Hush Now Baby

Sloane Monroe #6

by Cheryl Bradshaw

On a crisp, fall night, Serena Westwood wakes to the faint stirs of her crying baby. Bottle in hand, she tiptoes to the other side of the house, sneaks up to the crib, looks in. A wave of panic grips her as her real nightmare begins. Inside the crib, there is no baby.

In the blink of an eye, a baby is stolen and an adoptive mother murdered. Taking a break to visit a friend, private detective Sloane Monroe has no idea she’s about to be pulled into the most nerve-racking search of her career…

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Suspense, Crime

333 pages, ebook

First published June 27, 2014

About the author

Cheryl Bradshaw is a New York Times and 11-time USA Today bestselling author writing in multiple genres, including mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, supernatural suspense, and poetry. She is a Shamus Award finalist for best private eye novel of the year, an eFestival of Words winner for best thriller, and has published over fifty books since 2011.

Raised in Southern California, she now lives in North Texas. When she's not writing, she loves jet-setting to new countries, exploring the outdoors, and playing with her grandbabies.

For a free eBook, click here: http://cherylbradshaw.com/get-a-free-...

Book series in order by Cheryl Bradshaw:

Georgiana Germaine (Mystery Series)

1. Little Girl Lost - USA Today Bestseller
2. Little Lost Secrets
3. Little Broken Things
4. Little White Lies
5. Little Tangled Webs
6. Little Shattered Dreams
7. Little Last Words
8. Little Buried Secrets
9. Little Stolen Memories
10. Little Empty Promises
11. Little Hidden Fears

Sloane Monroe Mystery/Thriller Series

0. Silent As the Grave (prequel to series)
1. Black Diamond Death
2. Murder in Mind
3. I Have a Secret
4. Stranger in Town - Shamus Award Finalist
5. Bed of Bones - USA Today Bestseller
6. Hush Now Baby - USA Today Bestseller
7. Gone Daddy Gone - USA Today Bestseller
8. Smoke and Mirrors - USA Today Bestseller

Sloane Monroe Stories - Mystery Novella Series
(with characters from the main series)

1. Deadly Sins: Sloth
2. Deadly Sins: Wrath
3. Deadly Sins: Lust
4. Deadly Sins: Greed
5. Deadly Sins: Envy
6. Deadly Sins: Pride

Sloane & Maddie Peril Awaits - Mystery Series
(Spinoff Series with Sloane Monroe & her sidekick Maddie)

1. The Silent Boy
2. The Shadow Children
3. The Broken Soul
4. The Widow Maker
5. The Familiar Stranger

Addison Lockhart Ghost Mystery Series

1. Grayson Manor Haunting
2. Rosecliff Manor Haunting
3. Blackthorn Manor Haunting
4. Belle Manor Haunting
5. Crawley Manor Haunting

Stand Alone Mystery/Thriller Novels

1. Eye for Revenge - USA Today Bestseller
2. The Perfect Lie
3. Hickory Dickory Dead - USA Today Bestseller
4. Roadkill - USA Today Bestseller

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent mystery with some interesting twists and surprising conclusion.

The characters were less than exciting… the stoic detective who refuses she has any feelings, combined with the rugged small town sheriff is getting a bit tiresome. Maybe the earlier books in this series were better.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adopted baby is missing and his adopted mother is murdered. The father is grieving. The birth mother was a young woman who was having second thoughts about giving up the baby. It sounds like an open and shut case, right? Well, not quite....

That is the setting for "Hush Now Baby", the sixth book in Cheryl Bradshaw' s Sloane Monroe series. In this story, Sloane is taking a break from investigations to regroup. She heads out to visit her friend Case. But he lives in the town where the baby was abducted and is related to the father. Sloane gets involved in the case despite the objection of the police chief. What follows is a gripping story that leaves the reader feeling every emotion from anger to joy and sadness. There are many twists in this story so mystery readers who feel cheated when they figure out a case early in the book need not worry. Also, many characters play important roles in this book. That can be confusing, but Ms. Bradshaw does a good job of keeping the reader involved in all the character's actions and feelings so has not to get everything jumbled into one mess.

I have read every book in this series and it just keeps getting better. Not only for the mystery stories but also for the connection readers will have with Sloane and her personal struggles. This part of the story takes a few twists in this book as well and the ending for this side is just as much a mystery as the hunt for the baby. The manner in which Ms. Bradshaw weaves these together in each book shows her talent as an author and is why this series is one that I highly recommend.

[Laken · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love free things. I like being able to download books for free, and when I saw that this book was free, I snatched it up.

A regrettable decision.

Hush Now Baby is the sixth book in the Sloane Monroe series, and warning there will be spoilers below.


The plot of the book is to find a kidnapped baby boy after his adoptive mother is murdered in cold blood, and yet that plot takes a backseat to what Bradshaw really wants to write about: Slone and Cade’s “relationship”. Cade is like Giovanni is like Nick; hopelessly in love with Sloane yet she shows no interest (rather she has ‘feelings’ for Cade but doesn’t act on them or whatever…) There is an attempt at the end of a sort of ‘will they or won’t they’ angle regarding them getting together but…it’s sudden and dull. Sloane’s love life is what bogged down my enjoyment of the second book in the series, Murder in Mind; only Giovanni was written even worse. Nothing says “romance” like a one-dimensional mafia boss who only has eyes for you. She’s emotionless and it’s hard to find interest in a character’s potential romance when said character isn’t even interested in romance. There’s death, secrets, very little detective work and a strange aversion to going to the police about attempted murder. Once I got to Sloane having found the killer, I expected some sort of showdown or explanation as to why he did what he did, in his own words, but…nothing. He just shoots himself and wow, Sloane is the hero. Boring.

As for the characters? There’s a lot of them. Sloane and Cade are the gruesome twosome, a private investigator and a police detective who together, manage to make one somewhat competent person. I say that because during the book, a deceased infant is found (for whatever reason) and Sloane takes it upon herself to find out if it’s Finn. She compares a picture of the dead baby and Finn (a baby she also hadn’t seen before) and concludes that it’s not him, even though I would assume authorities would have figured out that the deceased baby wasn’t Finn when he was found.
Serena Westwood is the murder victim that kicks off the plot, and Finn is supposed to be the driving force. Shelby flip flops between being a stereotypical teenage girl—can we please kill the “gonna wear my Decent Clothes out the house but change into my Slutty Attire when I get to school” trope that plagues female teenage characters?? —and something of a child in a teenager’s body. The only character I liked had to be Wendy, Shelby’s mother and Cade’s ex, simply because the book wanted me to hate her. I mean really, Wendy’s treatment reads like something I would have written when I was twelve and thought bashing female characters was “deep”. She shows up for Serena’s funeral because she’s her friend and Sloane has a problem with her, because of course she does, but then everyone else shits on her too. Sloane does change her mind about Wendy though, which is better than what it could have been.

After all this, one must wonder why I struggled through this book to the end and the answer is? Boredom.

[Ruth Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hush Now Baby is an interesting blend of comfortable characters and shocking details. The book begins with the death of a new mom shot in cold blood when she responds to the cries of her infant son. From there fans of the Sloane Monroe series is reintroduced to characters they have met in the first five books. Some they likely loved and at least one they probably enjoy disliking.

This fast pace book ends up addressing two crimes and the impact of the second death is hard to deal with. I have not read any of the previous stories and it was not required to enjoy this one. I will likely be on the lookout for the other copies.

I actually listened to this book in a single day. The last 90 minutes while in a car with a friend who I thought was asleep. When a very surprising decision is made by a character at the end, she suddenly sprung to life to ask, "Wait what just happened!"

If you are looking for a good book for your commute - Hush Now Baby is the right choice.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly fast read and a good quick detective story. I liked how fast paced and concise it was.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have lived this series. The book could stand alone but the characters are easily followed as there's not too many

Many i haven't been able to put books down even falling asleep with book in hand can't wait to read next one

[Lee Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well thought out characters. Will look for more of her books.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be back to review this properly in the future. Going back to read the first book in the series as I have read none of them and got this one.

[Sher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Very predictable.

[Marley]

This was an extremely quick read for me. I got it off of Book Bub mainly because of it's adoption theme, and I liked the idea that the average AdoptionLand Crazy would be "triggered" by it. After all, Adopt-a- Highway triggers them.

I'm giving the book 3 stars, though 3 1/2 would be more like it. I felt like the author didn't know very much about how adoption works, but the interview with Teresa Foster, the adoption agent at Precious Gift Adoption Agency is great. Even the easily triggered might have enjoyed it. And they'd probably like the end, too.

The plot wasn't as tricky as I was led to believe it was, which pulls down my rating. And I could do without the budding romance between Sloane and Cade, and Cade's habit of leaving the "g" off of words got on my nerves. This book is part of a series, so maybe if I"d read the othes, the romance would have held more interest. Still there are some great characrters in the book: Bonnie and Wendy in particular. The ending was well...far fetched, but the more mysteries I read ,the more I see that.

[Becki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do the majority of female detective books have the heroine being so messed up she can’t love or even admit her feelings to herself let alone others? These should be strong willed women with backbones made of steel! I did enjoy the book and it was well written. But I probably should’ve started at book one since this book eluded to several things that happened in previous books.

[Cindy Segal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to be Sloan's friend.

I have not read all of the books in this series, but I like how Sloan's character grows. The plot was good but there were times that I didn't feel like there was much going on to solve the problem (no spoilers here), and then the resolution took no time at all. I am not sure if this makes.sense but it is the best I can do.

[Donald Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A psychological as well as a mystery story.

The main character ,sloan, finds herself deeply confused about her own feelings concerning her personal life and her professional life. She take on a new case with her fellow crime stopper and not only solves the case but finds she has feeling for her partner and his family.

[Illustrious Illusions · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, this can be read without reading others in the series. I read book 7 before book 6 so there was some background and some spoilers going into this one. But Ms. Bradshaw writes a compelling story with great characters and awesome storyline.

[Steve Hildebrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story but somewhat predictable

I liked the characters in this story and the way they interacted I was somewhat disappointed though that the story was somewhat easy to figure out. Now i must also add that I probably won't be reading any more of this author's books.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good plot with interesting characters. Although the plot is a common one in mystery and suspense novels, Cheryl Bradshaw adds enough unique twists to keep the story fresh. I do think a little more background about Sloane Monroe would've helped that part of the story make more sense.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I’ve enjoyed this series and the storyline in each book. This one has a lot more going on regarding Sloane personally and some issues she’s dealing with. However, she gets the job she set out to do done.

[Robert Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, you come across a book that grabs you from the first line, connecting on a deeper level than most books. Hush Now Baby was one of those books with a slick, but friendly style that took you into its confidence and promised a memorable journey.

Sloane Monroe, a Private Investigator who’s questioning her choice of career after several people she cared about suffered during recent investigations. Not having read the first five books in the series, I can only guess at what happened, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment as this reads well as a standalone.

Then there’s Cade, a local law enforcement officer who could be more than a friend if only Sloane could overcome her fears and doubts and open up. Their relationship was beautifully portrayed through each tentative step as the investigation into his cousin’s murder gathered pace.

Yes, the investigation is personal, adding another layer to the story.

There’s lots of introspection and anxiety, but this doesn’t stop Sloane from being a gutsy and witty PI, with more than a nod or three to Kinsey Millhone, Sue Grafton’s iconic heroine. But Sloane’s no carbon copy.

The pace is steady, building the suspense in small increments. There’s a heavy accent on the characters and their relationships, all skilfully observed and drawn, creating a rich backstory that runs like silk through the story. But this is as much a story about people as it is a murder investigation and better for it, in my opinion.

And having visited Jackson Hole in Wyoming, where the story takes place, it brought back some happy memories.

I will definitely be reading more of the series as I love the author’s distinctive style and rich array of characters.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

sloane the pi is visiting her friend
his cousin and his wife had adopted a son
someone came into the babys room at night and shot and killed the wife (who was unable to have kids but was preg)

sloane and her friend (a cop) are trying to figure out who kidnapped the baby

they got in touch with the birth mother, who did not want to give the baby up. she knew nothing about it, and her boyfriend didnt either

the girls father didnt know she had been preg, she was staying at a aunts. the girls father abused her and her mom

the girl called sloan for help, then overdosed. sloane wasnt able to help her and she died

they continue to try and figure out who took the baby

there was another woman in the hospital when the baby was born, her baby died

the baby was stolen and given to her to replace hers, but she didnt want it and was so upset
they tied her up. it was her husband who she wanted to divorce

they found them and called the cops. the baby was returned to the dad but he cant raise him so he gave him to the aunt

the pi sloane really likes the cop she was visiting. dont know if she will stay there?

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Hush Now Baby” is our third full-length crime novel featuring Bradshaw’s PI Sloane Monroe, 6th in a currently 8-book set. While we like the author’s writing well enough, we’re not really that fond of her protagonist nor, in this case, particularly the plot-crafting skills on display. Sloane opens the tale in listless doldrums, having not worked at all for half a year, presumably due to some recent adversity in former outings. When an adoptive mother loosely related to her current boyfriend (of sorts, tirelessly like always) is murdered and her baby kidnapped, Sloane goes into action to help all concerned find the child, if not the perp. Two more murders heighten the suspense until the matter resolves fairly well.

We found it hard to get all that upset by the goings-on, and felt the third murder was out of line, the discovery of which (by our heroine, naturally) just made things too easy. The revelation of bystanders in the maternity ward when the now missing baby was born were a tad hard to swallow – and frankly the whole story was just not that engaging. Oh well. {2.5}

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack comes home from work and finds his wife dead on the floor and their adopted baby Finn missing. Sloane is now staying with Cade, who looks to be her next boyfriend, and Jack is Cade's cousin. So of course they both get involved. Cade's cousin Grace, Jack's sister, also shows up and calls Jack's mother to come and help him. Grace claims that Finn's birth mother didn't want to give the baby up, but was forced to by her domineering father. As the race to find baby Finn alive continues, Sloane meets the birth mother and begins to feel sympathetic towards her, too. This plot was a little more convoluted than the previous ones because of the various relationships that kept getting introduced - or maybe I just read it too quickly! This entire series will be a good one to reread, as I enjoyed them all and powered through the first six books very quickly. I highly recommend the series.

[Stephanie Herron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highs and lows

Sloane is staying with Cade after selling her house. She is overwhelmed by all the loss in her life and is trying to figure out what to do next. A new case finds her when Cade's cousin comes home to find his wife dead and their newly adopted son missing. Cade's ex-wife comes back for the funeral and creates havoc and turmoil for everyone. They come to find out there is another reason she is there and it's not a good one. They find the teenage mom who have the baby up for adoption and Sloane gets sucked into trying to help Hannah who is caught trying to escape an abusive family. Finding Finn takes several wrong turns and even when they are successful, it's not what they expected. Even the ending has you wondering how the family will go on after such a tragedy.

[Maureen Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second Sloan Monroe book that I read. I really like her character. She has the sense of a great private investigator and has now grown in her friendship with Cade McCoy, the soon to be Chief of Police I Jackson Hole, WY. Taking a break to visit Cade, Sloane has no idea she is about to be pulled into the most nerve-wracking search of her career ...

The story begins on a crisp, fall night when Serena Westwood wakes to the faint stirs of her crying baby. Bottle in hand, she tiptoes to the other side of the house, sneaks up to the crib and picks up her newly adopted son, Finn. A wave of panic suddenly grips her as she realizes she is not alone in the room. With no time to think, she is brutally shot and the baby is taken.
This book is fast paced and intricate in its plot. The ending is quite unexpected.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to take time off and sort things out when a case falls in your lap. Sloane jumps right in as usual, asking probing questions ... interfering with or showing up the official investigation (take your pick) ... finding out things and able to connect the dots when most wouldn't notice a connection. I think her troubled past is part of what makes her good at what she does. That and having it in her genes. This case is about a baby being taken from his home and the adopted mother being killed. Sloane and Cade follow every lead, no matter how insignificant, to uncover more pieces to the overall puzzle. It isn't an open and shut case (they never are with Sloane) but eventually all is known and I'm left wondering why people do these things to other people in the first place.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Cheryl Bradshaw book I have read and it wasn't as good as the first. (Gone Daddy Gone). I found this quite tame and predictable. No excitement, no real suspense.

On a crisp, fall night, Serena Westwood wakes to the faint stirs of her crying baby. Bottle in hand, she tiptoes to the other side of the house, sneaks up to the crib, looks in. A wave of panic grips her as her real nightmare begins. Inside the crib, there is no baby.

In the blink of an eye, a baby is stolen and an adoptive mother murdered. Taking a break to visit a friend, private detective Sloane Monroe has no idea she’s about to be pulled into the most nerve-racking search of her career…

[Terhi Tatjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow this one is definitely all about the baby, and with it, Sloane's past trauma comes out with a vengeance. She starts off floating through life after not really knowing if she want to continue being a PI. But... I do love how she has a breakthrough, an emotional turning point towards the end of the book, character growth, yay! Kids seem to be a theme for her as a PI, and this story was the most hardcore one of them so far.

Favorite Line ~ "With great losses come great wins. Don't let your failures define you, or they'll haunt you until you're consumed with grief from events you never had the ability to control in the first place."

[Randy McKevitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Book

As always, she wrote an interesting, well-paced book. There is enough action for any guy and enough romance for any gal. However, I do prefer a story where the detective figures out who the villain is and how to find her or him, instead of getting a lucky break. Still, an engaging writing style and an actual command of the English language makes for an interesting and enjoyable read (so many authors on the internet lack the ability to use proper grammar and often misuse words).

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Brilliant Series

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in Cheryl Bradshaw's series of Sloane Monroe. Following Sloane Monroe as she battles through her own life as she had to live her childhood with an abusive father and her sister was murdered. Sloane takes on a new case with and for her friend Cade who is a detective. Jack is Cade's cousin and is married to Serena, they have adopted a little baby named Flynn. When Serena is murdered and the baby goes missing, Sloane and Cade start investigating. Page turning. Highly recommend.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hush Now Baby

This was another addition to the Sloane Monroe saga and her growing romance with Cade McCoy. After trying to recover from her last case where her friend Carlos was killed, Sloane visits Cade. Sloane is lost and has not taken on anymore cases. Her granny takes her on a trip to try and help her but this didn’t work. The last resort after selling her house was Cade. A tragedy happens within Cades family and Sloane is asked to pair up with Cade on a new case. This was a good mystery thriller. I’ve enjoyed this series and look forward to books 7&8.

[Leslie McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of a series, but I’ve never read any of the others. So, I would say that it could be a standalone, as I wasn’t lost. The characters are well crafted, as is the storyline. It’s a quick read with some unexpected twists. Fans of mysteries will likely find this enjoyable.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.