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 Sherratt's books, and Hush Hush did not disappoint. So many twists and turns made it an absolutly brilliant read. Looking forward to the next in the series featuring DS Grace Allendale.

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.

Mel Sherratt's series set in Stoke and featuring DS Allie Shenton was excellent; Hush Hush is both a continuation of that series but also the first in a new series featuring DS Grace Allendale. Grace returns to Stoke after working for years in Manchester and immediately comes into contact with her estranged family, the Steeles. When a body is discovered outside Steele's Gym, Grace has a tough time trying to find the perpetrator, and more deaths occur. In addition, she has to cope with working with a new team who are slow to accept her. This is a gripping novel and I llok forward to its sequel.

A killer is on the loose ..... the story had twists and turns and kept me guessing until the last chapter. Great book worth reading

First, I wish to thank NetGalley and Open Road Media for the opportunity to read this digital e-book in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Mel Sherratt is back in a big way with a new character in her latest Stoke-ont-the-Trent thirller, Hush Hush. And, I am here to tell you that Sherratt does not disappoint her readers. Sherratt is, IMHO, developing into quite an elite English thriller writer. I would put her very close to the ranks of Sharon Bolton and Angela Marsons. They all can write very similiar police procedural thriller styles. When Bolton is on her game, though, she is a tough comparison.
Allie Shenton has moved on to another position, an advancement that she couldn’t pass. Grace Allendale, a widow, originally from Stoke, but currently living in Manchester is hired to take her spot as DS. This does not sit well with all in the squad, what hiring from the outside when someone inside the squad already could have had the position. This is the first of two elements that DS Grace Allendale will have to weather out and prove otherwise. She is told by superiors to keep a secret from all others that she would just as soon reveal to her co-workers at start. She is a step sister to the Steele family, one of the most powerful families in the local crime underworld.
Still, life goes on and Grace gets her first murder case. And, it just so happens that their are very close connections to the Steele family and the murder. Soon, other murders begin to happen. Their seems to be some kind of connection with the murders, but nobody has the answers, neither the Steele family, nor the Stoke police. Grace, and her very affable side-kick Perry, work hard and long hours on the case. Sam does what she can with the CCTV and research in the office, and Alex … well, Alex is Alex, but he tries in his own way. DI Nick supervises the case and tries to keep Grace walking the rope staying on the case.
Grace and their crew begin to race at a rapid pace to solve the case as more bodies turn up. Is this an internal family struggle gone bad? Is this a family battle over turf or rites? Or is this just some really brave serial killer?
Hush Hush is an excellent police procedural/thriller that really bring to light broad advancements in Mel Sherratt’s writing. This is an excellent, fast paced read. I know many of my friends would enjoy this book immensely, and I would have no trouble at all recommending Hush Hush to readers of either of these genres. I simply loved it. I rarely give the 5-star rating, but this one is close, let us say, 4.75 stars.

I have loved reading this book I am also very happy that Mel has gone back to Police Pocedures.Grace returns to Stoke to take up her new position in the local force,her arrival is a little hard for some of the team.A series of brutal murders have the team hard at work but there some people in stoke who grace doesn't want to have to face just yet.Time is not on grace's side as she is made to face the Steele family,Eddie,Leon,Jade and their mother Kathleen.As grace is faced with solving the murders there are forces around trying to wrong foot her.This is an excellent book and one that i can highly recommend and well worth 5*

Their is a killer and he leads to her family .
Grace had an extremely violent Father
Her team does not really feel well and she always feels worried about that , but their all coppers and they have to accept her .
I recieved an ARC from Avon Books

Killers on the loose.
This one kills anywhere they feel comfortable with and most of all safe.

This of course can’t continue and Grace Allendale has to help solve this terrible crime and with her team bring the killer to justice.

There is one thing though......
It leads to her family. The steele family well known for their criminal activity .

Grace had a violent father.
This is his extended family, her blood.

Her Team are not the easiest to work with, she is forever in doubt with them, she feels she’s forever proving her ability, her duty and her loyalty.

But when it’s family, when it’s your own blood you have to bring to justice what then.

It’s a very powerful book with lots of low punches.

I do believe it’s her best book yet (apart from The Estate series which wasn’t crime)

My thanks to Harper Collins for my copy from Net Galley

The first instalment in a new crime series is always exciting.
For me, one of the bonuses of this author’s writing is the way she makes me feel like I know everyone already. Like I’ve known them all my life. There’s no confusion about who’s who, no looking back and wondering where I’d seen the name before. The depth of the characters jumps out of the page.
DS Grace Allendale is introduced to us. She was born in Stoke but moved away when she was a child. She’s recently returned to the Stoke area after working in Manchester.
Heading up a team she’s keen to earn her new colleague’s trust. It doesn’t take long for that trust to come into question. There’s an incident involving the Steele family. They are her relatives, and even though she’s estranged from them some people are very quick to jump to the wrong conclusions. It’s very awkward for her at times.
Some of the scenes are very gritty, so well described that I was cowering away.
There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, lots of suspicions, making it a real page-turner.

Hush Hush is the new book by Mel Sherratt featuring DS Grace Allendale. Grace has returned home to Stoke to take up a new position, she finds herself in charge of a series of murders which seem to be connected to the Steele family, the only problem for Grace is that the Steeles are her half siblings. As the investigations into the murders continue and Grace’s team find out about her past, she needs to prove to her colleagues that she is not in cahoots with the Steeles.

An excellent thriller and a very enjoyable read.

Oh my good God!! I now have the biggest book hangover imaginable! I always get so excited when Mel releases a new book, especially when she's spent the last few months teasing us about it.

Hush Hush introduces us to DS Grace Allendale who has recently moved back to her home town of Stoke on Trent, a place she had said goodbye to as a child. Now she is back, in a job she loves, but she finds herself thrown in at the deep end when an investigation into a vicious murder is right on the doorstep of the local crime family, the Steeles, who happen to be family, albeit people she's never met before, as they are from her Father's double life.

Grace has one hell of a job proving herself to her new team, can they ever trust her now? Also, who can Grace trust? Someone is leaking confidential information related to the cases quicker than a dripping tap!

Amongst the brilliant characters is an old face, one I was so excited to see, I actually squealed out loud!! Her predecessor is none other than my favourite character, Allie Shenton, who immediately befriends Grace, providing valuable support at times.

In case you didn't guess, I can say, hand on heart, this is another absolute diamond from Mel Sherratt, and I have already recommended it to 4 people in the course of reading it!

I love Mel Sherratt's previous series of books so was looking forward to reading this new series of hers. I wasn't disappointed. It was interesting to get a bit of background to Grace the main character and how her bad childhood still gives her nightmares. A gritty read to get your teeth into and I will look forward to the next instalment. Just wish I didn't have to wait so long for it!!!

I was over the moon to get an ARC of this book which is the first in a new crime series by one of my favourite authors. Grace has a very dark past and it's something which she knows she will have to face when she accepts a job as a D.S. in the town where she was brought up. She is also aware that she will have to tread carefully as she has connections to family who are far from squeaky clean.

Hush Hush
By Mel Sherratt
4 Stars

Gripping from the first page.
Sherratt introduces Detective Sergeant Grace Allensdale, who is called upon to stop the murders while leading a new team. There is a twist, the clues lead to Grace’s step family, complicating all the issues.

The twists in the plot keep you guessing till the last few pages, with some unexpected jumps at the end.

The characters are well developed, particularly that of Grace, with the backstory filled in as we read through.

An engaging mystery, that’s hard to put down, and will leave you wanting more.

#HushHush #NetGalley
www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

As a massive fan of Mels books I have to say I was delighted to be sent an ARC of this book by the publishers and netgalley. I’m so thrilled as it didn’t disappoint. I must admit, I can usually work out who’s behind the crimes, but Mel’s writing is so clever, even me, as an avid crime reader didn’t see what was going on! Just shows the wonderful skill Mel has developed as a crime writer.

There are plenty of murders, and low and behold the local crime family, the Steeles are related to Grace. She finds herself in an invidious position, who does she choose, her family or her team mates at work?

This leads the reader along by the nose, as it gives insight to Graces’ awful childhood to the person she is today. I’d want to stab my father if he’d been like that too!

Here we see, I hope, the start of a new detective series, with the addition of some old favourites too, Annie Shelton. I do like it when authors merge the characters from their other books, it adds a nice familiarity to the story. Another thing I admire about Mel is you can “get inside her characters”and feel their emotions. I just loved it 5* plus.

I am a huge fan of this authors books so was very excited to see that she was writing a new series. Grace I am sure is going to be a massive hit with fans new and old.

Grace has returned to her home town and finds herself working on a case which means she has to have dealings with family that she would rather never have to set eyes on. Having had a violent father growing up, they certainly weren't happy times for Grace and she wants to forget all about it. Sadly her estranged family are very much a reminder. Grace has had quite a lot to deal with in her life and I have to say she was very brave coming back but I had to salute her for doing it.

The murders are pretty gruesome to say the least but ensures that it grabs hold of the reader making you turn those pages for more. As much as I was horrified, I couldn't wait to see what they were going to do next. It certainly makes for some thrilling and chilling reading.

I thought this was a great case for Grace and her colleagues to be working on, Not only do we get to know more about Grace and her background, we are also taken on an exhilarating journey in the fight for justice. For me this was a perfect way to kick off a new crime series as usually the first book in a series is spent getting to know the character that it can detract from the overall story. This, I am pleased to say, is definitely not the case with Hush Hush.

Mel Sherratt has nailed it again with Hush Hush. It has left me very excited about what else she has in store for the reader. If you love a hard hitting, edge of you seat read, then look no further.

Superb thriller! Mel Sherratt combines great character development with a page turning plot. Look forward to more from this author.

Hush Hush is the new book from Mel Sherratt which i'm guessing will become a new series featuring DS Grace Allendale who has moved to her home town of Stoke on Trent from Manchester but is finding it hard to fit in with her new team.When a murder occurs she is drawn into contact with the Steele family who it transpires are her half brothers and sister Eddie,Leon and Jade.As the murders continue Grace is accused of siding with her family against her team and she also has to battle her past demons.Hush Hush is an excellent start to what i'm sure is going to be a great series of books by Mel Sherratt if her previous books are anything to go by.Once again she does not disappoint and i am looking forward to the next instalment of DS Grace Allendale.Another 5 stars for the ever excellent Mel Sherratt.