HUSH by Karen Robards is a good return to classic Robards- style writing. I am so very pleased about this- I like romantic suspense and Robards has been a long time must- read author for me, but I strongly dislike the Dr. Charlotte Stone ghost books she has been writing recently. For the most part, I enjoyed many aspects of this book. There was a big reveal around 80 percent into this book that I found completely unbelievable, however, which rather ruined my trust in the story.

Everyone is keeping big secrets in HUSH, which is a lot of fun to me. Important clues are doled out over time, and the slow unraveling of the many layers of complexity makes for a very compelling read. The secrets usually pit the hero and heroine against each other, although they are often not acknowledged overtly. This raises the stakes and also the tension all the way to the end, which I enjoy greatly.

Riley receives an urgent text from her ex-husband, asking her to come to the house where they used to live. She finds him dead, and the authorities are treating his death as a suicide. Riley knows he wouldn't kill himself, though, and she is suspicious this is related to his father's embezzlement. Her father-in-law is in jail for defrauding thousands of investors of billions, and it turns out many of those investors are depraved criminals. He will not reveal where he has stashed the stolen fortune. All of the family's wealth has been seized by the government, and Riley is helping to support her ex-mother- in-law and sister-in-law.

Finn is one of government investigators tasked with discovering what has happened to the stolen fortune. Finn is loosely collaborating with a number of other government agencies, and the distrust and willful miscommunication between the different agencies adds another lovely layer of mystery to the plot. Finn has a lot of commendable traits such as personal loyalty mixed with independence, and Robards does a pretty good job of making him a likeable character even though I couldn't decide whether Riley should trust him.

Women who have sex with the agent watching out for them are a bookish pet peeve of mine. To me, there are fewer more idiotic things if you are a woman on the run than getting romantically involved with the guardian who should be focusing his attention of keeping you safe from the bad guys, instead of how fast he can get your dress off. Finn, as an agent, also comes in for my ire too- how irresponsible on both their parts! Readers who don't have the same hot button response, however, will enjoy the great sexual tension between Finn and Riley.

Karen Robards' HUSH is a complex layering of mystery and romance that does a great job of keeping me engrossed in the unfolding surprises. While I have some personal nitpicks with the story, overall I find this to be a great addition to the classic Robards collection, and look forward to her next non-ghost release.

Book Summary

In New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards’s latest heart-pounding thriller, a woman must uncover a murderer— or risk being the next victim of a vicious killer.

When Riley Cowan finds her estranged husband Jeff dead in his palatial home, she’s sure it’s no coincidence. The police rule it a suicide, but Riley thinks someone’s out for blood—specifically someone Jeff’s father ripped off in one of the biggest financial fraud cases of all time. She suspects that someone is trying to send a message to Jeff’s father: Tell me where the money is, or everyone you care about will die.

Enter Finn Bradley, an FBI agent with a dangerous secret. He's after the money too, and Riley quickly becomes his chief suspect. But when someone tries to kill her, he has no choice but to protect her until he can uncover the truth. The question becomes, can they discover the killer’s identity in time, before he resurfaces—and strikes again?

Dubbed an “exceptional storyteller” by the Chicago Tribune and “one of the most popular voices in women’s fiction” by Newsweek, Karen Robards’s latest action-packed novel will keep you glued to the pages until the final, shocking conclusion.