What a spell-binding, riveting page-turner this book turned out to be! Long-time comedian Jimmy Peralta is found dead in his bathtub with his wife, Paris, standing next to the tub covered in blood and holding a straight razor. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a really good thriller that will keep you reading well past your bedtime.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this fantastic book.

Things We Do in The Dark starts out with Paris leaning over her husband's dead body.

How perfect is that.

There are secrets and lies and twists and turns that will give you whiplash.

I cried with Paris, I cheered Paris on and I certainly ( should I say this) admire her amazing ability to plot revenge.

Revenge or justice.

I wont give anything away but get your copy of Things We Do in the Dark and put it on the top of your TBR pile .

Sheer entertainment.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for another nail biting read by Jennifer Hillier.

This book has so many twists and turns and unexpected things that was a joy to read. Another thing that I enjoyed was the structure and the characters so well developed. I can't wait to read the author's next book!

I’ll cut to the chase (no story-related pun intended): This was perfectly good, but I hoped for great!

Paris Peralta is found by police holding a bloody straight razor next to the tub holding her now-deceased and much older husband, famous comedian Jimmy Peralta. Did she do it or is there another explanation?

This scenario looks similar to a murder committed 25 years prior by a woman named Ruby Reyes, better known as The Ice Queen, who was found guilty and imprisoned for killing her older lover. Funny thing is: Ruby somehow knows Paris, and she wants a share of Paris’ potentially huge inheritance to keep old secrets quiet.

There’s SO much potential in that premise, and that’s the story I wanted to read. I wanted the razzle dazzle twists, nail-biting suspense and big thrills one might expect with such an intriguing set-up! What I got was more of a long, sad backstory for Paris, alternating with her present day legal troubles. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. It had enough twists and red herrings to satisfy my inner detective and keep me turning the pages.

This was my first Hillier book, and I genuinely liked her writing, and for the most part, the story. When I put aside my thriller hopes and just read it as a mystery with some psychological head games and family dysfunction, it was a good story.

My biggest issue with the book is that I felt a general lack of connection to Paris. I felt sympathetic to her circumstances, but I didn’t feel that emotionally invested in her as a person. What I LOVED is that she was Filipina, rather than another homogeneously white female MC so common in the genre.

All things said, I will absolutely be reading Hillier’s previous and future titles. The talent is clearly there, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 3)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity to honestly review this ARC. It will be published July 19, 2022.

Thank you to Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this story.

This was the first book by this author that I've read and I must say I was thoroughly captivated by this story. I intentionally went into it knowing very little about the plot. Knowing that a wife is found standing over her famous dead husband's body holding a knife. Who wouldn't want to know what happens from there?!

This story was full of suspense with the author dropping little gems about the secrets the protagonist has been hiding about herself for years. The tale is told from multiple points of views and we see a lot of heartache and loss as the story unfolds along with all the suspense.

I would add a trigger warning for abuse.

Jennifer Hillier continues to be one of the BEST thriller writers with her latest novel, Things We Do in the Dark. I loved this book, and found myself entranced throughout. The pages flew, as you discover more secrets, hidden identities, and some crazy revelations near the end. Having read her last several books, this one solidifies her as an auto-read author for me! I will read anything and everything she writes from here on out. If you enjoy this genre, this is a 2022 must-read.

LOVED it!!! What did I just read??!!! I thought it was going to be a book about a woman accused of killing her husband. I was completely wrong. The book had so many twists and turns. I wasn't expecting what happened and was definitely surprised. Joey's story was heartbreaking. Ruby would never win any Mother of the Year Award and would give Joan Crawford a run for her money. I thought Ruby got her nickname, The Ice Queen, from her "charming" personality, but I was completely wrong. Who would have thought to use that as a murder weapon?? A PSYCHOPATH!!!!!!
I never guessed who killed Jimmy and all my suspicions were wrong.

Definitely recommend this book. Loved the story, characters and writing style. Jennifer Hillier's books never disappoint. It's a great mystery/thriller with so many twists that will keep you guessing. I didn't want to put it down and had to know what happened to Paris, Joey and even horrible Ruby. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a darker, slow burn thriller that totally worked for me. I usually prefer a faster-paced read but the complexity of the narrative and the characters actually made the pacing perfect for this one.

I really enjoyed the narrative structure. I love a book with multiple POV and an alternating past and present timeline. This one has both and it was done flawlessly. There was a lot of information given, but it only made me more invested in the characters that much more and made their motivations clear. I really connected with Paris, though I couldn’t relate to her personal experiences, thankfully. She is a complex character that I feel I got to know on a really personal level throughout the story.

I went back and forth between the physical and the audio for this. The audio narrator did all of the different voices well and you really can't go wrong with either format.

Thank you to @netgalley @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely adore Jennifer Hillier and her previous thrillers are among my favorites of all time. This one, while still super enjoyable, doesn't quite match up to some of those previous works - I found myself able to guess the main twists in the story and it lacked a little bit of the true "thriller" elements that I have loved previously. However, I loved the characters and found myself incredibly invested in their stories despite the fact that some things seemed a bit far-fetched. Overall, I still really enjoyed this book and this will continue to be an auto-buy author for me!

Another fantastic read by Jennifer Hillier!

I love all of Jennifer Hillier books, and this one is no exception. Spoilers ahead!!

I thought this book was well laid out, and the back and forth timelines worked well within the story as written. I was happy that this book was slightly less gruesome than her earlier works, and was glad to see that it was especially detailed when it came to the abuse Joelle suffered as a child. That being said, the only thing that didn't work for me was the idea that a woman who faked her death at the age of 20, ran to another country/city to begin her life again would marry a well-known celebrity. She would have known that her photo would be all over the press at some point, which isn't keeping a low profile, especially knowing her mother was alive and infamous in her own right.

Other than that I devoured this book in a couple of days.

Jennifer Hillier never disappoints. I feel like she always writes thriller/mysteries that are unique and different from everything else on the market. The thing I always appreciate is how much I end up invested in the characters and their story. The beginning definitely immediately sucked me in. When we switched perspectives about a fourth of the way through I was like wait hold on who's this?? But I really enjoyed the perspectives and how they came together.

"While you can reinvent yourself, you can't outrun yourself."

The story focuses on answering three main questions: 1. Who killed Jimmy Peralta, 2. Who is Paris Peralta and what/who is she hiding from, and 3. What happened with Ruby Reyes and why is Drew so invested in her case? Told from three different perspectives (Paris, Drew, & Joey),these questions are answered and the three storylines all intertwine in the seamless way that Jennifer Hillier is known for.

I loved the pacing of the story and the anticipation this book built throughout each person's POV. I loved Paris's character and couldn't wait to find out what the heck was going on with her. I couldn't put this book down! There was one character I was very suspicious of in the first half of the book and the plot line and conclusion left me surprised regarding that character.

I will say that I think most readers who read mysteries/thriller will be able to predict a many of the "surprises" in this book, however this did not change how much I enjoyed reading it. There were a lot of dark issues and situations in this story so check trigger warnings before reading. Some of the situations broke my heart and I felt so bad for the character who endured them.

This was my second book by Hillier and I can't wait to read more of her books. They pull you in and keep you reading far into the night.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date (July 19, 2022)! This is no way affected my review and all opinions are my own.

I have always been a big Jennifer Hillier fan, and while I haven’t gotten to all of her books yet, I have loved the ones I’ve read. Knowing her past work, and seeing all the amazing reviews coming in for Things We Do in the Dark, I thought it would be an easy five stars for me. It pains me to say it, but I just didn’t love this one as much as everyone else has.

The main issue I had was that this book just didn’t seem like a thriller to me. There were some mildly suspenseful moments, but I found myself pushing through hoping for something surprising or shocking to happen and it just didn’t come. There are two main twists, but they were obvious, easy to guess, and just didn’t hit the way I’m used to with her books. It honestly read as more of a general fiction, in my opinion.

There is no doubt that Jennifer Hillier is a talented writer, and she will continue to be an auto-buy author for me. While it wasn’t what I expected, it was well-written. It was a great story about resilience, overcoming trauma, and had solid character development. I think if I had adjusted my expectations then maybe I would have enjoyed it more. Fingers crossed that her next one is the one for me!

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a long-time fan of Jennifer Hillier since reading her books Creep, Freak, and The Butcher, so I knew this one wouldn't disappoint-and I was right, I loved this one, too! The storyline follows an all-familiar trope of prominent rich white guy dies under mysterious circumstances suspiciously after changing his will, so the number one suspect is the much younger Filipina wife named Paris. However, the wife's backstory reveals there's much more at hand than what meets the eye. I think the thing I appreciate the most about this book was how Hillier really used people of color as her characters, and made those clear distinctions right away. I felt as if I were able to really be in the home of a Filipino family, and the way Hillier wrote about Ruby Reyes and her family, I was able to understand some of the social and cultural experiences Filipino families endure. I liked that Drew's character was black and Hillier put us in his shoes...that he would be apprehensive knocking on strangers' doors in investigating for his podcast, etc. It was very interesting, and something I would love to see more of in modern storytelling today. The twists and turns of the plot were great, lots of things I didn't see coming, and some that I did, but wasn't bothered by. I loved the sex positive attitude since some of the book takes place at a strip club. Fans of the movie Hustlers would probably love this book. All in all, another amazing book by Jennifer Hillier! Thanks NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

Paris is not her famous husband's first wife, but she’s his last. Saying “I don’t remember”, when found holding a straight razor and drenched in blood, puts Paris at the top of the suspect list.

Finding out what happened to her husband Jimmy is interesting, but finding out what Paris is hiding is even better.

The story unfolds in separate parts, dividing the story, introducing new characters and diving into backstories with ease and grace. Every section of the novel holds its own and the characters are intriguing.

I have two other books of Jennifer Hillier’s in my TBR pile, and after reading Things We Do in the Dark, they will be moving up much higher in the stack!

For anyone who reads even a smidgen of suspense or thrillers, the twist won’t come as a shock, and there is a good chance that you will figure it out very early one, but the excellent writing, great characters, and fast pace will keep you turning the pages to find out just how exactly the events have and will continue to play out.

I really enjoyed how Hillier took a real look at people’s lives. Many are not great, maybe there are some good days, but there are just as many, if not more, bad ones. She didn’t sugar coat anything and nothing magically turned easy for Paris. She kept trying and the punches just kept coming. Now this could have turned the book into a real downer, but Hillier added little, realistic touches that made Paris and the reader want to keep going.

I am very excited to see how her other works of fiction read, and highly recommend Things We Do in the Dark.

Trigger Warning for rape and child abuse.

Overall I thought this book was pretty good the beginning was some of the best writing I have ever read, however, when it started to get more in-depth in Drew's point of view I started to get bored fast. I really like everything involving Paris but not Drew. I thought the ending was pretty good and overall this was a solid story that I would recommend.

Jennifer Hillier writes a great thriller packed with twists and turns. I really liked Things We Do In The Dark. Filled with great characters, different POVs and storylines, it keeps you guessing. If you’re looking for a quick thriller that will keep you guessing this is the one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book for an honest review - all thoughts are my own. This book starts off with Paris being arrested for the murder of her Hollywood star husband Jimmy - who was found dead in his bathtub, with Paris holding the razor. Paris doesn't remember a whole lot but she loved Jimmy and would never harm him right? This book had so many twists, surprises, lies, and backstabbing - I never wanted to it end, but I had to see how it was going to end. Bravo Jennifer Hiller - you did it again - can't wait for more from you.

Book Review

Thing We Do in the Dark
By @jenniferhillier

Are you looking for a #thrilller full of #Canadiancontent - then look no further!

What its Got
✅90s references
✅Fast paced chapters for easy reading
✅Music quotes at the start of each part
✅Multiple points of view
✅Canadian content
✅ Secrets, revenge, love, twists and turns

⚠️Triggers- addiction, child abuse, rape, sexual assault

Characters
Drew- podcast journalist and friend of Joey, looking to save the world and redeem his past mistakes

Ruby- the violent alcoholic mother of Joey, now imprisoned, she is till looking out for number one, herself

Jimmy- recovering drug addict, famous comedian, a millionaire who likes being married

Paris/ Joey/ Joelle- she is a survivor, a phoenix who has risen from the ashes, remaking herself time and time again, proof that your past doesnt define you

Zoe- assistant extraordinaire to Jimmy

Elsie- Paris’ lawyer, Jimmy’s
Long time friend and confidant

Hillier’s writing is compelling, from the first page, she ensnares the readers attention and immediately pulls them in. Her characters are relatable and complex, giving the reader a chance to become emotionally invested. Her narrative is well timed and paced with quick chapters that move the storyline along.
Overall a fabulous read!!


Thank you to @minotaurbooks for my gifted copy in return for an honest review. Opinions are my own.