Hmm...

I neither liked nor disliked this book.

The murders were brutal and very descriptive, but no evidence is really found that helps Grace get to her conclusion. She does so by hunches and knowing the killer.

I found Grace to be quite an unlikeable lead character, but I don’t know if that’s due to the storyline of the book. The rest of the characters, I felt, are very under developed.

Whilst I feel indifferent about this book, I will be giving book 2 a chance...

This is a great start to a new series by Mel Sherratt. This book had me hooked from the start. DS Grace Allendale is a great character and I have enjoyed learning a lot about her now and about her childhood. This book is full of interesting characters and a great who done it which had me guessing right up to the end. There are some very sad moments, the book is an extremely emotional read, The author manages to capture the emotion well in her writing. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and I highly recommend this book.

Hooked! This is the first book I've read by Mel Sharratt. What a great police procedural. Loved the characters, loved the mystery ... loved everything about it. I can't wait to read the next in the series (and other books by this author). I recommend any reader who likes police procedurals, check this one out!!!

Thank you #netgalley and #avonbooksuk #harpercollins for the eARC. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

A thriller/mystery book. Hush Hush by Mel Sherratt, in my opinion started off a tad slow before picking up and carrying you along. Beyond that I enjoyed it and will be on the lookout for more from this pen.

A Brilliant police procedural that is deliciously intense and addictive with a suspenseful storyline that didn't disappoint ! Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins and Avon Books UK for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #AvonBooksUK #HarperCollins #HushHush

Promising start to a new series by Mel Sherratt. Grace Allendale takes a new job in her hometown. Trying to stop a murderer brings her past and family secrets up to the surface. Twists and turns kept me guessing the whole way through. I was quickly me turning the pages from the start. Couldn’t read fast enough! I’m looking forward to more in this series.

*ARC provided my NetGalley for an honest review.

Just finished this book by Mel Sherratt. Really enjoyed getting to know Grace and her team and cannot wait to read more about these characters in the future.
Highly recommend

This is my first Mel Sharratt book, and I am so glad this is the first in a series as I cannot wait to read more!
I loved the main character and enjoyed the flash back scenes. This book was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing all the way through

I enjoyed this book and felt it fitted very nicely into the police crime/thriller genre that I've got so into in recent years. It's a dark and gritty read, with some disturbing crimes being committed. But that's pretty par for the course in this genre!

There are plenty of twists and turns, especially as the book nears the conclusion. I was guessing all the way through as who the killer was. I didn't see it coming when it was finally revealed.

My only real gripe was the flashback scenes where Grace looks back on her early life. I did understand why they were there, given her connection to the infamous Steele family, but at the same time I didn't feel that they added a lot to the whodunnit story. While it's true that the flashback scenes show what a nasty man he was, the killer acted for different reasons . That said, it does help to get to know Grace's character a lot more.

I understand that this is the first in a new series and I will keep an eye out for future additions to it as I did like Grace as a character and the writing style was very good.

Hush Hush is stuck between a police procedural and maybe a thriller. There are many times I felt like I was missing a part of another story but as a reader I know this is the first in a series. So I was left scratching my head at times.

The Characters have dept with enough knowledge readers are able to figure out the killer before Grace figures it out. The story has enough suspense to keep readers wanting more but confused at times on how Grace is able to connect with other people.

The story has levels that will have readers thinking about what they had read. Moments of heartache as well as what were you thinking.



Fans of this author I will tell you this is a must not new series. Those starting this series might take it slow before buying all her books at once to get a better feel of her writing style.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Avon for the advance copy of Mel Sherratt Hush Hush

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

I would like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Hush Hush’ written by Mel Sherratt, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Grace Allendale returns to Stoke after an absence of many years to take up a new position as Detective Sergeant at Bethesda Police Station. Her first case is to find the killer of Josh Parker who works for the Steele family, the local gangsters. But what Grace’s team aren’t aware of, and only her DI Nick Carter knows, is that Grace is the daughter of George Steele who was murdered in 2017 and whose killer was never found. Despite striving to find her place within the team and never wanting to meet any members of the Steele family, she gives it her all to discover the identity of the murderer.
‘Hush Hush’ is a thoroughly enjoyable police thriller with all the makings of an excellent series. It has interesting and likeable characters, a clever plot, lots of devious criminals and plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I like the way Grace endeavours to forge a strong working relationship with her team, especially Perry and Sam, and how we’re given flashbacks to Grace’s experiences at the hands of George Steele, and the loss of her husband Matt. It has a well-written and absorbing storyline with lots of excitement and a chilling ending. I’m glad there’s going to be a second in the series and I very much look forward to reading it.

Off we go to Stoke-on-Trent to meet DS Grace Allendale who has the unenviable job of hunting down a violent murderer seemingly connected to a local gym. The big twist is that Grace is related to the family of the potential suspects via her own violent deceased father. If it wasn't for the many flashbacks describing Grace's father, then I would have no hesitation in giving this book 5 stars. I found them to be annoying and held up the flow.of a really good police thriller. Excellent characters, loads of twists and turns and plenty of Stoke references to keep me interested. This is the first of her books I have read and will be searching for more in due course. Many thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review.

I loved this book. Mel Sherratt is a new author for me and I’m so glad I found her.....thank you Netgalley.
I enjoyed getting to know Grace....she’s such a strong likeable character. I can’t wait to see where her story takes us next!!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this arc.

I was excited to start reading this after seeing fantastic reviews for it here and on Goodreads. The story was great, nice and twisty. But I found the characters somewhat disappointing overall in their consistency and immaturity. Maybe that will change as the series progresses. It felt more like they were presented that way to move the story along into another "twist." To be fair, I generally find books that are marketed as "psychological suspense thrillers" unfulfilling with their characters.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Great story with a thrilling plot. Exciting story, and a great new author to add to my list. Would recommend this book to others.

Grace Allendale has just returned to her home town a place that has haunted her nightmares since she left with her mother. Grace has now lost her husband and her mother and decides, now her father is also gone, she can return to her home town and start over. As a newly appointed D I she is desperate to fit in and lead her team effectively right up to the point she's lead on a murder case and suddenly her past catches up to her present.
A fantastic read from Mel Sherratt that kept me hooked all the way through.

In 2017 there was a fatal attack on George Steele, the perpetrator has never been found.

Back to present day and newly promoted DS Grace Allendale has moved to Stoke (where she is originally from) from Manchester. She is still dealing with the loss of her husband two years previous and then her mother a year later. She has discovered that she is related to the Steele family, local gangsters in the Stoke area.

Grace is struggling to settle into her new role as her team are unaware of her family history and although she wants to come clean to them, her DI, Nick Carter advises against it.

Her first case on the job sees her thrown into the heart of the Steele family, murders are happening and all seem to be connected to Steele Gym. She is struggling with dealing with her half brothers/sister. She has flashbacks to the time herself and her mother lived with George Steele, her father, not fond memories, she lived through domestic abuse and torture and narrowly avoided rape herself.

It’s a complete emotional rollercoaster for Allendale, this book is very well written, all the characters well developed, plenty of twists and it kept me reading well into the night, I loved the different relationships building and the mystery of the murderer.

Will be definitely watching out for Book 2 when its written, I can’t wait to see where we’re led to next.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and of course the very talented Mel Sherratt for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hush Hush kicks off in 2017 with a brutal attack on George Steele as he staggers home from the pub. You'd be forgiven for having little sympathy for the man as his internal dialogue suggests that he is no Mr Nice Guy and perhaps he is deserving of the beating he receives!

Moving along to 2018 and we are introduced to Grace Allendale who is on a night out with new colleagues following her promotion to DS. The evening is interrupted by the arrival of local gangsters, the Steele family and friends,. Grace is about to divulge her family connections when her DI,  Nick Carter steps in to stop her. Grace's team think she is there for a fresh start following tragic events in her personal life, they have no idea that Grace fled from the area as a child with her mother to escape from the brutality of George Steele. When a body is found at the Steele gym panic sets in for Grace as she realises her first murder investigation is going to see her back in the bosom of her family.

Struggling to find her place in the team, Grace is really up against it; she finds it difficult to be deceitful with those she is working with and wants to come clean about her connections to them but Nick wants her to use her connections to get closer to the Steele's and find out what's been going on. I got a real sense of her internal struggle as she tried so desperately to find her place within a team who didn't trust her. There was a real sense of Grace trying to work out her feelings for her half brothers and sister and when mysterious parcels started turning up for her Family Versus Professional loyalty came to the fore. It was clear that someone was trying to mess with her head but who...?

Narrated with flashbacks to her life with George Steele a real picture of Grace's childhood is painted showing exactly what terrors and brutality she had to face and as family secrets unravel it soon becomes clear just what a monster George Steele really was. Lies and deceit run through the veins of each relationship uncovered and soon you don't really know who can be trusted. Dark and gritty Hush Hush pulls no punches as the investigation into the murders ramps up. A sense of authenticity was created with Grace meeting up with her predecessor, DS Allie Shenton (who readers of Mel Sherratt's books will recognise) This really rang true as people do move on in their careers and meet up in real life and this was replicated in the novel.

Grace's family are a mixed bag and it was hard to know just how far they could be trusted and what they wanted from her. I really felt for her as she clearly feels a connection with them but is it a connection she wants to nurture or to bury and just how far will the Steele's go to keep their sister out of their business?

I loved the relationship between Grace and DC Perry Wright; initially, he refused to accept Grace as she had taken the job that he believed was rightly his. Watching them forge a bond was brilliant and I do hope that they work together in future books. Another character that I enjoyed reading was the journalist, Simon Cole. It was great to see a journalist who was not cast as bitter and always pushing for a story. Will Grace be able to move on from her tragic background and find some happiness in her life? I cannot wait to find out!

Hush Hush is an excellent start to a new series from Mel Sherratt, you can always be guaranteed a fast-paced and gritty read from this writer. She pulls no punches as she makes the most of her own experience to create some dark and gritty crime drama that really deserves to become a TV series. I am already champing at the bit for the next instalment of Grace Allendale's life!
to be shared on my blog as part of the blog tour

I always look forward to reading Mel Sherrats books. This was brilliant.
I loved how it was different people in the book but also people from past were included. Lots of twists and you wouldn't actually believe who the killer was until the very end.
You have to put yourself into the victim /killers mind to understand it all.
Read it in one night. Couldn't put it down.