This is a Psychological Thriller. I found this book to be a wild read, and I really enjoyed seeing this story come together as I read this book. I did guess some of the reveals, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. The characters were slowly developed, and I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. I really loved the ending of this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Minotaur Books) or author (Jennifer Hillier) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Jennifer Hillier has been solidified has my favorite thriller author. Each story is packed with twists and turns and this is no exception. I went in expecting one direction that the story was going to go and then it completely went sideways. The book opens up with Paris Peralta standing over her husband's dead body. As we move backwards to see how we got here, the story is dark and twisted. Hillier has the ability to make you empathize with the most unexpected characters. I also love that female characters are all strong, no hold barred kind of people. She deals with the gray aspects of morality in personalities and brings it all together to have you cheering for some sort of resolved ending. And she always delivers on a great ending.

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was really hoping for more from it. I absolutely LOVED Jar of Hearts and Little Secrets by this author, so I think I had my hopes too high for this one. I was definitely intrigued by the storyline and it kept me interested the whole time, but the twists weren’t very shocking to me. I kept waiting for a bigger twist to come, but that never happened.

Jennifer Hillier knows how to write a strong thriller though, so I still recommend picking this one up if you liked her other books!

When Paris Peralta arrives home from Toronto in the middle of the night, she didn’t expect to find her much older famous comedian husband dead. Covered in blood and with the murder weapon in her hand, things don’t look good for Paris when the police arrive.

Meanwhile in Toronto, Ruby Reyes, The Ice Queen Murderer is about to be released from prison after serving 25 years of her life sentence.

Drew Malcolm has a popular podcast called Things That Happen In The Dark. When he hears of Ruby’s impending release, he decides to delve into her case for personal reasons. Twenty years ago his best friend, Joey Reyes died in a fire. Being the last to see her alive, he blames himself for her death.

Ruby was not only convicted of murder, but also for the abuse of her daughter, Joey. Now as her release nears, she’s sending letters to Paris Peralta. What could the two possibly have in common? Will Drew find out the answer and will he finally be able to forgive himself after all these years?

This book was gripping from start to finish. Hillier’s character driven story has a couple of nice twists, and even though I guessed them, it didn’t take anything away from the rest of the story!

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

This story was too dark and too dull for me. But also things seemed much too obvious to me, when I don't think they were meant to be so obvious. We have Paris, almost forty, married to a famous comedian, almost thirty years older than Paris. The story begins with Paris standing over her bloody, dead husband, holding his straight edged razor. It certainly looks like she must have murdered him, but did she?

Twenty five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, mother of Joey, was convicted of murdering a wealthy man. That murder was similar to the murder of Paris's husband. Now, Rudy is about to get out of prison, she knows Paris's secrets, and Paris is going to pay her not to tell them. But Paris knows Ruby is a liar and nothing is ever over with Ruby.

There is also Drew, who knew Joey back when she got out of foster care. In the present day, Drew, a journalist, is working on pulling together what he needs for a podcast on Ruby. He knows what a monster Ruby was and he wants to make sure the public knows, even though Ruby is being released from prison.

This story is dark and dirty and it was hard to care about much of it. Bad people doing bad things. A few good people but still, we don't really get to know them. Things happen that I don't think could happen in real life. Things get covered up in ways that I don't think are plausible. The last book I read by this author was a 5 star story for me so I look forward to more from this author, in the future. This one just didn't thrill me at all.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Jennifer Hillier's new book Things We Do in the Dark has everything a good summer thriller needs...a fast moving plot and murder...maybe two murders.
Paris Peralta is found next to her dead celebrity husband with a bloody razor in her hand. She is immediately arrested for murder. Paris has more to worry about than just a murder charge: she is also running from her past
This was a quick, enjoyable (sometimes predictable) read for me and I was highly entertained.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Jennifer Hillier is an autoread author for me, her work is always amazing.

Although I figured out all of the twists I still loved every minute of the book. This story is a lot of back story & memories between the main characters but it definitely helps to build the full story.

**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!