Hush Little Baby Paperback – 8 Oct. 2013

Was unable to put this book down - was the fastest book I have ever read.just wanted to know what would happen next....

This was an exciting read and i couldn't put the book down. After forcing myself to read through the creepy start i stopped, relieved, at 3 am.

For nine years, Jillian Kane, successful architect, has kept her secret and hidden the bruises resulting from her abusive marriage. She has stayed with Gordon because initially she loved him, then because she wanted her children, Addie and Drew, to have a father. Now she realizes that Gordon has carefully manipulated the situation to make it appear that he is the perfect husband and doting father and that she is unstable and presents a danger to herself and their children. If she stays, she knows it is only a matter of time until Gordon kills her but if she takes the children and runs Gordon will eventually find her and take her children through legal means. What can she do?Never having been a victim of abuse I always find it difficult to absorb how a supposedly intelligent women who is capable of controlling a successful and lucrative career finds it impossible to take control of a situation involving domestic abuse......but that's a subject for another day and another discussion.While HUSH LITTLE BABY has all the elements of a suspenseful page turner and Suzanne Redfearn does an admirable job of depicting the brutal, controlling cop husband, the terrified wife and the children caught in the middle - this plot device has been has been done over and over again both in movies like ENOUGH with JoLo, books and made for TV movies like BLACK AND BLUE by Anna Quindlan and even in the YA genre books of Sarah Dessen leaving very little "what happens behind closed doors" subject matter left to explore. In fact, the only new "twist" Redfearn manages to pull off lies in her depiction of the affect of the lives and personalities of some of the unusual peripheral characters like Paul, Sissy, Boris, Connor and Goat on Jillian and her children and for that I applaud her.I truly have mixed emotions about this book, however I will say that in the arena of taking and old recipe and adding a new ingredient or two, Ms. Redfearn has managed to whip up a fairly appetizing new dish. 3 ½ stars

Hush Little Baby is Suzanne Redfearn's debut novel. You never really know what goes on behind closed doors - sometimes until it's too late. Jillian Kane has what looks to a perfect life - a great job, the millionaire family - a boy and girl, and her husband Gordon, who's a cop and dotes on his children. Sounds like a perfect marriage....except it's not. Gordon is a controlling, cruel man who is mentally and physically abusive to Jillian. And after nine years of hiding it from the world, Jillian is fast reaching her breaking point - except no one believes her - she's done such a great job of hiding everything. "How easy it is to sabotage a life. For a year, he's used my vanity and pride to my own demise. While I've covered up his abuse, his deceit, his lies, he took every opportunity to flaunt, exaggerate, and advertise every mistake of mine. Like a magic trick, the illusion is seamless and unchallenged, and without another explanation, it's believed." Readfearn tackles the abuse issue realistically, with questions anyone would ask. Why would Jill cover it up? Why would she stay? That final catalyst is her children - but again, Redfearn raises questions - would Jill be better off to leave them with Gordon? Jill does decide to run. Without spoiling the storyline, I am quite glad Redfearn chose to not have this turn into a seamless getaway. And to not portray Jill as a perfect mother. Redfearn slows down the story down midway to provide a 'healing' time for Jill and her kids. Her location and the characters at this juncture, although idyllic, seemed a bit far-fetched to me. But the premise introduces and reinforces what is important in life and what will sustain us at the worst of times. The suspense is excellent, with Gordon seemingly one step ahead of Jill all the time. I was invested in her attempts to best her husband at his own game and quickly kept turning pages to see if she could. This isn't a new story, but Redfearn puts her own stamp on it and does it justice. Redfearn captures the angst and terror of her main character well. Redfearn's character is an architect, borrowing from her own life. (Although she is quick to point out in the author's notes, the similarities end there - here husband is "to a wonderful, kind, not-abusive-in-any-way man".)Redfearn has blended a sensitive and always timely issue with suspenseful storyline to create a very strong debut. I quite enjoyed Hush Little Baby. Fans of Joy Fielding and Jodi Piccoult would enjoy this new author.

I always find it hard to review books with such a horrific theme and although it is easier knowing that this is not based on a true story, I know there are people out there going through similar experiences.This book brought out a lot of emotions in me, at times I was upset or scared, but I also felt anger and found myself willing the main character to succeed in her many challenges.I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout and found it hard to put the book down! This was encouraged by the very short chapters, it is so much easier to keep saying "just one more chapter..." when you know that they are only a few pages long!I thought the book was well written, descriptive enough that you felt that you were there with the characters, but not going into too much detail which can make you feel bored and not able to picture things yourself.I felt each of the characters were shown enough so that you could get a good feel for the character while still being able to piece together the rest using your imagination.I will look for more books by this author and suggest this book to my friends

Jillian has it all apparently; career, perfect family, perfect marriage. Looks an be deceiving. When confronted with facing the truth, continuing to live a lie and put herself and her children in danger, will she finally fight back? A good page turner with some twists and turns.