Review of A Kind of Hush

[Catherine Sweet]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Kind of Hush" by JoDee Neathery.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery is a novel of mystery and intrigue. JoDee Neathery’s first book is the award-winning Life in a Box.

The book cover’s design is very appealing and would prompt me to pick it up if I saw it in a bookshop.

Two years before the story starts, the Mackie family was devastated when six-year-old Griff, the middle child, died when he choked on a gumball. Matt and Summer Mackie have two other children, Willa and Gabe. Summer blames her daughter, Willa, for Griff’s death, and there is discord in the family. There is more tragedy to come when the family visit a local gorge. The parents and Willa fall from a ledge, and Matt and Willa survive, but Summer is found dead in the river below. Nobody knows how the accident happened, but the police suspect murder.

Conner Boyle, Deputy Sheriff, is part of the team investigating the case. The police are interested in two people seen at the gorge on the day Summer died. One of them is Summer’s first husband, Willa’s father. He abandoned his family when Willa was very young, but after being ill, he returned to the area. The other person of interest is a local paedophile and registered sex offender who has gone missing. Summer testified against him when he was in court for child murder, and it’s believed he bore a grudge against her.

The book has an imaginative plot, and different narratives create a layered story. Tension builds as the cause of Summer’s death remains unidentified. The characters are strong and well-developed. They are relatable, and the reader roots for them. A romance develops between two single people, and a long-lasting couple revitalise their marriage. These relationships are touching and seem very real. Gabe is a convincing and believable little boy.

I found the descriptive writing to be overdone. It would work well to tone it down a bit. An example is this sentence about someone falling asleep, “She dozed off with illusions of silent verses of a poem gliding as noiseless as an oar passing through the surface of a glassy fishpond.” I felt the story would have been better if it had been shorter. The time the Mackie family and Summer’s sister spend in Texas is overly long and detracts from the main story.

Readers who enjoy family dramas with mystery and strong characters would enjoy this book. I have taken two stars off for the points made in the penultimate paragraph. I award this book 3 out of 5 stars.

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A Kind of Hush
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[Gerry Steen]

If the author takes your critiques to heart, they will be able to bring this story up to a 5-star status. Kudos to the author for creating strong characters, an imaginative plot, touching relationships, and an enthralling mystery. Nice review!

[Julie Marie Basil]

This sounds like an engaging story, but the drawbacks you noted leave me thinking that I will pass on reading this book. Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts!