Jennifer Hillier's Goodreads bio says she writes about "dark, twisty people who do dark, twisty things." That pretty much sums up Jar of Hearts. At its core Jar of Hearts is a good old fashioned murder mystery-but as the saying goes "the devil is in the details." And the details are horrifying-fourteen years ago Angela Wong never returned home from a party, leaving her friends bewildered and her parents heartbroken. But Angela's best friend Georgina "Geo" knew what happened to Angela-but said nothing until Angela's dismembered body is found mere yards from Geo's house. By this time Georgina is VP of a pharmaceutical company and is engaged to the CEO. In exchange for her testimony against Angela's killer (who is also Geo's ex boyfriend, Calvin), Geo receives five years in prison as an accomplice to the crime. Calvin is sentenced to life in prison, but he escapes and has remained on the run for years. After Geo is released from prison several murders occur with striking similarities to Angela's. Has Calvin returned to hunt Geo down for testifying against him? Is there more to the story than Geo is letting on? Any decent writer can build suspense when the "who dunnit" is unknown-only a few can keep the momentum going once the killer is revealed-and Ms. Hillier does that in spades. Jar of Hearts is gritty and gruesome. No death is pretty, but the ones in Jar of Hearts set a new standard for ugly. That Ms. Hillier can even remotely humanize (and even get us to sympathize with) the despicable characters in her story is a crowning achievement on its own. While reading Jar of Hearts I thought "this will make a great movie"-and plans for that are already in the works. Due to its graphic detail, Jar of Hearts is probably not for everyone-but if you're looking for a gutsy, no holds barred murder mystery-you won't be disappointed.

This is one of those books you cannot put down. All through it are little surprises all the way to the end with the biggest surprise. I highly recommend this book, I read it in two days.

Three friends attend a party- Geo, Angela and Kai.

Only two make it home that night.

One grows up seeking the truth of what happened that fateful night.
One already knows.

One grows up to become a cop and uphold the law.
One ends up in jail.

Told in 5 parts: (The 5 stages of grief as explained by Kubler-Ross) from the POV’s of Geo and Kaiser
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

A well written crime novel but NOT for the faint of heart. This serial killer is gruesome.

Definitely some surprises, though I personally struggled to accept one of the reveals.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Jennifer Hillier, and Minotaur Publishing for the ARC I received in exchange for a candid review. This book will be available for purchase on June 12th, 2018!

Easily one of the best books I've read this year. Normally, with so many different "voices" a book can be hard to follow, but this, this was "unputdownable." Incredible introduction to this author. I will be looking for more!

This book kept me up very late because I just couldn't bring myself to put it down!

It was interesting how you are placed in the middle of the sequence of crimes. It was a interesting perspective on the story and very well done. I will admit as soon as you found out she was raped and more details of the new cases you could figure it out, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the rest of the story.

A good thriller.

This is an exceptionally well-crafted thriller with an ending that completely surprised me.

While the prison scenes are especially well done, the entire book transports you – sometimes to places you’d rather not go.

While the story is a violent one, there’s so much emotional heartbreak and abuse in the book that the psychological aspect of it is just as jarring and horrific as the physical aspect.

And while our characters surprised and even shocked me at times, I loved them.

I will very happily read this author in the future!

Loved this thriller! Geo and Angela were best friends in high school until Geo began dating 21-year-old Calvin. Jealousy flared and tragedy ensued leaving Angela missing and found dead after fourteen years. Calvin is arrested and Geo is also sentenced to prison as an accomplice and it is there the story really begins as we follow her journey for the five years she is incarcerated. Old flame, Kai, now a police officer is of course conflicted, but he vows to get the truth as more bodies are uncovered. What is the truth? How many secrets are buried along with the corpses? More than you know! I thought I had it figured out but I wasn't even close. This kept me turning pages long into the night until the end! What a thrill ride!

Wow! Excellently written, soooo hard to put it down. A great read, highly recommend. I'd give it more stars if I could.

EXCELLENTLY written thriller that had me hooked from the start. I loved the author's main characters and the doubt you had on what was going on. I didn't guess the twist near the end and I always enjoy when I can't figure it out. Great pacing and story development--loved it. 5 stars!

A good story about love and hatred. Well written and gripping. This was one hard to put down. The characters were believable and the author was able to make you care about them. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a well written story.

The first chapter of this book grabbed me and I was excited to keep reading. Unfortunately, while fast-paced, the rest of the book did not live up to the beginning. I found the switch between present and past tense distracting. All the characters turned out to be unlikable. I skimmed over the graphic violence and must have missed a key plot point because when I finished the book I had questions about how the killer knew X and Y. I can see why this book has so many high reviews, it just wasn't for me.

Sixteen year old Geo has been sent to prison after confessing that she was involved in the of murder of her best friend. She was in love with Calvin who turns into an evil serial killer who escapes shortly after being convicted and sent to prison.. Now, fourteen years later, more horrendous murders occur. Kai, Geo's best friend, is a police officer, is looking for Calvin.

Jar of Hearts (love the tltle) takes place at the present time with frequent flashbacks. It is gritty, violent, and well written - very difficult to put down. It is a dark twisted tale with some surprises (shocks). Excellent book.

Could not put this one down!!! Finished it in just a few hours.

Fantastic, creepy thriller right to the very end!

Definitely not for the faint of heart, Jennifer Hillier returns with another disturbing thriller. I could not put this down until the very end. The flashback chapters were excellently paced, and there were no superfluous characters who were only written into the story to throw you off track.

Thank you Netgalley for another great read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier that I read and reviewed.
I really enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by Hillier before but now I am a fan.
Had of Hearts was a very emotional thriller with a number of twist that keep the reader on edge. I also loved the book being told from both a male and female perspective to add another dimension to the story. This was an excellent read and I absolutely loved it.
Jar of Hearts gets five out of five stars.

When I wasn't actually reading this book I was thinking about it. And it was really hard to put down.. Fast paced, well written, darkly disturbing. Everything in place for a fantastic psychological thriller. I finished it in 2 days and will continue to think about it for a few more....I had a few things figured out but there was a doozy in there I never expected. This was a really good book and I highly recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley, for the ARC!

I could NOT put this book down from page 1. It was SO SO good! In the present where the book opens, the main character, Georgina Shaw (Geo), is an educated, shrewd, successful, well-off business woman engaged to another wealthy exec at the company she works at. The book goes back and forth between the present where Geo has been arrested and is sent to prison for helping her high school boyfriend kill her best friend, Angela, many years ago. Her then boyfriend is a serial killer who has been on the loose all these years and has finally been caught. The detective in the story, Kaiser, was a close high school friend of Geo's and still has feelings for in spite of being the one who arrested her and helped send her to prison, and he knows she is still hiding something. As the book progresses, Geo is released from prison after 5 years and is living in her old house with her dad near the original place her best friend's body was found. The story continues in the past with the event leading up to Angela's murder interwoven with current murders that have happened since Geo was released from prison. The twists in this book are awesome and unexpected. I kind of figured it out close to the end but it too me awhile. The writing is fantastic, the characters super interesting and the plot is killer (no pun intended). LOVED this book and definitely will read more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's/Minotaur Press for the ARC. WELL WORTH your time!!!

At first I didn't know if this book would be to my liking - a dark suspense involving murder and prison time. Especially as one of my closest relatives work at a Federal Penitentiary.

Georgina and Calvin were involved in the murder and cover up 14 years ago of Angela Wong. At age 30 when Georgina (Geo) has her life in order Angela's body is found and eventually cost her 5 years in prison. Calvin escaped from prison and more bodies are found dead in the same style as Angela's. Whoa! Catch your breath!! Want more info?? Need to read it for yourself without spoilers.

This dark suspense is a roller coaster ride - so hang on to your seats.

It will grab you from the first chapter and hold your attention to the end!

Read it! Love it! Buy it for a friend. First Class entertainment!

This is the best that I've read in a while. This is a true mystery novel.

This book was a great read! It's a mystery wrapped in a romance. I love that it's not the traditional of either of those descriptions. The characters are real with flaws of their own. The setting, although fictional, could be any small town in America. The author weaves the past and present seamlessly in this book. I'd love to read more!!