Leading a quiet, sterile life as a criminology professor in a small Ontario town, Ivy Dunlap’s biggest annoyance is a loud, insistent woodpecker outside her window. But when she gets a call from the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, saying only “It’s happening again,” Ivy knows that her interlude of sanctuary has come to an end. Sixteen years ago, the Madonna Murderer, a violent psychopath, brutally stabbed thirteen single mothers and suffocated their infant sons. When the murders stopped abruptly, the case grew cold, and no arrests were ever made. Now it looks like the Madonna Murderer is back, and more sadistic than before. The Superintendent is the only person who knows Ivy’s connection to the original murders, but he explains her presence on the multidisciplinary task force by pointing out her expertise as a criminal profiler.

Max Irving, Chief of Homicide, has his own personal problems, primarily his 16 year old son Ethan, who seems headed for juvenile detention. He’s also bothered by the media’s relentless hounding, as they demand to know why he can’t protect Chicago’s women and children. So the last thing Max needs is some useless college professor tagging after him as he desperately tries to solve the case before the body count increases. However, he finds Ivy surprisingly tough, and she provides valuable insights into the mind of the killer. But as they get closer to narrowing down the search, the violence escalates. The Madonna Murderer is mad, and his anger is now aimed directly at Max and Ivy.

Frasier’s world is a dark one, without any idealism, as demonstrated by Max’s bleak perspective:

The United States was full of rootless, empty kids who played video games all day. In between, they skateboarded down immaculate sidewalks past yards that had never known a weed. And if you looked into their eyes, you didn’t see a dream of the future there, just a weird emptiness. Max didn’t know what the answer was; all he knew was that somewhere along the line, they’d all taken a wrong turn.

Despite their cynicism and weariness from too much exposure to violent crime, Max and Ivy are grimly determined to protect their less-than-perfect world. Their troubled but highly sympathetic characters, and the slowly growing bond between them, make Hush more than a violent scream-fest. While the slightest hint of romance between Max and Ivy emerges towards the end of the novel, their friendship is even more valuable to Ivy; she finally finds another person who can understand the tragic events that led her to this critical juncture.

The reader experiences the Madonna Murderer’s point of view just enough to be horrified by his insanity, but he never threatens to take over the novel. This allows other dynamics, such as Max’s tenuous relationship with Ethan, to be carefully explored. A few secondary characters appear slightly superfluous at first, but skilled storyteller Frasier gradually knits the skeins of their subplots together during the book’s last hundred pages. While Ivy and Max triumph, it’s not without great cost to both of them, and the chilling epilogue indicates that their work is far from over.

I don’t know if the novel’s conclusion means that Frasier intends to revisit these characters, but I certainly hope she writes more suspense novels. This woman understands the dark side and isn’t afraid to explore it. Frankly, I can’t imagine her ever going back to a simple “happily-ever-after” again.

--Susan Scribner