Jillian Kane is a successful architect. She has a handsome, well-respected and well-connected husband and two lovely children. To all who know them, the Kanes seem to have the perfect life.
For years, Jillian has been hiding her husband's physical and emotional abuse. She wears scarves and long sleeve shirts to cover the bruises and makes excuses to keep co-workers and friends from suspecting. She wants to leave but it won't be easy. Her husband threatens to keep her from her children and the violence escalates. Jillian is willing to do anything to keep her children safe. After initially, making some instinctive yet not careful choices, Jillian finally realizes that she must be wise and cunning to defeat her husband and rescue her children.
Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn is an emotional and thrilling ride from the first page. I was nervous for Jillian constantly and Redfearn expertly creates the tension that makes the reader worried that Jillian will be caught at the turn of every page. There were times, as Jillian narrates her story, that I felt like the disbelieving friends and relatives, certain she is exaggerating. Can he be that bad? Could he get away with that much? Jillian's character is also an oxymoron--at once a successful and strategic architect and next a terrified wife making impulsive and hasty decisions. This might actually be indicative of a woman in a long-term abusive relationship and if so, is an eye-opening study.
The ending is a bit rushed as many short chapters advance the plot at a breakneck pace. Some of the tension and build-up is actually lost in the speed. Other than that, Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn succeeds as an exhausting yet thrilling read.
**I received a complimentary copy of Hush Little Baby in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.**
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