DiscoverMystery & Crime

A Kind of Hush

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This literary novel begins with a family in mourning a loss that is compounded by uncertainty of their past and as well as their future.

Tragedy strikes twice in A Kind of Hush. This literary novel begins with a family in mourning. The accidental death of one of the Mackie children has touched each of the remaining family members in different ways, but none of them are the same as they were before the incident. Gabriel is four years old, but is wise beyond his years. He feels the loss of his older brother as well as the isolation from his mother who has retreated into herself. His sister Willa has changed drastically. She feels responsible for Griff’s death as she was with him when he choked to death. Their father Matt is just trying to keep his family from imploding.


The family embarks on a trip to a local hiking trail to see the waterfalls, in hopes to begin to heal. Sadly, mom Summer falls from a cliff to her death. Willa and Matt are injured as well. Gabriel is unscathed physically, but his life will never be the same. Was Summer’s death a tragic accident or was she murdered?


Matt’s memory of the incident is gone due to his head injury. Willa doesn’t really know what happened either. When the police become involved, the security cameras show two persons of interest. One is the ex-husband of Summer who is Willa’s father and the other is a felon that Summer, as a battered women advocate, helped convict.


Fearing for the children’s lives with the felon still at large, the small family retreats to Matt’s family home in Texas after an incident following Summer’s funeral. Will the remaining members of the family be safe? Can they heal both physically and mentally?

 

A Kind of Hush is one of the best books I have read this year. The characters are outstanding and the plot is everything a literary novel should and could be. The mystery of what happened on the trail by the waterfall is answered by the end of the book in a most surprising way. I could not put this book down. Little Gabe is a character that will stick with readers long after the last pages are read.

This is JoDee Neathery’s second literary novel, the first being the award-winning Life in a Box. I have not read it, but plan to add it to the top of my “to be read stack”. A Kind of Hush is a book I will remember and highly recommend for anyone who loves to get lost in an outstanding novel with unforgettable characters.


DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman

Reviewed by

I began reviewing books on a now defunct website, GenReview in 2011. I now review books on my website, as well as for Penguin First To Read, Netgalley, Maryglenn McCombs, book publicist, Bookish First and Killer Nashville. I also review books for various authors that send me their books.

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

About the author

I'm a believer that dreams do come true with the publication of my debut award-winning novel, Life in a Box (2017) with my latest released July 2021. My East Texas book club championed my writing journey and without them my books would still be flights-of-fancy and I'll be forever beholden to them. view profile

Published on July 01, 2021

100000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Genre: Mystery & Crime

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