Hush Little Fire, Judith Newcomb Stiles
Hush Little Fire, Judith Newcomb Stiles
List: $18.99 | Sale: $13.29
Club: $9.49

Hush Little Fire
A Novel

Author: Judith Newcomb Stiles

Narrator: Julia Stiles, Jane Stiles, Preston Cook, EJ Lavery, Linda Jones

Unabridged: 9 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/27/2025


Synopsis

Secrets implode and generations of lies boil over into deadly consequences when a suspicious fire breaks out Christmas Night on Cape Cod.
This enthralling and darkly humorous debut novel of abortion, adoption, and long-buried truths will captivate readers who loved Lessons in Chemistry and Where the Crawdads Sing.
When Mary Newcombe dutifully returns to Cape Cod with her twelve-year-old son to celebrate Christmas with her adoptive mother, Birdie, the only part of the trip she looks forward to is digging beach clay for pottery to stoke her beloved kiln. But while she’s home, a suspicious fire destroys the town health clinic, and Mary becomes a leading suspect.
Mary can’t remember the night of the fire (too much eggnog) and, as always, her mother isn’t talking. Birdie has kept secrets from Mary her entire life, beginning with the truth about Mary’s birth mother. When Mary discovers her adoptive father socked away a small fortune performing pre-Roe v. Wade illegal abortions in the clinic that burned to the ground, she’s done with being kept in the dark. As the days tick by and pressures mount to find the arsonist, Mary digs deeper into Wellfleet’s history, and more secrets start to unfurl.
Meanwhile, Mary’s cousin Jimmy is acting strangely and suddenly, so is her son. As the FBI zeros in on Mary, and another fire burns in the harbor, it's time for Mary and Birdie to face a long brewing reckoning.
A cross-generational mystery told through the perspectives of four women living on the underbelly of Cape Cod, Hush Little Fire is the perfect read for fans of Bonnie Garmus, Dennis Lehane, and Adrienne Brodeur.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Wendy on August 12, 2025

A captivating story, set in Cape Cod, involving adoption, abortion and long-buried secrets. Debut author, Judith Newcomb Stiles gives us a realistic tale of mystery with many twists and turns. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.......more

Goodreads review by Nicki on July 06, 2025

"Hush Little Fire" is a mystery surrounding a New England clinic fire and the cast of characters in the small Cape Cod community who may have been involved. The book is told from the point-of-view of several residents and visitors who are in the area for the holidays, with the majority of the narrat......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on March 13, 2026

When a suspicious fire destroys a Cape Cod health clinic during Mary Newcombe’s Christmas visit home, she becomes the prime suspect despite having no memory of that night. As she digs into her family’s long-buried secrets and the town’s hidden history, Mary uncovers truths that could change everythi......more

Goodreads review by Jen on July 23, 2025

For Fans of the Wonderfully Weird If "A Confederacy of Dunces" and a Christopher Moore novel had a lovechild after one too many espresso martinis, it might look a lot like Hush Little Fire. Judith Stiles isn’t writing for the masses—she’s writing for the wonderfully weird among us, and I, for one, am......more

Goodreads review by Darcey on January 20, 2025

A must read! This enthralling book takes you on a page-turning ride from the very first sentence. When a fire breaks out, Mary Newcombe—who has just returned home for the holidays—becomes the leading suspect. Told through four distinct female perspectives, it takes the reader beyond the Cape Cod we......more