Hush

Hush by Anne Frasier. Published by Belfry

September 14, 2014 by cayocosta72	Leave a comment

After years without a kidnapping and murder, the police have allowed themselves to hope that the Madonna Murderer has given up or even died. But there luck runs out and the killings start again. Chicago police bring in profiler Ivy Dunlap to help them understand and defeat the killer. Ivy is all to familiar with this madman, he killed her own infant son 26 years earlier. Now Ivy must face her greatest fears and the man who has appeared in her nightmares for years. This time she will make him pay.
I first read this book over 10 years ago. Anne Frasier is s formidable talent and I am not surprised that the story has held up so well. If you have not read Anne Frasier, what are you waiting for?

Tense, intense, unputdownable.  The Madonna murderer is back after 16 years. Will they catch him this time?

I've never heard of this author before and generally read male authors only. However, this book was a pleasant surprise and a very enjoyable read.

The mothers weren't virgins, they were whores. Whores! He was the untouched virgin. He was the immaculate birth. 

On the streets of Chicago, there is a serial killer amongst us. He preys on every mothers deepest fear - the loss of her child. The Madonna Murder has resurfaced, getting smarter and more cunning with each victim, and its up to Detective Max Irving, along with Criminal Profiler Ivy Dunlap to stop him. 

I love the cover for this book, it instantly draws you in. If you enjoy serial killer books you will love this one. The Madonna Murderer, is nicknamed for his urges to slaughter mothers and their sons, and then leave a Madonna dollar store snow globe by their bodies. We get to delve into his mind, and see the disturbing relationship he has with his own mother, and try to unravel the knots in understanding why he is the way he is. 

I've never read anything by Anne Fraiser before, but I really enjoyed her writing style. It flows well and is easy to read. The plot is original and is totally absorbing, with twists and turns all the way through. The main characters are well developed and this applies to the minor characters too, you find yourself caring and rooting for them, I particularly liked Regina and wished she could have been explored more. 

There is a tense climax reaching the end of the book, with a powerful finish. I know some people are not fond of 'tying thing up' but Fraiser does it in a way that still leaves you guessing and wanting to find out that all important question... what happens next? 

All in all, a great little book, that I would highly recommend, four stars!

A very good thriller by Anne Frasier.  She is obviously a very talented writer and I plan on reading many more of her novels.  Highly recommend.............

Very good mystery. It kept me turning pages into the night. A good story for all mystery lovers. Sorry I hadn't discovered this writer before now. Will read her other mysteries!

Utterly disturbing. This was an excellent read, I had a hard time with the first few chapters staying interested, but after those I could not put it down. Warning - if you freak yourself out easily be prepared to not read before bed.

"Hush" is the first Anne Frasier book I've read and it was FABULOUS!  Frasier built the suspense to an outstanding finale.  Character development was terrific, and each new facet readers learn about the main characters just enhances the storyline.  I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

Hush has me captivated from the beginning. The writing is strong and compelling as Anne Frasier weaves a tale that is emotionally gripping.  The whole story left me stunned as I finished and I immediately went to look for more books from Anne Frasier because she really renewed my love for the genre.

great book

Hush is one of the better thrillers I've read in a long time. The pace was fast, but didn't feel like it was rushing too much either. 

Ivy is secretly Claudia, the only survivor of a serial killer's attack. Her infant son was not so lucky. But she survived, and now she is being brought right back into the fray to hopefully catch the Madonna Murderer for real.

Who is the Madonna Murderer? A man who was abused by his mother while growing up, and who takes it out on single unwed mothers. He murders the women for being whores, and stabs them in the uterus and the abdomen area. The infants he kills out of love--he strangles them, so they look like they're sleeping, and helps them escape a life he knows they don't want...

Seeing into his mind was definitely something I liked having access to. His interactions with his mother, his thoughts about his mother, the overconfidence about never being caught--all of it was well thought out and brought a little more depth to the story. Plus the bit about the piece of skin in a snow globe was just downright gnarly. 

And the way the novel ended was my favorite. Spoilers anyone? Okay. Detective Max Irving's 15 year old idiot son is kidnapped because he's dumb. The Madonna Murderer takes him to Ivy's apartment, because he's figured out that Ivy is actually Claudia. And in his demented brain, Max's kid Eithan is her long lost son, so he takes him there as some kind of poetic justice. Ivy finds them, sees that the Madonna Murderer murdered his own mother finally, and that her head is sitting in Ivy's fridge. Ivy seizes the head and uses it as a ward to keep the Madonna Murderer from killing her and Ethan until the police arrive, who then promptly shoot him to bits.

Wonderful heartwarming story, is it not? Luckily, Ethan is not actually Ivy's son (I would have hated this book if it turned out that he actually WAS her son) and after the guy has killed like three more sets of mother/child people they finally ended his reign. 

Seriously though, it was well written and highly entertaining. The change of characters was a bit confusing at first only because I couldn't keep them straight at first. But other than that, it's golden.

First... how great is that cover. 

Secondly... I give this book 5 stars. 

The Madonna Murderer has resurfaced (although we don't know why) and Ivy Dunlap is called back into the scene. She is a criminal profiler, and this one hits close to home. As she was one of his victims. 16 years ago.  The MM targets single mothers (who he deems as whore) and baby boys.   She is partnered with Max Irving, homicide detective with a teenage adopted son.  I am SO glad that there wasn't a romantic sideline to this story between the two, sure the novel hinted at it a bit, but it was not the main focus.

The pace was fast, and the character development was very well written. You felt a connection with every person, even those people who only had 3 pages dedicated to them. I know this may sound weird, but my favourite character was the serial killer. I enjoyed how Frasier characterized him and got into his past a little into why he possibly went to this type of lifestyle, definite mother issues.

It was a great read that kept me turning the pages long into the night, which is a huge plus for any thriller type book. I just wanted to know how it would end! Sure it was predictable at times, but also not at all. (How's that for a succinct review?)

Go read this book if you like crime thrillers!

My View:
“The mind is such an amazing universe.” 

I was drawn to this book by the amazing cover art and discovered a fantastic police procedural/psychological thriller. This book has great pacing, in-depth character development, a creepy villain and protagonists you will empathise with and enjoy reading about; I really enjoyed this read.   

And the point of difference in this particular read is that the writer acknowledges the pain and effect that being party to a serious crime, whether as a witness, whether that be discovering a victim, whether you are one of the first responders, or work in a crime related field or are related to the victim of a crime “ that touch left latent prints that would never, ever go away…no matter what they’d gone through  - loss of a parent, loss of  a sibling- they wouldn't be able to understand the darkness and fear.”

This story revolves around a serial killer stalking Chicago, IL. The killer was murdering mothers and their infant sons. One mother, unbeknownst to him, survived and had been given a new identity and a new home. After a hiatus of 16 years, the murders started again and this mom was asked by the Chicago PD to join the team that was trying to apprehend the killer they called the "Madonna Murderer". I found this story intriguing and well-written and I read through it quickly. Great read!

I received an e-copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a twisted psychological thriller that pulls you in and keeps your attention! As sad as it is this could happen in this crazy day and age and I think that helps make this a book you won't want to put down. I must add that the ending is crazy!!! Definitely a must read.

“It’s happening again,” was all he said. It was all he had to say.

Criminal profiler Ivy Dunlop receives the call that she had been waiting for for the past sixteen years, since the murder of her son at the hands of a serial killer dubbed as “The Madonna Murderer”. Ivy had barely escaped death herself and has been awaiting the day when she would be able to avenge a loss that has left her with its blazing mark on her.

Chief Homicide Detective Max Irving doesn’t like it when he is ordered to “babysit” the criminal profiler from Canada. Its not like they weren’t receiving enough assistance from agencies already. But Ivy’s unique insight into the killer owing to her relationship with the case makes Max change his mind.

Hush is not a romantic suspense but rather a full on suspense novel that has the bare elements of a connection forged between the leads Max and Ivy that leaves readers like myself begging for just a tad more. I had no idea when I picked this up to read that Anne Frasier is in fact Theresa Weir, whose books I have previously enjoyed.

The writing style is evocative, drawing you deeper into the dark spell that the killer weaves. A killer with definite mummy issues, The Madonna Killer’s sudden re-emmergence after a long hiatus leaves the police reeling in its wake, trying to do their best with the limited resources to unravel who the killer is.

Though Ivy has studied criminal psychology and is considered a criminal profiler, her limited experience in the field shows when she turns up to assist Max in the case. Max himself has his own issues going, with his son Ethan, whose background itself lends an edge to the story.

I loved the descriptive writing, the haunting expressions. The backstories were told in a manner that left my heart aching and I wanted so much more for the characters before the story was through. There were certain unfinished threads to the story when it ended, and I don’t mean any sort of romantic elements since the story isn’t categorized as one to begin with. That made the story feel a little less well rounded though I enjoyed the sadistic and creepy killer brought to light with the “reel-you-in” style of writing by Anne Frasier.

Recommended for fans of suspense novels.

Final Verdict: Hush is a novel that is procedural without sounding dry & leaves you wanting more!

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★☆ 

Caliber SEAL: GREAT READ!

I received a free kindle copy of Hush by Anne Frasier, published by Belfry Press from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I gave this fast-paced suspense thriller five stars. I flew through reading it in one sitting. The character development was superb, the flow of the story was tight, the subject intense.  I had not read Anne Frasier's work before but will find more to read.

Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Anne-Frasier-ebook/dp/B0044KM17M/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=