be a Bloody Mary with a perfect twist…’ FIONA BARTON

‘Mel Sherratt is the new queen of gritty police procedurals’ C.L. TAYLOR

‘Gripped me from the first page and didn’t let go until the heart-stopping conclusion!’ ROBERT BRYNDZA

Rated FIVE STARS by real readers:

‘This book had me hooked from the start.
DS Grace Allendale is a great character.’

‘I have read nearly all of Mel Sherratt's books and thoroughly enjoyed them. However, this one is my favourite!’

‘A brilliant police procedural: deliciously intense and addictive with a suspenseful storyline that didn't disappoint!’

‘Couldn’t read fast enough!’

‘A riveting read and hopefully the first of many in this new series, 10 out of 10 and highly recommended!’

‘I loved this book. Mel Sherratt is a new author for me and I’m so glad I found her…’

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Oct 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9780008271053

Mel Sherratt

Mel Sherratt is the author of fourteen crime novels, all of which have become bestsellers. For the past four years, she has been named as one of her home town of Stoke-on-Trent’s top 100 influential people. She regularly appears at festivals and speaks at writing conferences throughout the UK, and pens a column for her local newspaper, The Sentinel, as well as feature articles for other newspapers and magazines. She lives in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with her husband and terrier, Dexter.

Reviews for Hush Hush

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hush Hush – Stoke on Trent finally got interestingGrace Allendale has moved from Salford to Stoke on Trent as a newly promoted Detective Sergeant, the City of her birth. She also knows that she is going to have to face some of her demons, who just happen to be her estranged family.A killer is on the loose, and she has to face her family a lot earlier than imagined, and it will not be a pleasant meeting. They do not want to know her, and she certainly does not want to know them. The Steeles have a reputation to keep up and having a copper in the family will do them no favours. Just as Grace’s colleagues would not be impressed if they ever found out the she was a Steele by birth and related to the Steele family.When Eddie Steele’s best friend is killed outside the Steele Gym, Grace knows that everybody will be watching her, especially those higher up in the police. As more bodies turn up dead, the pressure is being piled on Grace and her team, even more so when there is a leak, and everybody is looking at her to blame.The investigation becomes a choice for Grace between her colleagues and her estranged family. She needs to trust someone especially if she wants to solve the murders. While at the same time she will have to dig into the depths of her past, and some of that past she would rather forget.Mel Sherratt has once again written an outstanding police procedural thriller and it always fantastic to see a strong female lead. Some how she has managed to make Stoke on Trent sound interesting, which is really hard work. A great book.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my first Mel Sherratt book and I'm wondering why that is. I've missed out on so much! I absolutely loved Hush Hush.Grace Allendale has just moved back to her childhood home of Stoke on Trent to take up her first post as a Detective Sergeant. She's experienced loss so moving back seems like the right thing to do but it's complicated by the fact that local well known crime family, the Steeles, also happen to be her family. Unfortunately, Grace's first case is a series of murders that seem somehow to be linked to the Steeles. Tricky!!I loved Grace. I thought she was incredibly brave and strong, and also principled. She leads a team of officers who she has to try and win over and gain their trust. This is doubly hard considering who her family are and I thought Grace dealt with it very well.For me, Hush Hush stands out in the police procedural/thriller genre. It's so well written, absolutely gripping and with a main character that appeals to the reader. I thought it was brilliant and I can't wait to read the second in the series, Tick Tock, out in April 2019.I must admit that I did guess who the killer was but that didn't matter at all. I enjoyed Grace's investigations, her dealings with her family and the glimpses into her private life which I guess will be explored further in the next book. Hush Hush is so well plotted, with elements of the story being drip-fed to us to lead us down the path towards the conclusion. One of the strands was a surprise and made me rethink certain things that I had read which I thought was a clever ruse by the author.I thought this was a gritty, pretty unputdownable read. The chapters are short which made it particularly fast-paced and meant I would always just fit another one in, and another one, and.....you get the picture. I highly recommend it.