I so enjoyed this book. A true mystery that was so well written. The cast of characters were superbly written. The clues dispersed just right. Twists and turns and lots of motives. I haven't read a mystery that clicked with me like this in many years. I so look forward to book 2.
****I voluntarily reviewed and gave my honest opinion of this Advanced Readers Copy of this
book from Net Galley****

A "throzy," perhaps? See what I did there? Coined a new term for this kind of book: Easy, breezy reading that's a hallmark of a cozy, but enough sex, mayhem and moving-right-along excitement to qualify as a thriller.

There's another hallmark of a cozy at play here as well: A heroine who is (a) independent, headstrong and professionally successful, (b) fiercely loyal except when it doesn't serve her purpose, (c) hung up on past issues she can't resolve and (d) incapable of heeding anyone else's advice even when it puts her and those she loves in danger.

And there you have Sydney Richardson, owner of two very different restaurants in Madison, Wisconsin and the star of this, the first book in a new series. One, the Ten-Ten, primarily is a bar that caters to first-responders (her late father was a cop). The other, Hush Money (like the book title) is a hoity-toity sit-down restaurant targeting the upper-crust in this up-and-coming city. She's determined to make both restaurants a success, aided and abetted by her very capable, loving (if a bit overprotective and overbearing) mother, Nancy. Sydney is interesting and likable, except perhaps when she's in (c) or (d) mode - I identify more with the strong woman with a can-do attitude part. When she refuses to listen, or selectively blows off only one of the many who tell her to mind her own business, it's not so much; but then without those moments, I guess there wouldn't be much of a story.

And make no mistake, it's a solid one. One of the servers, a woman named Wanda (a.k.a., Windy), fails to show up for work at Hush Money. That evening, Sydney has a run-in with the very drunk wife of the town's hard-driving - some would say ruthless - mayor, who claims she was waiting for her no-show husband. Turns out he had a good reason; back at their home, hizzoner has met an untimely end. And who is the prime suspect? None other than Windy, who is at the home and covered in the mayor's blood.

No matter how convinced the cops are that Windy is guilty - including Sydney's father's old police partner Horst Welke, who's been assigned to the case - Sydney simply can't believe that this mother of a young daughter did the deed. So, Sydney hires hot-shot attorney Andrew Conyer who will, hopefully, get her off. As the evidence against Windy mounts, so does Sydney's determination that the woman is innocent; but will Sydney's constant push-backs against the police and Windy's lawyer do more harm than good?

Throughout it all, Sydney must keep the restaurants running (which involves, not insignificantly, riding herd on a talented but impossibly egotistical chef). Apparently she doesn't need much sleep, since many nights after her fancy restaurant closes, she heads for the Low Down, a blues bar, to kick back to the music and bask in the company of the handsome, witty, wife-free (of course) guy who owns it.

Everything builds up to a surprising conclusion, when just about everything is resolved except those pesky details of Sydney's long-ago past. Now, she's free once again to build up business at her restaurants, possibly find a love life and, almost certainly, tackle another murder - all of which, I assume, will be fodder for the next book. I'll be waiting!

Thanks very much to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

There is much to like in this book but there were times when I found some of the characters to be more fully developed and nuanced. Ultimately I found the restaurant element more of a distraction because the main character wasn't really involved in the restaurant, just a financier allowing others to do things. Also the heroic death of the father didn't add much to the story. I found myself skimming sections of the book rather than reading every page.

Another great read from T E Woods. Amazing characters and descriptive writing that brings the pages to life. Enthralling story line which had me completely fooled. The crescendo to conclusion meets the highest standards. Thoroughly enjoyable book.

This is the start of another brilliant series! I read all The Fixer stories and absolutely loved them, so I was attracted to this book as it was written by the same author. The characters are always so well developed, the plots are well written, the story moves at a brisk pace and I love how the background of the characters is developed throughout the story. Sydney is the main character, the adopted daughter of a cop who was murdered, and she is close to her mother. She runs two businesses, adjacent to each other, Ten-Ten, a bar that is the local hangout for police and first responders and Hush Money, an up-market restaurant. The mayor is murdered and one of the waitresses, Wanda, known as Windy, is arrested for the murder. Sydney is sure of Windy's innocence and does everything she can to help her. The story takes place in Madison Wisconsin, which was another attraction for me as I am a Wisconsin girl!

Sydney Richardson, adopted daughter of a murdered cop, opens two adjacent restaurants,
the upscale 'Hush Money' and a bar 'Ten-Ten' for police. On opening night the Mayor is murdered
and Windy, a waitress Sydney has hired, is accused of the crime.
The plot was brilliantly executed, with action and suspense flowing from beginning to end.
Well developed characters with realistic dialogue made for a great read that I recommend to others.

I have previously enjoyed the Mort Grant series of books by this author so I was eagerly waiting to read this stand alone / new series.
The story is set in Madison with the main character Sydney Richardson. Sydney is the daughter of a murdered cop and is in the process of opening two venues, one a restaurant called 'Hush Money' and an adjacent bar called the Ten-Ten. One of her waitresses 'Windy' is accused of the high profile murder of the city's mayor and Sydney finds herself drawn to helping the single mother and working through secrets to find out what happened.
TE Woods writes very entertaining novels and keeps the reader interested throughout. This has the making of another very good series and I am sure I will be following it very closely. If you have not read the authors other series 'Justice' it is well worth a look.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Alibi for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a huge fan of T.E. Woods since the first book in the Fixer series. I made a point of obtaining and reading all of that series and was never disappointed. Her writing is just that good. I was a little uncertain about a new series but am deeply pleased with this first installment in the series She proves once again that she is an excellent writer and storyteller. I look forward to the next installment in this series. (Just my opinion.)

“Hush Money” by T. E. Woods opens with the suggestion of a crime, but what is the crime, and who is this confused person stumbling around? What is that read smear across her stomach and chest? The answers are not clear. Then, the flashback, the people, the politicians, and the question “You’re blackmailing me?”

The story is set in Madison, Wisconsin, “The world’s biggest small town” and home to politicians and police. It is also now the home of two new restaurants owned by Sydney Richardson. “Ten-Ten” is a pizza, burgers, and beer bar that caters to law enforcement, the name signifying both the street address and the radio code for “Off Duty.” The second “Hush Money,” is an upscale restaurant with a top chef who transforms locally sourced ingredients into mouthwatering masterpieces. The name, “Hush Money” seems to reflect the political wheeling and dealing of capitol city politics, but is there an alternate meaning to that name as well?

Unfortunately, on the opening night of both restaurants, the mayor of Madison is murdered. As the search for the killer continues, politics, intrigue, and double-dealing are everywhere. Alliances are tested, and friendships are strained. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone blames someone else. To Sydney, everything is so tragic or so natural.
“Murder happens. You think there’s a quota on tragedy?”

Little details throughout the book make everything relatable and real.

“She found a parking spot on the fourth floor of the parking structure, and followed the sidewalks winding around the gigantic institution.”
“The woman called out to her from the check-in desk. She was large, with upper arms straining the fabric of her neon pink scrubs.”

We know those locations, and we know those people.

The action moves back and forth through time, and each chapter is labeled to help readers keep track of the period. As the backstory counts down to the present, we learn more about the characters. Their personalities become more detailed but not necessarily nicer.

Personal relationships among all the characters are explored in detail, becoming more complex and more developed. Of course, the mayor’s murder takes center stage. Piece by piece the clues emerge, but some do not fit. Everyone has a past, and everyone is flawed. Some have succeeded, and others are deceitful as they sit in “hush Money” and eat their gourmet food. Sydney sums it up,

“How different my life is than just a week ago. Everything changes.”

Things end, but not exactly as one might think. Some questions are unanswered,
Author T. E. Woods, Random House Group, Alibi, and NetGalley gave me a copy of “Hush Money” to read and review. I do not usually read books focused on politics, but I enjoyed this book, and it really was not about politics but about people. The characters were believable and the plot was complex. There were unanswered questions that may show up in a sequel, and if so, I cannot wait to read it.

I really enjoyed this book and will likely be back to read the others in this series. The story was engaging and the characters likable. If you pay attention to how the characters are developed, you can pick out the ending as the books moves through the story; nice foreshadowing!

Hush Money is a very well written book. This book has a great plot and well developed characters. I could not stop reading this book. Loved it and the author's writing.

Fast paced, character driven suspense thriller. I read this in one setting. Can't wait for the next book in this new series. Highly recommended.

This is an entertaining book. That being said, it is also fairly predictable and formulaic. I liked "the fixer" series by Woods but those got weaker as they went along. If this is going to be a new series, it will need a boost.

Sydney has opened two restaurants adjacent to each each catering to a different clientele. With her moms help the opening has been a successful opening with one or two small glitches. The mayors wife has become drunk and doesn't want to go quietly from the bar and one of the wait staff skipped the opening.
Turns out the two are related the mayor is dead and the waitress is charged with his murder. Sydney is in the middle of a crime by defending the waitress and she can't seem to keep from meddling in the investigation. Given that the bar caters to off duty cops who are long time friends it's just too much to keep clues quiet.

When Sydney's long time friend is wounded in a shootout Sydney realizes she may be the one in the spotlight. But who would be after Sydney when she has all the cops on her side.

Very well done the glitz of the classy restaurant Hush Money is stunning and makes one want to be there. Sad herself is a person I would love as a friend. Hush Money is well worth your time.

I love this new series!

The investigation is intense and steady with the ending pulling everything together.

The characters in this new series all have interesting back stories that don't bog down the plot for a minute. Very well written.

When Madison Wisconsin's Mayor Roger Millerman's murder causes Sydney Richardson's employee Windy Fields to be arrested, Sydney's determined to spend whatever it takes to prove the young single mother innocent.

I can hardly wait for the next Sydney Richardson novel.

I am a big fan of T.E. Woods Justice Novels mystery series so I was happy to see her start what appears to be a new series set in Madison, Wisconsin and focused around Sydney Richardson, the daughter of a slain cop and opening two restaurants, the upscale 'Hush Money' and an adjacent cop bar called the Ten-Ten. When Windy, a waitress Sydney takes a chance on is accused of the high-profile murder of the city's mayor, Sydney finds herself drawn to helping the single mother and working through secrets to find out what happened.

I liked Sydney as a character, she is smart, loyal and has a mysterious background of her own, being adopted by her parents as an infant and later given millions from a lawyer representing her unknown birth parents--what she considers hush money and what she uses to open the restaurants and help Windy. Her adoptive mom Nina, her father's old partner Horst, best friend and fertility doctor Ronnie, and a couple of potential love interests round out the supporting characters well.

I had my suspicions about the culprit but there were some good twists and the pacing overall was good--although I thought the climax a bit quick. It will be interesting to see where this one goes--I am imagining more cases and crimes will come from Sydney's proximity to Madison's society and the cops and crew that come to the Ten-Ten, as well as her own background and learning more about who her parents are. I look forward to learning more.

Super fun read, nice. Wasn't sure what to expect from the description. The new protagonist, Sydney is a great character. I really appreciate her private thoughts while doing something opposite. She embodies the idea that gut instincts aren't always necessarily the right call. But sometimes, they are.
When you just know that someone could never do something and becomes too obvious a target, it is nice to have a wealthy benefactor will to take such risks.

The vacuous and distracted wife to a dynamic and driven man never fit well, so their parts at the end of the story were not a surprise. His behavior telegraphed much of this; while Sydney's instincts were well placed with Windy, not so much here. I guess many of us are like that.

Her windfall and endless understandable curiosity about how she got it is one of the most fascinating parts of the story. I can't wait for the next adventure with a diva chef, amazing mom ( I want one like that) and, of course, the detective.
I recommend.

Great book! There are so many nasty characters that unfold in these pages that it's near impossible to name a Top Dog when a brutal and surprising murder of a beloved (?) town mayor sends shock-waves through the town. Residents start casting wary eyes at friends and neighbors, in both high and low places. The intrigue is lip-smacking good, and the book is near impossible to put down. Highly recommended.

Enjoyable start to a new series by T. E. Woods. Interesting characters that I want to learn more about. Definite page turner that grabbed me from the start. I'm looking forward to more in this series!