The deranged serial killer/grizzled detective/psychological profiler is hardly a new genre in the world of thrillers and suspense. What sets one apart from another is the depth of the characters and how adept the author is at getting the reader into the head of the serial killer. Anne Frasier it batting a thousand on this one.

Ivy Dunlap now lives in Canada when she gets a call from an old acquaintance in Chicago with a cryptic message: "It's happening again". 'It' is the resurfacing of The Madonna Murderer, someone Ivy has intimate knowledge of from 16 years past. How does Abraham Sinclair know Ivy? He worked the case when she, the soul survivor, was assaulted by the serial killer.

Ivy has had one thing on her mind for 16 years: Kill the man responsible for killing her newborn and changed the entire scope of her life forever.

Enter Max Irving. Single father, one of the best on the force..grizzled veteran. Almost sounds cliched but his back story is as interesting as Ivy's when considering his adopted son, Ethan, was born by a woman Max only knew for several weeks. She died and Max adopted him and has treated him like his own son ever since. Ethan is 16 now and Max is waging a personal war of attrition:that of dealing with a teenage son who wants to know about his real father.

It's that depth of characterization that really sets this book apart from other thrillers that follow a similar formula. Hush is filled with many great characters, even the bit players having their own emotional baggage that made me interested in them, even if they had minimal page time.

Of course the serial killer is super deranged. Convinced that he's saving people and is acting righteously. But when the point of view shifts over to him Frasier makes it chillingly apparent how deranged the inner workings of his mind are.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. It flows great, is paced fantastically, has just enough police procedure in it but not enough to bog the story down in technicalities and jargon. The character interactions are believable and the subplots are great.

I've been reading through my backlog of kindle downloads recently (Pilfering as many new, recommended, free and deal e books as I can) going from author to author but I think I'm going to spend a little more time in Anne Frasier's neck of the woods before moving on to the to be read pile, hush was that good. ( )

I had some major issues with this book. It probably doesn't help that I'm pregnant with my first child and reading this book was like scraping every raw nerve and exposing every fear I've ever had as a mom-to-be. But aside from my emotional issues coming into play, I found the plot rather contrived and coincidental. I also didn't much care for the characters. Max's instant dislike of Ivy grated on my nerves, as did Ethan's sudden initial hatred of his step-father for no good reason that I could see. Sure, maybe it's a realistic portrayal of a teenager's behaviour, but I still had to grit my teeth every time his character showed up on the page. Ultimately, I struggled to finish this book ( )

Picked up at vacation condo in Florida and read straight through. I brought 7 of my own excellent books to read but still, after picking this one up, just had to finish. Ivy Funlap finally gets the phone call she has been waiting for after sixteen years. Leaving her safe haven in Canada, she flies back to Chicago where the Madonna Murderer has returned. ( )

This is an amazing first novel. It is a chilling thriller not only penetrating one's soul due to the piercing view of the criminal mind but the glimpse into how deeply a criminal's actions touch investigators lives in every branch of law enforcement both professionally and personally. Particularly as I've finished this book on New Year Eve's Day 2013, it makes me think of all the party-goers that will be celebrating this evening and all of the law enforcement officers that will be 'on duty' protecting their safety. Riveting story and thought provoking message. Now I'm off to see what other titles the author has written since publication of this novel. ( )

This was my first encounter with author, Anne Frasier. I really enjoyed Hush. It was a very well written and highly entertaining debut novel. Over the last few days I’ve purchased a few more of Ms. Frasier’s books. I can’t wait to read them. ( )