I received a complimentary copy of of THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books! Thank you also to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

Publication Date: 7/19/2022
Rating: 4 / 5
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK opens with a woman named Paris being arrested for the death of her famous husband. She was found by police holding the razor blade that caused his death. When asked if she killed her husband, her response is that she doesn’t know. Her husband was a comedian, living the ups and downs of fame and fortune along with issues of mental health.

We also learn about Ruby, branded by the media as the Ice Queen. She’s in jail for a similar murder committed 25 years ago and she’s reaching out to Paris from behind bars. With her release imminent, we are learning more about the investigation into that shocking crime as well.

This book hit me at the perfect time when I was definitely in the mood for a good and gripping thriller. I found this book to be the perfect mix of multiple POVs in the past and the present to keep the action moving along and it kept me guessing about many things until the end. I expected some of the twists along the way, but that did not diminish my enjoyment and I did second guess myself a few times. There were a few surprises along the way as well!

Jennifer Hillier is an autobuy author for me and I’m still slowly making my way through her backlist as well. She writes really engaging, gripping stories and this book did not disappoint!

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK will be out on 7/19/2022!

Famous comedian Jimmy Peralta is dead. He's discovered in the tub, bloodied; stabbed. When police arrive, they discover Paris Peralta in the bathroom as well. Covered in Jimmy's blood, straight razor in hand. When questioned about murdering her husband, she responds with "I don't know". Of course Paris is arrested for her husband's death: she's years his junior, runs a simple yoga studio, and has only been married to him a few years. Classic Hollywood gold-digging murderess. Case closed. Yet, the truth remains illusive. While trying to clear her name, Paris' past begins to creep up on her. Threatening to dishevel her current life, everything she's worked so hard for. She won't stand for it, she'll do anything not to go back there. But it keeps seeping in, it's knocking, calling to her. How far will she go to keep it at bay?

This is my first Hillier work and I understand now why her thrillers are widely recommended. At first, I suspected that the narrative was going to be transparent throughout. The initial twist is easily guessed (and I am.....very bad at that) but, it turns out to be more complex than that. Multiple points of view and time periods weave themselves together, revealing aspects of the storyline that I never would have considered including. The pacing of these revelations are perfection, gripping the reader and refusing to let go. Things We Do in the Dark explores dark themes like sexual assault, hard drug use, domestic violence, gang violence, molestation, rape, murder. The result is raw, mortifying, visualizations that elicit emotional response. Enveloping all of these elements into one plot gave each of the characters depth, even the lesser-mentioned ones are intriguing, all of them polarizing.

Hillier's writing style is sharp and diligent. It works quickly, cutting deep, getting emotional, real. While the ending was a bit too tidy for my liking, the prose and intricacy of Things We Do in the Dark will keep me coming back to Hillier's works for a long time to come.

Jennifer Hillier is an automatic read for me, she never disappoints with her complex stories. "Thing We Do in the Dark" is a twisty mystery about the many lives of Paris Peralta. I really liked the protagonist and was glad for the somewhat happy ending. While I was grateful they used a narrator with an appropriate accent I found her cadence pretty slow which made parts of the book seem to drag on.
Thank you to NetGalley and the published for a chance to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jennifer Hillier does it again! I loved Jar of Hearts and Little Secrets. Things We Do in the Dark was so good. I loved the story being told from multiple viewpoints. It was so interesting to hear the story play out and I really did not see the plot twist coming!

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!

This book was hugely entertaining and kept me guessing all along the way. Good characters, solid plot. Super enjoyable!

Things We Do in the Dark was a fast-paced, interesting read. The development of the main character,Paris, was well- plotted. Despite her less-savory lifechoices, I wanted to see her succeed. The revealed villain felt a little bit cliché, but even that turn was deamatic and believable. I'd happily recommend this book to any mystery/thriller reader.

My new favorite thriller from Canadian author Jennifer Hillier!! This newest book starts off so strong with our heroine, Paris Peralta, getting arrested when she's found with literal blood on her hands and her dead celebrity husband in the bathtub. Charged with his murder Paris has to fight for her innocence while also trying to keep the secrets of her past hidden.

This one deals with some heavy themes, including parental neglect, sexual abuse and rape of a minor among other things so definitely read with care. I really love a strong female MC and Paris is certainly that, clawing her way to overcome a traumatic childhood and remake her life.

Recommended for fans of Blood Sugar (another recent thriller where a wife is charged with the death of her husband rather than the actual crimes from her past). Excellent on audio too, narrated by Carla Vega with a great author's interview included at the end. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance listening copy!

This book takes you back and forth between current time with Paris and previous life with Joelle. This book discusses abuse that the main character endured as a child with her mother, mothers boyfriends and family. It follows Drew who is doing a podcast on convicted criminal, Ruby, who is also Joelle’s mom. He is able to piece together Joey’s history and in the end, is able to help her. There’s lots of twists and turns and secrets and lies. This book kept me reading and wanting to know how everything was going to turn out for Paris, Drew and Ruby.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my review.

What a wild, twisty story! Jennifer Hillier seamlessly wove a story that spans years and several characters. We start the story off following Paris, who is being charged with the murder of her husband. Paris has a mysterious past, so we set off on a journey of exploring where she came from, while trying to figure out what happened to her husband in the present timeline.

This was a super heavy read. It was well written and well narrated! The narrator's many different voices brought the story to life in a way that reading it physically could not have done. Many of the twists were predictable to me, but I still found myself immersed in the story and wanting to know more. I definitely will be checking out more books by this author!

Please check CW's, as this deals with domestic, child, and sexual abuse, murder, and more.

*Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Things We Do In the Dark was a fantastic, twisty web of a read. When Paris Peralta is arrested with her celebrity husband’s blood all over her, she knows that things look bad but it’s honestly the least of her worries. With the media attention that this is sure to drive she is worried about being recognized from her past and the secrets there that she has spent years running away from.

I don’t want to say much more because there are a few different interwoven story lines - I loved how the author slowly revealed them throughout the story. The title of the book is also very clever - I wanted to know even more about Things We Do in the Dark.

Overall, there was no big twist or aha moment but it was a slow build throughout the book that resulted in a satisfactory conclusion.

The audio version is narrated by Carla Vega who did a wonderful job of carrying the story forward. The timelines jumped often, as well as the POV, and Carla was able to represent it all in a way that led to no confusion for the audio listener.

Things We Do in the Dark is out 7/19/22 - thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. Don’t miss this one!

This was great! I loved the way the author wrote the story with shifting timelines and narrators. I didn't see the ending coming and was glad it wasn't a lame confessional monologue.

Paris is arrested after being found holding a straight-razor over the dead body of her older husband, Jimmy. Ruby Reyes who was convicted of a very similar murder in the 90s and she knows who Paris really is. This one takes lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing just who are the real killers. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Paris Peralta, covered in blood, is arrested in her bathroom for her famous husband’s murder her quiet life is thrust into the media. Those secrets she has tried so hard to keep buried threaten to be surfaced. Can Paris be acquitted of murder while keeping her secrets from being discovered. This is a dark thriller and is a much hyped book coming out this month.

The warnings on this book are incredible: violence, sexual violence, every type of abuse so this is not a book for the young.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for picking me to listen to this book.

#netgalley
#macmillanaudio
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
#mybookishlife
#audiobook

Paris Peralta is found covered in blood and holding a razor in the bathroom with her older celebrity dead husband, Jimmy. Paris is arrested and faces a murder charge which will likely expose a past she has worked hard to keep secret. Over two decades prior, Ruby Reyes is charged with a very similar murder in Canada and knows all about the secrets from Paris’ past. When Ruby is unexpectedly released from prison, Paris realizes that she might have no choice other than to face her past.

Jennifer Hillier did it again!! I could not put down this twisty thriller with turns I did not see coming. Things We Do in the Dark totally lives up to the hype! The main characters are strongly developed throughout the story. I absolutely loved Things We Do in the Dark, and felt the ending was satisfying and tied things up well! There are multiple storylines and timelines occurring within the plot and all of them equally held my interest and leaving me excited to know what’s going to happen next (which I feel like doesn’t happen for me often-usually there sone story line that grabs my attention and the others feel like filler).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

I will admit this book is a little bit darker then I had originally thought. Please be aware that this book does mention, child abuse (physical and sexual), self harm, murder, and dementia pretty heavily so if any of that makes you uncomfortable this may not be the right book for you.

While the mystery in this book is not the most shocking, I still really enjoyed. I feel like this book focuses more on what lead up to that point in Paris life, more then it is about the actual mystery. At many points in the book you wonder if there is a mystery.

I loved how easy it was to connect with Joey, throughout the book, and you will truly start to pity her. The only thing was was sometimes hard to navigate was the jumping around in the time line. Now I listened to this audiobook so that could be why it was a little bit harder for me, but once I realized the follow, I was fine.

Overall I gave this book a 4 out 5 stars and I would recommend this to other readers that like a mystery with a dark backstory.

Talk about a plot!! Wow, that was probably the best part and the fact that Hillier flawlessly executed this made this book a solid four stars at least for me! It was so good. The dual timelines with multiple povs made this such a fun read. It was a bit confusing at first, but was an easy adjustment when I realized it was flipping between people and timelines. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it definitely lived up to what I hoped and had been waiting for. Hillier is has an incredible talent for writing and it does nothing but shine in this book.

Wow, just wow! I really enjoyed Hillier's latest thriller! I liked the dual timelines, the lead up, the timing, the ending, everything. I listened to the audio book and thought it was very well done, too. The voices and pacing were spot on!

I went in without too many expectations and was pleasantly surprised! I’m excited to see peoples reactions because I think, while it didn’t do anything truly new as far as thrillers go, it was a hell of a good time to read! I can’t really say that the ending surprised me because I saw that plot twist at the 99% mark coming a mile away, but it was definitely satisfying to finally see out MC stick it to the most undeniably person in her life. The writing was good too. Good all around, but just “good”.

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.