**Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur/St. Martin's Press, and Jennifer Hillier for an ARC of this book!**

Think back to the Wizard of Oz. (I know, it may be a minute since you've seen it...but HOPEFULLY you have. If not, skim the next paragraph or two for mini-spoilers)

Remember the scene with the 'big reveal' that the Oz wasn't a Great and Powerful green floating head, but just some unlucky guy behind a curtain, working a janky control panel?

Now imagine that each time the Wizard was seen on screen PRIOR to this scene, that the audience watched said man operating the controls, even if the other characters in the film were unaware.

That is EXACTLY the feeling I got while reading Jennifer Hillier's latest, Things We Do in the Dark.

For a quick bit of background before we get to THAT explanation...Paris Peralta, wife of Jimmy Peralta, is found in quite a sticky spot, literally. She is in the bathroom with her husband's straight razor in her hand, covered in blood...and Jimmy is dead in the tub, ex-sanguinated. Of course, since Jimmy has just come back into fame after a lull in his career and Paris is younger and flashier than he, this looks like an obvious case of gold digging gone deadly. But Paris has worked hard to revamp her life and has a dark and murky past that few know...except her blackmailer:

Ruby Reyes, the "Ice Queen", who HERSELF has been convicted of murder, twenty-five years ago

She knows all of Paris' secrets and now that she's out of prison, she's ready to either tell all, collect...or possibly strike again. Can Paris continue on her new path, or at least remember what happened that fateful night with Jimmy? Or will the Ice Queen bring a blizzard of scrutiny down upon her and cast her into the tundra for good?

So WHY Wizard of Oz, do you ask? As a pretty devout thriller lover as well as a certified fangirl of Jennifer Hillier, I was a bit confused by how this book was set up from the jump. It's purported to be like many other Hillier books, a 'twisty' psychological thriller. However...there just weren't really any twists. The audience was basically clued in on EVERY twist AS it was unfolding, which was a strange experience. With such a prolonged glimpse 'behind the curtain' throughout, the twists arguably weren't twists at all. You sort of knew exactly what was going to happen and it was simply a matter of when. Toss in the investigative angle where yet ANOTHER character walks us through exactly what's happening...and this thriller felt much less like a thriller.

There's also the fact that most of the story takes place in the past...and this works to some extent, until it no longer serves the story. One section in the middle in particular slowed to a near-crawl for me, so if you can't handle reading long passages about the life and times of a stripper, you might be a bit fidgety too. Having so much backstory sort of made the PAST the important part and the main through line, and left Paris' current situation on the back burner. In some ways, I felt like this is the book Hillier ACTUALLY wanted to write--an emotional, somewhat suspenseful domestic-type plot, rather than trying to fit this narrative into the typical thriller box.

And YET...there was just something about this book. The first 40% or so, I absolutely flew through. Hillier's writing chops drove everything forward, and she is so talented in terms of character and world building that all of the plot problems seemed to sort of melt away and I was able to truly lose myself in the narrative for a while. I did experience some hiccups when I hit the aforementioned slow strip-club scenes, but after this, I was able to hop back into the rhythm of her writing and keep plugging away. Granted, things never quite got back to the page-flipping frenzy I experienced at the beginning of the novel, but it didn't matter. I stopped looking to be surprised, stopped waiting for a twist that was going to blow me away, and focused all of my attention on looking at the pictures Hillier painted with her words and the pain she explored through these characters, and it took my reading experience from frustrating to more of an emotional place, and I felt I was able to glean a lot more from the book framed in this way.

Though most thrillers require a simple suspension of disbelief on some level, the most important attributes you can have going into this Hillier read are probably patience and tempered expectations.

And if you're fresh out? You can always ask the wizard!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Jennifer Hillier is an auto-buy author for me and I screamed with excitement when I received an early e-book from NetGalley.

Things We Do in the Dark is a fascinating slow burn mystery. The story revolves around Paris who is suspected of killing her celebrity husband- and her long hidden past now threatens to destroy her future.

The story starts out with a bang (probably the best first line of a book ever) giving off thriller vibes. It then slows down and turns into more of a suspenseful mystery. While the ending wasn't as shocking as I was anticipating, I loved the twists and felt satisfied.

I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR. Even if you guess the twists (I did), it'll keep you hooked from start to finish.

Told in two timelines and two locations, Things We Do In The Dark follows Paris Peralta after she is found holding a razor over her husbands blood soaked body.

I loved the Toronto setting of the past timeline in this book. Books with places I know pull me right in and this one was no exception.

Unfortunately, I guessed a lot of the plots twists and turns along the way, I suspect earlier than I was meant to.

I listened to the audiobook of TWBITD and highly recommend this format for consuming this book. It kept me interested and I listened to is quickly - over two days. It was easy to know when each character was being narrated.

I haven't read any of Hillier's earlier works, and I've seen from some other reviews that this is one falls more into domestic suspense than thriller, and I'm a little disappointed in that. I've heard so many incredible things about her earlier books and was expecting a jaw dropping, heart pounding thriller.

Overall this book was good, but not amazing like I expected it would be. I recently picked up a copy of Hillier's earlier novel, Jar of Hearts, and hopefully it lives up to my jar dropping hopes and dreams.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier is a psychological thriller about a husband found dead in the bathtub and his confused wife beside the tub with a straight razor in her hand. It seems like an open and shut case, but when is anything ever that simple.

Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
This is my first Jennifer Hillier thriller, though I have heard fantastic things about her past books. I expect as the blurb says, "a brilliant new thriller." The cover is a woman in the dark. You can only see part of her face gently illuminated by the moon or other naturally occurring light. This goes with the title nicely, but I don't know what it says about the book. From the blurb, I also get that there are many secrets to be revealed, which I love.

Actual Reading Experience:
This story hooked me from page one. I loved all the suspense and shocking revelations. The twists weren't surprising, but that's only because the story is so tightly constructed. Things We Do In The Dark is a compelling thriller with a satisfying mystery, a wonderful romance, and a cast of interesting and entertaining characters, each in their own devious way. It's fast-paced most of the time with very few lulls, which I also loved immensely.

The story is told in six parts, and the reader gets to experience it from multiple points of view. Paris Peralta is the leading voice and character, so I mainly experienced the tale through her eyes. I enjoyed the changes in perspectives, though, because they allowed me to see things differently than I could have if I only knew Paris' POV. In some instances, the changing perspectives clued me to the next reveal only pages before it was stated, so I could tell that every choice was masterfully purposeful to keep the suspense at an unflagging high.

The story is not just a mystery thriller but also a story with a heart that I could grab on to and enjoy. The emotions ran high, the past held a lot of baggage, and much needed to be resolved for Paris to feel like a whole person – one without skeletons in the closet and secrets on the shelf. It's not just a thriller about the death of her husband, it is also a chance for Paris to be able to live and love, and this makes such a compelling story. I had trouble putting this book down and ended up reading long into the night.

Characters:
Paris is the main character. She is accused of killing her husband but insists that she wasn't even there. She's their only suspect unless she can come up with a rock-solid alibi that proves it can't be her. Paris is a woman with many secrets, but she also stands on her own two feet and owns a successful business.

Drew is the host of the podcast Things We Do In The Dark about solved and unsolved crimes. He is doing a series on the Ice Queen Ruby Reyes.

Ruby Reyes is in prison for similarly killing her boyfriend to what Paris is accused of with her husband. Are these two cases connected, and what is Drew's connection to them?

I don't want to say any more about the characters or the cases because then you would miss out on all the fun of reading this story yourself!

To Read or Not to Read:
If you are looking for a compelling thriller that will touch your heart while satisfying your desire for a fast-paced nail bitter, look no further. You must read Things We Do In The Dark now!

Whoa. This is a captivating story about women fighting tooth and nail to pull themselves out of horrible situations. It addresses childhood trauma as it relates to self-worth and the ability to carry on healthy relationships.

And it's a page-turner! The story is broken into six sections with several timelines and perspectives, and there was one shocking moment after another after another after another. Truly twisted.

⚠️ Things We Do in the Dark is, well...dark. Child abuse features heavily, as does drug addiction and physical violence.

📚 Read this if you liked Little Secrets or The Lies I Tell.

TW: child abuse, SA

This book sucked me in right from the beginning. When the book opens on Paris Perelta covered in her husband's blood at the scene of the crime, I could have never anticipated the course of this novel.

At the start, we're met with a suspicious situation. A woman, 30 years younger than her husband, is found covered in his blood, holding a razor that is the presume cause of death, with her dead husband. And fairly early on Paris tells us that she is lying. She didn't kill her husband, but she IS hiding something in her past.

And then we're taken to a new perspective, that of Drew Malcolm. Drew is a journalist turned podcaster and he's on a mission. He's just learned that the Ice Queen is being released on parole from her life sentence. This woman brutally murdered her married boyfriend when he tried to end the affair. But add to that, she abused her daughter physically and emotionally and he won't let people forget about that. Especially because her daughter, Joey, was his best friend. And she died in a house fire right after the last time he saw her.

I was entranced by this narrative. It was so well-written. Hillier tackled serious and upsetting topics like abuse without making light of it and captured the suspense and anticipation. As a true-crime podcast listener I thought that element really brought reality to the text. I could absolutely imagine listening to this story on a podcast!

Author Jennifer Hillier is back with another thriller and I was so excited to get my hands on this! I have read and reviewed "Jar of Hearts" and "Little Secrets" which you can also read on my blog.

I have to say this is my favorite I have read of hers so far. This is such a smart and suspenseful novel. Cleverly written with characters that are multi-dimensional and truly add to the overall story. There's no fluff here- every single happening in this thriller happens for a reason. Pay attention!

This is broken up into different parts and is told from different perspectives and in different timelines. It gives such a unique perspective to the overall story. There are those moments when something suddenly clicks and you think " okay! Now that makes sense!". The writing just flows and wraps you up in the story.

This book is filled with so many secrets and lies you will have a hard time guessing what's next. There are twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages wanting more while simultaneously wishing it weren't coming to an end. The end was a twist I never saw coming!

"Things We Do In The Dark" is set to be released July 19, 2022 here in the U.S. so pre-order now!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 4 star read!

Happy Reading!

This is a very good book! The character development is also very good! The story itself is engrossing! There are so many secrets and so much tragedy in Paris Peralta’s life that are slowly revealed through a present and past alternating timeline. When she’s arrested for the murder of her much older celebrity husband, her carefully constructed new life is at risk of imploding. This book is sure to hold your interest until it’s shocking conclusion.

Sadly a miss for me, which is super disappointing since I love Jennifer Hillier's novels!

The novel followed 2 storylines and I wasn't a fan of either one. Paris is arrested for the death of her husband. Right away we know that Paris is hiding a secret, but of course the reader isn't made aware of that secret until much later. Drew is a journalist turned podcaster and has heard that Ruby Reyes is being released from prison. He wants to make sure that she stays in prison.

Both storylines were boring to me and so repetitive. I just wanted the story to move along. It also didn't help that I wasn't a fan of any of the characters so I didn't care what would happen to them. The one bonus is that I didn't see the twist coming.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity to read this book! It will release tomorrow, July, 19th!

“She wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore. There was nothing the dark could do to her that it hadn’t already done.”

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK
TRIGGER WARNINGS: rape, assault, gaslighting, severe child abuse, murder, murder scenes, etc…

I was hoping to finish this book before the weekend but we just had the best vacation. While I did read a little bit here and there, I wasn’t able to complete the book until last night. Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier starts off strong. Paris Peralta wakes up to find herself covered in blood. It is not her blood but her husband’s blood, the famous comedian, Jimmy Peralta. She is arrested on suspicion of murder. She is his 5th wife, a lot younger than him, and there is a lot of money to gain, but she did not kill him. This is not the first time she has been connected to a murder, nor is it the second time…

As I said, the beginning is so strong, but then it got repetitive. The book is broken up into several parts and changes points of view. Honestly, Drew’s section was extremely dull and he tries to figure out what happened to his friend Joey, who was murdered years before. The ending started to pick up as all the loose ends began to unfold. I did find the finale a bit anti-climatic as well.

However, this book is labeled as a thriller. There are several moments that give off that vibe. But I wouldn’t say the whole book is a thriller. It is mainly about a young girl coming of age in the midst of severe child abuse and trauma and her struggle to run away and be free of her past. The abuse and trauma are HEARTBREAKING and extremely descriptive, so be prepared. It is difficult to read. Overall, it was an intense book about murder and doing whatever it takes to survive.

What an exhilarating ride! I couldn’t put down this twisty thriller. The pacing was excellent and flawlessly alternated between past and present. Even though I found most of the twists predictable, the way everything unfolded was clever and compelling. It was dark, brutal and mysterious.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Things We Do In The Dark starts off strong. We meet Paris Peralta, covered in blood with a razor in hand, her husband is dead and she has no recollection of what happened. She is quickly arrested and charged with murder, but his celebrity status has catapulted the murder into a high profile case, bringing her a ton of unwanted attention – not good for someone who is hiding from a dark past.

There is a lot to unravel when it comes to Paris’ past. Her relationship with her abusive mother, who is in prison for the murder of her lover, explores the complexities of abusive relationships involving parents and kids. To be quite frank, Paris’ past was my favorite part of the story. You get a deep dive into the intricacies of characters that played a role in Paris’ life and the dynamic between mother and daughter. Please read the trigger warnings because there are parts that could be tough to read. Hillier did a great job showcasing how the abuse this girl endured at the hand of everyone that was supposed to protect her, shaped the person she became.

This is told from a dual timeline perspective and Paris’ point of view, so you get a few mysteries in both. They are woven nicely together and connect all the dots. This is my first book by @jenniferhillierbooks and won’t be my last!

Things We Do In the Dark comes out tomorrow!

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for the e-Arc in exchange for my review and @readmorethrillers for the physical copy.

Another hit from Jennifer Hillier! I went into this novel completely blind, and did not want to put it down. The pacing was just right, alternating between past and present storylines. Overall, a very enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and St Martin's Press for the ARC of Things We Do in the Dark in exchange for my honest opinion! I was lucky enough to also find a physical copy in my favorite local Little Free Library which I was happy to pass on to a friend afterward!
This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier and I'm so excited to read her backlist because I thought this one was fantastic! It comes out on Tuesday and I can't wait for others to discover this one. I thought it would be scary but it's more intriguing and twisty than scary, so don't be afraid of this one like I was.

The story begins with Paris Peralta being suspected of killing her older celebrity husband. She's got secrets that must remain hidden lest this not be the only murder she gets charged with!

I very rarely pick up a book without first reading the synopsis, but when it comes to thrillers sometimes I do because I just want to be completely blind as to what may be about to happen. I am glad I went into this one blind. Told through past and present perspectives this one had a lot of layers to unfold and I thought the pacing was really well done. I loved how it all come together at the end!

As with other Jennifer Hillier books I've read this one does have a dark undertone. (TW: child abuse & sexual assault of a minor)

Rating: 4 stars

Special thanks to @netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC and @macmillan.audio for the complimentary ALC for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Hands down, this is the coolest and most clever promotion of the year with the glow in the dark cover!

This was such a compelling story that I totally binged! I was hooked from the beginning and I was so curious to know what happened and where this story could possibly go!

Being from Toronto myself, I absolutely relished the setting and it had me constantly getting excited with every mention Hillier made to the city and it’s surroundings.

Hillier’s writing style is certainly one of my favourites amongst our Thriller writing Queens and I loved how flawlessly this one flowed and kept me engaged and invested.

While it didn’t end with the type of bang I was anticipating, I loved the twists along the way and felt that they were done just right!

Told from duel perspectives and alternating timelines, this was an entertaining mystery that should leave all thriller lovers satisfied!

As soon as I saw that Jennifer Hillier had a new book coming out, I knew I just had to have it. She builds thrillers up and leaves me grossly satisfied, so I couldn't wait to dig into Things We Do in the Dark.
This book starts off with a bang. Paris is arrested with blood on her hands. Her famous, much older husband, Jimmy is dead in their bathroom and Paris seems like the most likely culprit. Only thing is, she can't remember killing her husband. But with her husband being famous, Paris' name is now all over the headlines. She is now more concerned with the past coming back to haunt her.

Jennifer Hillier created two stories for Paris. One for her past and one for her present. I was just enthralled with her past as her present and I wanted to know what she did in her past that made her run/hide. The beginning started out strong and with conviction, but then the plot began to drag a little in the middle. I would've liked to see more action or more mystery as I guessed a few things early on. After the slower middle part, the ending picked up again and secrets were revealed from the past and the present and wrapped up the story in a cohesive manner.

While this book wasn't my favorite of Ms Hillier's, I still enjoyed the overall feel of the story as well as the tie in of the podcast to the title of the book. It shows the fascination our culture has with deaths and mysteries surrounding unexplained murders. Thank goodness we still got to the bottom of this death in a satisfying way.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Joelle/Joey/Ruby/Paris has had many lives. One for each name, in fact. Born to an angry single mother, she is abused by her mother and her mother's boyfriends until, at thirteen, she finds a way out. But the new life is worse than the one she left, so she escapes it, too. And that one isn't a lot better, but at least she is away from her family. Then things go horribly wrong with this life, too, in several different ways one New Year's Eve., so she runs away again and reinvents herself again.

But now she is accused of murder and her picture is in all the papers and all over the TV and internet, and her past is closing in. But this time, there is no way out, she has to finally face all those past lives and decide who she will finally be.

It's a good read. You will root for her and wish, just once, things would go her way.

Jennifer Hillier is an auto buy and auto read author for me, and I was so excited to get my hands on this one as soon as I knew she had a new book coming out and it did not disappoint! The book does not waste any time getting started, it opens with Paris Peralta being arrested in her bathroom where her celebrity husband has been found dead. Blood is everywhere and she is holding a straight razor which is allegedly the murder weapon and she knows this all looks bad. She realizes she will be charged with murder, but even more worrisome is that her past will come back to haunt her, and everything she worked so hard to hide may ruin the future and new life she worked so hard to build.

This started strong, got a little slow in the middle, and then picked up and ended strong, delivering overall just like I knew Hillier would. There were a few twists in here I didn’t see coming and I enjoyed learning about Paris’ past just as much as I did learning about what happened the night that her husband died. While not my favorite of Hillier’s books this is solid as they come and I definitely recommend it!

I also want to note that I listened to this one via audio and it was fantastic. The narrator, Carla Vega, did a fantastic job and I would absolutely recommend this medium if audiobooks are your thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ALC and advanced digital copy to review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I reviewed, read & loved 2 previous books by Jennifer Hillier
("Little Secrets" & "Jar Of Hearts")
so when I discovered that her newest book, "Things We Do In The Dark" was available to review, I had to request a copy.
Oh boy, she has done it again!
This book was twisty, interesting, unpredictable & addictive.
I highly recommend this book for those that love dark & disturbing thillers.
I'm patiently waiting for Ms. Hillier's next book.