Allen & Unwin Hush Hush book Crime fiction English Paperback 416 pages

New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman returns to one of American fiction's most memorable Private Investigators in a devastatingly powerful mystery.

No one is quite who he or she seems. Hush Hush is the story of Melisandre - rich, beautiful, possibly insane - who has to live with the knowledge of a devastating event in her past. She has not seen her two daughters, now aged fifteen and seventeen, in the ten years since the notorious family tragedy. And her husband has moved on, married now to his personal trainer, and seemingly happy.As Melisandre returns to Baltimore from South Africa, however, there are suddenly more mysterious deaths. And quite what did happen all that time ago has never been clear - what role had each of the members of this unhappy family played? And is anyone telling the truth? Tess Monaghan, now the mother of a young girl herself, makes a return as the investigator who gets snared in the case. A hugely powerful and emotive novel about parents and children - about destructive parents who think they love their children and good parents whose children are the centre of their lives - it is also a superbly plotted mystery novel, one which will keep you hooked until the very final page.

Laura Lippman has been awarded every major prize in crime fiction. Since the publication of What the Dead Know, each of her hardcovers has hit the New York Times bestseller list. A recent recipient of the first-ever Mayor's Prize, she lives in Baltimore, New Orleans and New York City with her family. To Find out more about Laura visit www.lauralippman.com