Hush Hush audiobook

Laura Lippman's standalone novels are among the best books around, but I had forgotten how much I missed her (my/our) Tess Monaghan. This is Lippman at her very best. Don't miss it.

Hush Hush is a mystery that you won’t be able to put down! The story focuses on PI Tess Monaghan who has been contracted to work for Melisandre Dawes, a former lawyer from an affluent background, who was declared legally insane for leaving her baby, Isadora, to die in a hot car 10 years ago in Baltimore. Having fled to South Africa and London after she was released from the mental institution, Melisandre has returned to Baltimore with the intention of making a documentary about the events that led to her baby’s death, but she really has come back to reunite with two daughters she left behind. Whether or not Melisandre was insane at the time of Isadora’s question is one of the driving forces of this mystery. Hush Hush is the first Tess Monaghan/Laura Lippman book that I have read, and I found it to be an engaging mystery. I didn’t feel lost at all when it came to Tess’s character, enough information is provided for the reader about Tess’s past. I will now be catching up on Lippman’s earlier novels. I was fortunate to receive this book from Goodreads as a giveaway.

I’m a fan of Laura Lippman’s crime novels and I was very pleased to see the return of Tess Monaghan in this story – one of my favourite literary heroines, I know I’m in for a good read when she’s involved and I was right.In this story, she is reluctantly drawn into the case of Melisandre Harris Dawes, a woman who allowed her daughter to suffocate in a hot car one day whilst she sat by and did nothing. Found to be criminally insane, she has been living away from her other two daughters. Now back, she is involved in a documentary film, but someone is watching and waiting and Tess finds herself stuck in the middle.The quality of writing is always of a high and addictive standard in Ms Lippman’s books – no change here then as you inexorably get dragged into the world of Melisandre – a woman who may not have been responsible for her actions then but due to her personality she’ll have you wondering. Some emotional and heart wrenching issues here, all enveloped in an intriguing mystery and giving a lot of food for thought. Personally I detested Melisandre and all that she stood for, but even so I could not make up my mind whether the death of her youngest daughter was deliberate. Some clever writing and a great psychological depth to the character will keep you going back and forth on that one…Then we have Tess – I especially enjoyed learning more about her personal life, a mother herself she has worries about her own ability to parent – this makes for some interesting insights and interactions as she struggles with Melisandre, to do her job without prejudice and to cope with all the daily stress that motherhood can bring. Beautifully drawn, she is engaging and a great anchor to the rest of the tale.Possibly the best part of this for me though was the family left behind and the way in which their story is told- Melisandre’s surviving daughters have, of course, been affected by it all. Their Father has re-married and his new wife was probably the character I sympathised with most. A baby of her own now, she longs to be there for her stepdaughters but they dismiss her attempts to love them. The sisters have an intelligently written, often confrontational relationship that will absolutely enthrall.Overall then a terrific character driven mystery story that will keep you turning those pages until the final revelations – the subject matter is horrific but handled with grace and authenticity whilst still being a fantastic crime fiction novel.Highly Recommended.Happy Reading Folks!

It's been a while since I read a Lippman novel, and twenty pages into HUSH HUSH, I found myself saying, "Why the hell did you wait so long?" It's nice to see the how Tess has matured in the years since I last read her, and a little scary to see my own kids reflected in Carla Scout. The way Lippman balances crime, family dynamics, old vendettas, an affinity for Baltimore (my hometown as well), and social commentary is something I aspire to. The downside of this book is that my TBR pile is huge already, and HUSH HUSH led me to stack five more Tess Monaghan novels on it.

Twelve years ago, a young mother named Melisandre Dawes locked her infant daughter in the car on a hot day. The baby's death led to charges, but after a mistrial and then a retrial with a judge, the mother was found not guilty by reason of insanity.After years of not seeing her older two daughters, Alanna and Ruby, now 17 and 15, Melisandre is seeking a reunion, facilitated by a filmed documentary that will capture the moment, along with her version of the story. Her story of the severe postpartum psychosis that led to the tragedy.Harmony Burns, a young film maker, has set the process in motion.Tess Monaghan has been hired by Melisandre's attorney, Tyner Gray, to be in charge of security before and during filming. But nowadays, Tess is juggling work and the rearing of her three-year-old daughter Carla Scout, whom she co-parents with her partner Crow. Her insecurities about how she is managing it all add depth to the story.But before the reunion can take place, the girls change their minds about the meeting, and suddenly other strange events happen, such as the arrival of a series of threatening notes. Both Tess and Melisandre are on the receiving end. The notes seem innocuous at first, but gradually reveal that someone is stalking them, someone who knows way too much about them.Suddenly everything changes, as one after another near-tragedy followed by a death lead to a whole other kind of investigation for Tess. Who is the stalker, and what is behind it all? Why are Alanna and Ruby seemingly keeping secrets from the past? Who has leaked the news of the notes to the press?Multiple narrators tell the story, set in Baltimore, and as we see it all unfold, we learn more about the characters and their motives. Melisandre is an unlikable, entitled woman whose wealth and privilege set her apart from most people in her orbit. She hires and fires willy-nilly, and expects others to jump to her every command.Alanna is a disturbed young woman showing the effects of life's traumas, and the secrets she keeps are dangerous ones.Ruby is an eavesdropper who learns much of what is going on in this manner. What she does with some of her secrets brings the story to a crucial point.Stephen Dawes, the ex-husband, has a new wife, Felicia, and a new baby, Joey. He is very controlling and secretive as well.And almost behind the scenes in "Hush Hush: A Tess Monaghan Novel," Aunt Kitty adds her own special voice.As the story moves along at a comfortable pace, the suspense ratchets up unexpectedly, followed by a seamless, yet stunning reveal. And then comes a feel-good scenario that left me smiling. 5.0 stars.

I immensely enjoy Hush, Hush by Laura Lippman and if I had actually bothered to look I would have known I was jumping into the 12th Tess Monaghan book. On the upside I have a new to me series to begin and I will now go back and begin with book one, Baltimore Blues, so I can see the character of Tess Monaghan unfold as Lippman intended.

In the day of social media, it's hard to a book by one of my favorite authors to slip under my radar. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I wandered into my local library one day to find that not only had Laura Lippman published a new book but that it was reading and waiting for me on the new books shelf. And not only that but it was a chance to check in again with journalist turned private eye Tess Monaghan.Years ago, Melisandre Harris Dawes left her daughter unattended in her car on a hot August afternoon. The child died but Melisandre was able to avoid jail time by pleading temporary insanity. After traveling the globe for years to get away from the stigma, Melisandre has returned home to Baltimore to tell her side of the story in a new, self-funded documentary. And she hopes to reconnect with the two daughters she left behind as part of the divorce agreement with her husband.Tess's uncle Tyner Grey has a past with Melisandre -- they dated before he settled down with Tess's Aunt Kitty. He's also her lawyer and he brings Tess and her new partner in to provide security and investigative services for Melisandre. As Tess juggles her life as a p.i. with motherhood to her three-year-old daughter Carla Scout, the case quickly becomes more than just a nice paycheck for Tess. Melisandre is demanding, manipulative and difficult to work for and it appears she has a different agenda than just restoring her name to the Baltimore community and world.Lippman deftly balances the questions about what happened that fateful day with a new mystery that slowly emerges in the present, all while giving us glimpses into Tess' life with Carla Scout and Crow. Tess's questions about how motherhood and how she may or may not compare to Melisandre are woven into the threads of the story with Lippman offerings sly commentary on just how far parents will go to protect their children -- and how sometimes children can get caught in the crossfire of adults and their disagreements. As with many of her recent stories, Lippman isn't just interested in solving the crimes that happen in her novel (though she does do that) but also looking at the impact these crimes have on the community and the people involved. One interesting thread is how these crimes have impacted the daughters that Melisandre left behind as well as looking at two new mothers who come into her orbit (Tess and the wife of Melisandre's ex-husband).It all adds up to yet another satisfying novel by Lippman. As I've said many times before, Lippman is an author whose books may be classified as mysteries but those books have the good habit of transcending genre lines. You don't necessarily have to have read all of Tess's exploits up until now to enjoy this one. If you're looking to see why a lot of people rave about Lippman, you can't go wrong with this one.

Hush HushByLaura LippmannKey characters...Tess and Crow and their daughter...Carla Scout...are the main and most complicated characters in this book. And then there is Melisandre...oh my...and Harmony...the reality documentary film maker. Settings...This author just loves Baltimore and other than a quick train trip to NYC...this book takes place in Baltimore.Simply put...what's going down... Sandy...retired policeman and Tess...are investigators. In this book they are hired to try to work with a woman...a wealthy woman...Melisandre...who years ago was accused of leaving her infant daughter in a hot car to die. There was no trial...she was found to be mentally ill...and she has been away from her older daughters for years and years. She now wants a relationship with them so she buzzes back into town and tries to see them. Her ex husband stands in her way. Melisandre has hopes that this documentary that Harmony is making will help her to see her daughters but nothing really goes well. Melisandre is weirdly controlling...someone else dies...and Melisandre and her daughters are caught up in this terrible drama...as is Tess and her partner Sandy.What I thought about this book...I loved this book and I will now tell you why. Tess is such a unique character. She questions her role as a mother. She questions her role with Crow...they aren't married and their lives are complicated. It doesn't help that Tess thinks Carla Scout prefers being with Crow. I loved Crow's food rules for Carla Scout...everything that goes into her body has to be clean, local, artisanal...thus the tantrum when Carla Scout wants Pringles. Tess's life is complicated. It's both fascinating and stressful to watch. Her stress, her ethics, her reactions are all unique and interesting. There is nothing contrived about Tess. Her life and work in Baltimore felt real and I loved that aspect of this book.Why you might want to read it, too...This book is a great mystery with fascinating subtle complexities...I had no idea how it would end and I was quite surprised. What I loved and what I think others will love about this book is its pace. The pace was more of a leisurely stroll through a really great mystery rather than a turbo charged thriller. There weren't pages that I didn't want to read. I loved it all. Complicated characters, interesting situations and great writing made me truly love this book.

I've loved Laura Lippman's novels for years, and while I absolutely adore her standalones, I have a major soft spot for her Tess Monaghan novels. But Tess has been largely absent for years (completely out of most of the books, although she's had a few cameos). Now, though, she's finally back.It would have been easy to expect her to be gone for good. Now she and Crow have a young daughter, Carla Scout. So how can Tess do her PI work with a three-year-old around? Oh, ye of little faith.The woman at the center of this novel is Melisandre Dawes, who was found not guilty (by reason of insanity) of killing her baby daughter years ago. She left the child to die in a hot car (on purpose) and fled the city (and state and country) as soon as she could. But now she's back and she wants to have a relationship with her two older girls, who are now in their teens. There's a lot more going on, of course, but that would be spoiling things.Tess Monaghan is one of my favorite characters, someone who is clearly the literary descendent of my beloved VI Warshawski. Like Vic, Tess fights for the underdog and is much braver than anyone could reasonably expect to be. And like Vic, the city she lives in plays a major part in the book. But while VI lives in Chicago, Tess lives in Baltimore. (And in this book, I was happy to see that I knew where every place mentioned was. Love this city!)If you've already read Laura Lippman's books, I don't need to sell you on them. If you haven't, this is an excellent one to start with.Highly recommended.

3 and a half stars. I received my copy of Hush Hush for free as a FirstReads winner.The character of Tess Monaghan seemed vaguely familiar, so I think I may have read one of the previous books in this series, however this was easy to follow as a stand alone novel.Tess is working as a private investigator and is hired through her Uncle Tyner, to work for Melisandre Harris Dawes, a woman who was given the insanity ruling after killing her baby twelve years ago. She is back in town filming a documentary about her case, and to attempt to reunite with her remaining two daughters, whom she left with her ex-husband all those years ago.Things get interesting when another death occurs and Tess is tasked with questioning everyone connected.

I rarely can sit for four hours straight reading - but, when it comes to Laura Lippman's detective/mystery novels, no problema - she sucks me in and I can't put them down - ever. This one is Lippman in top form and returning to her Tess Monaghan series - love being back in the mind and life of Tess. I missed Crow and her aunt and the other regulars. What I appreciate most about her characters is her ability to get inside every single one convincingly - the good, the bad, the ugly, the psychotic. Great plotting/timing and since I'm far from Baltimore - a cheap trip back to my old childhood stomping grounds. So happy to have my Lippman-novel addiction fed once, again.

4.5* and a really enjoyable read.This is part of a series, and I didn't realise at the time, yet it reads as a standalone. At times the story meanders a little bit, but on the whole that is just adding a little to the characters, only on occasion does it seem to be a little over much. much of the wanderings were to draw parallels between the main subject of the book, one Melisandre, and the PI, Tess. I enjoyed it and I would certainly read more by the author. And I recommend it to readers of crime/thriller/suspense.