Toxic Blood: Hush Hush by Mel Sherratt @writermels @avonbooksuk

A bit late but I am hoping to do this novel justice… Hush Hush now!

Thank you to the lovely Avon team for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. This review is unbiased.

Title: Hush Hush
Author: Mel Sherratt
Date of publication:  2018
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 385

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 won’t be able to put down.

Hello title love! A very intriguing name and my favorite shade of yellow? Yes, please! I didn’t need more to sign up for this tour for the lovely Mel Sherratt’s latest novel!

We all know covers and titles can be deceiving, well, this is not the case here. Loyalty is something I hold dear and reading the blurb made me feel I was in for a good case of who’s on your side. Yummy!

Well, yummy for me, but not for Grace, our main character. Between us, it was love at first sight. A heavy family history hovering over her career, a wonderfully-crafted personality, an authentic life and a woman with scars, some visible, some not. Grace is not a super hero, she’s had her share of bad luck and bad days, I connected to her completely on a deep level. I was surprised to feel for her so easily. I often say I need at least one character to warm to, to root for, but they usually win me over after a few chapters. Not Grace. There is something about her, this strength, this resilience despite everything life has thrown at her, that just reached my heart. Talk about a brilliant and real character!

Now, we all complain about our family at some point. If you have never done it, you’re very lucky. But nothing compares to the Steel family. You really don’t want to have anything to do with them! I often dislike or hate a character, maybe two, but Mel Sherratt gave me monsters with different faces and this novel is perfect if you want to know just how different the features of evil, bad, or just idiot, are. No one is left one-dimensional. I loved discovering the Steele while learning about Grace, whispering that blood IS NOT THICKER.

On top of those great dynamics, the reader meets a team. My favorite thing is to see just how people adjust to changes in the work place and how police officers especially deal with new members. Nothing is easy in Hush Hush, and that’s how it should be because life isn’t. But the author doesn’t put drama on every page. She sparks daily niggles, small issues, fights for power, battles and resentment. I loved going to work with Grace and you will too if you appreciate authenticity and realism. My feelings grew and changed along with Grace’s and I loved not being sure whether or not I should trust myself!

Dead bodies, anyone? Small chapters slipped between the regular narrative, chilling, revealing yet so intriguing. I was appalled by the horrendous events related and in the hints, obvious or not, left throughout the novel. Violence in all its power, violence in its best outfit. But this plot tool is never used without motive and Mel Sherratt uses it to enhance human relationships, their ups and downs, their manipulative sides, and thankfully, all the good sides there are to be surrounded by the right people.

This novel hurts bodies and souls, but it also shine light on how difficult it is to untangle yourself from first impressions, old bounds, and dark secrets. You’re driving a hundred miles an hour on a farm road and the wind hits you in the face, it’s both heavenly good and terribly frightening!  

Can we start again? Can we live without the strains of the past? Fast-paced, crazily good, brilliantly gritty, Hush Hush is a crime fiction Christmas candy!

Ps: whoever came out with the tag line ‘Home is where the hurt is’ is my hero!

Get your copy and welcome to the team! Amazon