Paris Peralta has tried to live a quiet life, married to retired comedian Jimmy Peralta, working at her yoga studio and living in their large home. She avoids social media because she has secrets and knows someone from her past might recognize an image of her and she will have to face the demons from her past. Jimmy has a lot of demons. Paris is not his first wife. When he was working, he was using drugs and drinking, but he is sober now. When is assistant hooks him up with a streaming company, he signs a contract to do three specials, which forces them into the public eye. After the first show became a huge hit and the second is in the can, something terrible happens. Paris returns from a yoga convention to find Jimmy dead in the bathtub. He has bled out and she can't save him. When the police arrive, she is on the floor covered in blood, holding his straight razor. She is immediately arrested for his murder. Meanwhile, someone from her past has found her and is about to reveal all the secrets she has tried to keep hidden.

I really enjoyed this story. I don't want to give it away because it is best to go into it with only the information given in the synopsis. There are dual timelines as we learn about Paris' past and the secrets she is keeping. The present story is Paris' arrest, and the investigation to find out what really happened to Jimmy. There are not a lot of characters so you get to know them and form your own opinions, of course I was wrong plenty of times. I liked the present timeline much more than the past, as there was a emotional and physical abuse in the past. I wanted Paris to find a friend, a real friend to help her deal with all that was happening, not just someone she was paying to do so. As always in Jennifer Hillier's books, there were several twists, and the final one had my jaw drop. If you enjoy a psychological thriller and are okay with some reference to parental abuse, then this is a book for you. It is gripping from start to finish.

True to its title, this one is dark. I found it slower than most of her books, but the twists still delivered. My favorite thing about the book was Drew’s character.

Jennifer Hillier is definitely an auto-buy author for me and this book did not disappoint. It is dark and gripping with so many twists and layers. The way Hillier weaved this story was so engaging and I felt so invested throughout. Paris was such a complex character and I could not put this book down wanting to get all the puzzle pieces to fit together. Definitely a wild ride of a psychological thriller and so well done!

This was the second book I have read from this author and I really enjoyed it. I thought the plot was unique and it stood out from the dozens of other thrillers I have read. As a Torontonian I enjoyed the pieces of the GTA that were sprinkled throughout the story. The characters were very interesting and I thought the pacing was done very well to keep the reader engaged.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martins Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens with Paris Peralta being arrested in her bathroom, her famous comedian husband lying dead at her feet. It looks like an open and shut case of younger wife killing older husband for a money payoff. But as the layers begin to peel back, we find this murder stretches back 20 years.

Drew Malcom is a journalist who lost his career in newspapers, as so many did, but revived it with a podcast called, "Things We Do In The Dark" (what a great name!). He is set to do a podcast series on Ruby Reyes, a beautiful and notorious killer jailed in Canada for the murder of her lover, and it was her daughter, Joey's, testimony that helped put her away. Joey was an abused child and died tragically in a fire when she was twenty. Drew knows all this because he identified Joey's body, and she was his best friend, and he loved her.

As the dual timelines unfold, we begin to get answers on what connects Paris Peralta to the murder that took place over twenty years ago in Canada. The story is filled with sadness and also with understanding, about how people are a product of their environment and sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures.

I enjoyed reading Jennifer Hillier's latest book, and although it was a great mystery, I feel it had even more depth as a story that looks at the forgotten population of children who grow up without adult support and love, and what happens to them. Ultimately this leads to a greater understanding of what drives peole to do the things they do and the choices they make.

Although this was a pretty long book, I sped through it and enjoyed every minute. This was a 4.5 read for me,, but I'm upping it to five because I feel like it kept me so invested in the outcome (which was satisfying).

Paris has had a very interesting life….a life not many are aware of.
She currently stands accused of murdering her very rich and much older husband.
She didn’t do it, but that will be hard to prove since she has secrets she doesn’t want out.
This is a page turner, kept coming back to find out what is next.
You will be impressed with the plot which has a few turns you won’t see coming.
I do recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC

I haven’t read this author before, but heard great things about Jar of Hearts, so I dove right in.

Paris wakes up, covered in blood and husband dead in the tub! What a first chapter. She’s taken to jail, locked up and there her story takes off. At the same time Ruby Reyes aka The Ice Queen is being released after 25 years and sends threatening letters to Paris. How are they connected? A true crime podcaster enters to do a story on Ruby, and he finds secrets long buried.

I can’t say this was a thriller with one huge shocking reveal, but just good storytelling that slowly unwinds showing us the good, the bad and the ugly. After I figured out where the story was going, I settled in and threw myself into enjoying the story. Heartbreaking, dark, sad. Characters had great development, except the ones incapable of change.

Thanks to Ms. Hillier, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

This book starts out with main character Paris Peralta waking up with a head wound next to her dead husband and covered in his blood. She is quickly charged with killing her rich and semi famous husband.
Now a whole bunch of characters join the story as it unfolds according to different view points and time frames, there is a true crime podcaster with a personal angle, a convicted murderess trying her hand at extortion, a victim of child abuse who gets dealt one bad hand after the other, a personal assistant who seems a bit too eager and the deceased’s best friend acting as defense attorney … The twists and turns of this book make the revelation very satisfying. Some characters in this book are very likeable and easy to root for, others are more dark and villainous all are intriguing well developed people.
The story flowed at a steady pace set in Canada and the US!

Thank you to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

Jennifer Hillier's books are always a must read! Things We Do in the Dark is captivating, slow burning, and filled with surprises along the way.
A page turner for all thriller book lovers!

⭐️(4/5) Things We Do In the Dark - Jennifer Hiller

✨Pages: 352

✨Genre: Thriller

This is the best thriller I’ve read so far this year! I haven’t read anything else by Hiller (I know I know, I gotta get on it) but wow. I was riveted the whole time with this one and very invested.

Paris Peralta is charged with murdering her comedian husband after being found covered in his blood. The circumstantial evidence doesn’t look good but Paris is more worried about the media attention surrounding her arrest. She knows it’s a matter of time before someone from her old life recognizes her. Ruby Reyes, a convicted murderer about to be released from prison, does indeed recognize Paris and begins blackmailing her from behind bars. Meanwhile, Drew (a friend of Ruby’s daughter) knows how terrible a mother she was and begins a true crime podcast surrounding her prison release. He is set on a path that uncovers secrets from both Paris and Ruby’s pasts.

The multiple points of view, layered crimes and dual timelines all worked so well here, making this a page turner. The characters were all very flushed out, which isn’t always the case with thrillers. The only reason this isn’t 5 stars for me is because I guessed a few plot twists early on. But if you want a captivating thriller, pick this new release up now!

⚠️Trigger Warning: Murder, Racism, Child Abuse, Death, Infidelity, Sexual Assault

✨Themes: Multiple POVs, Unreliable Narrator, Secrets

This book opens with a storyline that takes a complete turn in another direction as to what I expected it to be. Paris Peralta is in a May-December romance/marriage with her comedian, millionaire husband, Jimmy Peralta. They haven’t been married long but she really does love him and this seems to be a match made in heaven.

Jimmy has an assistant, Zoe, who can be a bit acerbic and not immediately likable and at times Paris isn’t even sure why Zoe is still needed. In walks Elsie; she is Jimmy’s best friend of 50 years, a past love interest for a spell, and just happens to be a lawyer.

Jimmy is murdered in the house he and Paris live in and the only suspect that makes sense to the police is Paris! She must fight for her innocence but has quite a checkered past and some secrets to boot. Can she hide what needs to be hidden and come out of this very unfortunate situation? Can Elsie help her with her defense or is she going to treat Paris as though she guilty and go after her?

Then…convicted murderer, Ruby Reyes, pops up and is in the know about Paris’ secrets. The story unravels from there and takes us places we don’t see coming.

Paris is a likable character even though she is a murder suspect and has such an unfortunate past. I was rooting for her the entire time. The other characters are not so likable but at times I wondered if I was just being too hard on them because of their prickly dispositions although they do change throughout the book. (Not really a spoiler statement)

I liked this book a lot. A couple of spots throughout became a bit dry but I pushed through them quickly and the book revs right back up. Great read! Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up

Entertaining mystery with well developed, interesting characters that kept me engaged throughout despite the ho-hum plot. The two plot twists were fairly predictable and expected, especially to readers of mysteries. Would recommend to patrons looking for a quick summer read, but would advise readers about the rape and child abuse content.

Hillier is one of the only people I trust to write a thriller that will satisfy me anymore. The pacing is on point, the characters are so well written, and the storylines always feel terribly real. I did guess a good bit of the plot fairly early on, but I don’t feel like that took much away from the story for me. The emotions and the flashbacks to the past kept me going to the end. And the audiobook was excellent as well.

Another great thriller from Jennifer Hillier!

When Paris is arrested in her home for the murder of her celebrity husband, somehow this isn’t the worst of her problems. With all the publicity surrounding the case, it’s only a matter of time before some recognizes her from her past and comes to ruin her carefully rebuilt life. Twenty five years earlier, Ruby Reyes brutally murdered her lover in a case that rocked Canada. Now unexpectedly up for parole, Reyes is the only person who can expose Paris. Left with no choice Paris must confront her past.

This was a solid thriller! Big fan of Jennifer Hillier’s two other thrillers I’ve read and this one just adds to the list. I always love thrillers that have a couple timelines jumping back and forth as well as perspectives and Things We Do In a The Dark does just that. It always keeps things interesting and makes it hard to predict where it’s going to take me. Be prepared though as this thriller gets pretty dark in a few different ways!

Not going to shy away from the fact I loved the setting too as one chunk of the story takes place in Ontario. It’s so nice to know the places Hillier writes about!!

Overall would recommend for thriller lovers who love a few good twists throughout the story!

Truly one of the best books I’ve ever read, this is a twisty tale that weaves a story of past and future. I absolutely was on the tip of my toes at the end of each chapter!

Another hit from Hillier. A woman is found over the body of her dead husband with a knife in her hand, and the story works back to uncover her complicated past. I loved the morally grey MC, and the author kept me guessing. This took a bit more time to build than some of her other books, but the tension and suspense was there.

"Things We Do In The Dark" is a novel about a woman with a very dark past that keeps coming back to haunt her. This has everything I look for in a thriller - a mysterious backstory, dark characters and twists at every turn. I did find myself able to predict some of the storyline but the final twist I did not see coming so overall, I did enjoy the book. Would recommend!

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I were to rate this I would give it a one, but although I hated it, it doesn't seem fair. I should SO have paid more heed to the trigger warnings disclaimer before the book commenced, especially because it hit so many of mine. I'll happily read serial killer stories, forensic crime novels, even true crime and genre specific books correctly labeled horror, but I do not do child abuse, physical, emotional or sexual, and each of these scenes was not only explict, but comprised entire chapters. Found myself skipping alot (alot) and just couldn't bring myself to finish it. No way.

It's almost back to school time for the kiddos, and not a moment too soon. The second you pack them off, grab this book and read it, as your reward for making it through another summer. Jennifer Hillier may be the queen of the beach read, but Things We Do in the Dark is perfect for the fall. It's chilling, tense, and full of monsters.

Paris Peralta is in trouble. She's just been booked for the first-degree murder of her husband, beloved Hollywood comedian Jimmy Peralta. But it's not the murder of her husband that really worries Paris, it's all the attention. The paparazzi, plastering her picture in tabloids all over the world, is her fear manifest. Paris shed her old life like a snake skin, but there is one person who knows her true identity, a woman named Ruby Reyes. Nicknamed the Ice Queen by Canadian media during her sensational murder trial in the 90's, Ruby Reyes knows all about Paris' past. Now Ruby is being released from prison after 25 years, and she is blackmailing Paris, threatening to reveal everything she knows to the world. Although Paris has spent her life running from who she used to be, she knows she can run and hide no longer. The time to reconcile with her past and drag all her secrets out of the dark has come.

I really enjoyed this book! It was engaging and fast paced throughout. Paris Peralta is one of the most interesting characters I've read in ages. Hillier gave her such depth and backstory that I couldn't help but root for her. I did puzzle out the twist, but there were still some surprises in store. I thought the ending was excellent and I was left satisfied. I'll read anything Jennifer Hillier writes, and if you haven't read What We Do in the Dark yet, this is your sign. Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to review this advance copy. Available now for purchase!

Jennifer Hillier's books are guaranteed to have me setting aside the housework, and ignoring the meals, so that I can dive in and disappear for a few hours into a twisty thriller. And Things We Do In the Dark is no different. I love a book that has me wondering if I really should be feeling empathy for the "bad guys". Are they really the bad guys? Or is the good guy the bad guy?

This book kept me guessing, and I felt oddly satisfied with how the story progressed. This is dark psychological suspense, and some may be turned off by some of the content. But if you like those morally gray characters, and masterfully plotted storylines, you will enjoy this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.