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?
Fans of Mel Sherratt's crime novels will already be familiar with her previous series featuring DS Allie Shenton but it's now time for a new female protagonist to step into the fore, step forward DS Grace Allendale.
For Grace it's a fresh start, following the deaths of her husband Matt and mother Martha, but she has big shoes to fill as her colleagues held her predecessor in high esteem, and a lot to lose if they discover her connection to one of the towns notorious crime families. But returning to her home town of Stoke-in-Trent, which she left suddenly with her mother Martha as a child, also brings with it a lot of painful memories and it's through these recollections that we discover who Grace really is. Can she prove she is nothing like her infamous father?
Right from the off Grace finds herself slap bang into the middle of the drama featuring the Steele family when one of their associates is murdered, and before too long the bodies start to pile up as more victims are murdered and the investigations prove that they all have connections to the Steele's gym. Is someone within the organisation cleaning up loose ends or is this the work of another crime family wanting to take over the Steele's patch? It's up to Grace and her team to put the pieces together and solve the case before the gruesome body count increases.
Grace was certainly an intriguing character, a woman with many depths to her. On a personal level she is still grieving and coming to terms with being completely alone but not quite ready to take the step of a new relationship. But professionally she wants to prove to her colleagues, and herself, that she has what it takes to be a good detective. She can be professional even where 'family' are concerned and she soon discovers that maybe it's not her they shouldn't be mistrusting, is there a traitor within the police ranks?
Hush Hush was a great introduction to this new series from Mel Sherratt with its complex storylines weaving gritty police procedural plots alongside family drama. The more we get to know Grace, the more there is to like and see that despite a horrific, violent start in life she has truly proven that she has made something of herself. I cannot wait to see more of Grace in the future so am already looking forward to Tick Tock which is published next April.
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