Hush: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kate White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

When Lake Warren learns that her husband Jack is suing for full custody of their two kids, four months after their separation, she's pretty certain that things can't get any worse. The upside is that she's working with the Advanced Fertility Center as a marketing consultant, alongside the attractive, flirtatious Dr. Keaton. But when, the morning after their one-night stand, she finds Keaton with his throat slashed, Lake learns that things can indeed become worse - they can become deadly. So not to jeopardise her case for custody, Lake is forced to lie to the police. Having just been intimate with a man who has been murdered, and wanting to protect herself from being charged with the crime, she begins her own investigation. But when the police start looking at her closely, people at the clinic start treating her with hostility, and strange and dangerous clues begin dropping-quite literally-on her doorstep, Lake realises that she is dangerously close to dark truths about Keaton and the clinic. But can Lake stop what she's started before it's too late?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller White, Cosmo's editor-in-chief, takes a break from her Bailey Weggins series (Lethally Blond, etc.) with this stand-alone thriller that generates a real sense of jeopardy while avoiding clichés. Newly divorced 44-year-old marketing consultant Lake Warren finds her latest job devising a marketing plan for a Manhattan fertility clinic rewarding until her ex-husband, Jack, sues for full custody of their two young children. While her lawyer warns her not even to date so Jack won't have leverage against her, Lake gives in to a one-night stand with the clinic's flirtatious Dr. Keaton. After falling asleep on his penthouse terrace, Lake wakes to find Keaton murdered. Worried that the police will accuse her of the murder, Lake begins her own investigation until she learns that someone is stalking her. A subplot about the clinic's questionable practices adds to the tension, but doesn't detract from the main plot with its myriad twists. (Feb.)
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Review

“Utterly compelling . . . A classic page turner.” (Karin Slaughter, author of Undone )

“Murder and lust make for a page-turner.” (Harper's Bazaar )

“A stand-alone thriller that generates a real sense of jeopardy while avoiding clichés. . . . A subplot about the clinic’s questionable practices adds to the tension, but doesn’t detract from the main plot with its myriad twists.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Dark, sexy, and smart, HUSH is a pulse-pounding thriller that’s both chilling and provocative. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop - or guess who or why - until the very end. A stunningly good read.” (Linda Fairstein, author of Hell Gate )

“In her first stand-alone thriller, White effectively blends mommy-lit issues with murder and suspense. . . . The mix of family pressures and murderous suspense makes this a page-turner.” (Library Journal )

“Kate White delivers a top-notch, nail-biting thriller. . . . Lake Warren’s personal complications make her a compelling character, and the nonstop action leads to a deliciously scary conclusion.” (Romantic Times )

“A nerve-jangling adrenaline rush! From the first sentence to the last, Kate White catapults you into a tense vortex of deceit, danger, and double-crosses, where one wrong word is all it takes to lose everything. When in doubt, hush...” (Lisa Gardner, author of The Neighbor )

“Sexy and suspenseful, Kate White’s HUSH is a true page-turner. The subtle twists and turns on the glamorous streets of New York City are going to thrill White’s longtime fans and earn her a legion of brand new readers. A clever, fast-paced thriller!” (Lisa Unger, author of Die for You and Beautiful Lies )

“A real page-turner.” (Today Show )

“A sharp-edged thriller . . . Sexy suspense.” (New York Daily News )

“Kate White places her wily heroine in a real jam, then keeps her, as well as readers, asking ‘Whodunit?’ right up till the gripping finale.” (Sandra Brown, author of Rainwater )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061576611
• ISBN-13: 978-0061576614
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #681,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kate White is recognized internationally as not only the veteran editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the best-selling women's magazine in the world, but also as the critically acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction books. Few high-profile editors have successfully balanced the rigors of overseeing a major magazine title with a thriving and independent writing career.

It all began when Kate won Glamour magazine's Top Ten College Women contest and appeared on the cover. Kate earned a position at the magazine and quickly rose from editorial assistant to feature writer and columnist. After holding key jobs at several national magazines, she became an editor-in-chief, running four magazines (including Redbook) before taking the helm at Cosmopolitan in 1998.

Drawing on experiences from her successful career, Kate published the bestselling career bibles Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead...but Gutsy Girls Do in 1995 and 9 Secrets of Women who Get Everything They Want in 1998. Her most recent nonfiction book, You on Top: Smart Sexy Skills Every Woman Needs to Set the World on Fire published in 2006.

But Kate also has a passion for writing fiction. In penning her first novel, If Looks Could Kill, in 2002--which was selected as Live With Regis and Kelly's first Reading With Ripa Book Club pick--Kate introduced her gutsy and irreverent sleuth, Bailey Weggins. Ms. Weggins went on to solve more grisly murders and entertain readers in A Body to Die For (2003), 'Til Death Do Us Part (2004), Over Her Dead Body (2005), and then again in Lethally Blond (2007), all New York Times bestsellers. The books were recently optioned by Lions Gate Pictures.

Kate's highly anticipated first thriller, HUSH, with her new publisher HarperCollins, will be available in bookstores March 2010. HUSH marks Kate's entry into a whole new genre. Set in the world of fertility clinics and hailed as a "pulse-pounding, chilling, and provocative" read, it's the story of an ordinary woman who flees the scene of a murder and realizes it's not just the law that is hunting her.

Kate's writer's eye has been described by the New York Times as "scathingly observant," capturing "the mood...with a verisimilitude some of her peers might recognize." The Los Angeles Times says of Kate's work: "It's like devouring a box of chocolates!"

Through her magazine work and books, Kate White has influenced at least two generations of women with her unique honesty, passion, and imagination. She is the winner of the Matrix Award for Outstanding Achievement in Communication, as well as the Woodhall Institute Award for Ethical Leadership.

Kate currently resides in Manhattan with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Tell me this isn't happening.", March 2, 2010

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hush: A Novel (Hardcover)

In Kate White's "Hush," forty-four year old Lake Warren's life is going downhill. Her husband of fifteen years, Jack, has left her, and he is suing for custody of their two children. To make matters worse, Lake has reason to believe that someone at the Park Avenue Fertility Center, where she works as a marketing consultant, may be up to no good. One night, Lake makes a mistake in judgment that may have catastrophic consequences. She winds up at the scene of a murder, although she does not actually see the killer. Fearing that Jack will use her involvement as ammunition in their custody battle, she decides not to reveal the truth to the authorities. If the detectives investigating the case find out that Lake has withheld information, they may prosecute her for obstruction of justice, or even worse, accuse her of committing the crime herself.

This is a competently written, albeit formulaic, thriller in which White covers all of the usual bullet points: Beautiful damsel in distress turns sleuth. When she is threatened, she wonders if her nasty soon-to-be ex-husband is responsible--or perhaps the aforementioned killer, believing that Lake knows more than she is revealing, is trying to frighten her. Unexpectedly, a new man enters Lake's life who just might be the cure for what ails her.

Although the plot is hardly original, White does a capable job of generating enough suspense to keep us turning the pages. In addition, she makes us care about Lake's predicament, insuring that we will stick around to see how she extricates herself from this gigantic mess. "Hush" is a quick, painless, and undemanding read, perfect for an afternoon or two of escapist pleasure.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Silly and contrived, March 25, 2010

By 

M4 "in Ma." (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hush: A Novel (Hardcover)

Read a great review of this book describing it as a smart thriller and was very disappointed. Although the stories of women encountering infertility were poignant and rang with some truth, mostly however I found this novel dumb and predictable. What I cannot figure out is how this book was published with so many editorial problems. Three characters in a row, in unconnected dialogue exclaim that they must "dash" as they are leaving ... Really?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MURDER, SUSPENSE, AND A FERTILITY CLINIC, August 1, 2010

By 

Laurel-Rain Snow "Rain" "Rainy Days" (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hush: A Novel (Hardcover)

When you think the worst has happened, how will you cope with something even more malevolent? These are questions for our heroine Lake Warren. Finding out that her estranged husband Jack is suing for custody of their children seemingly pales when, after a one-night stand with a colleague, Lake finds him murdered in the bed. And from there, things turn even more deadly.

She knows that her presence at the victim's apartment will arouse suspicion, so she doesn't turn to the police...Her custody case and all. But as everything spirals out of control and she finds herself smack in the middle of a dark mystery at the fertility clinic where she works, she feels totally alone. And who can she trust? Everyone she knows could be part of some scandalous dealings at the clinic.

From the first sentences in this story, I was hooked. Lake was a well-drawn and believable character who just kept stepping into the midst of one kind of jeopardy or another. As each character entered the storyline, I found myself wary of each one. Even the kindest of characters was suspect in my mind...the story unfolded in such a way as to enhance the suspense and save the telling details until the very end. Flipping pages as rapidly as possible, I finally reached the satisfying conclusion.

When it comes to thrillers, Hush: A Novel was definitely a winner, and so is Kate White. Five stars for the suspense, the thrill rides, and the vivid characters that brought the plot to a grand finale.