There's a lot to like about this début tale by Terri Parlato. It's part psychological, domestic thriller and a police procedural. Rita Myers is an intuitive Boston PD detective. The characters are well defined and the story unfolds via two points of view. It's well written with enough twists to have you guessing and sufficiently engrossing to keep on turning the pages. Well worth a look.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I love it when I read a really good book and then find out that it's the author's debut novel! This was a twisty and fast-paced murder mystery/thriller. I thought I had figured out who the killer was, but then was completely surprised at the reveal. My favorite character was Detective Rita Myers. It would be fun to see her in a future book!

Thank you @netgalley, @htpbooks and @kensingtonbooks for the e-arcs of these books.

The layers in this riveting book are mesmerizing. Just when I thought I had figured out who had targeted psychologist Jay, there was another twist and a turn in my thinking. This is part police procedural, part suspense and part psych thriller and all a well-woven together story of how deception and lies can kill. Rita, the police detective, is the most likable detective I have ever encountered in a book. She is smart as well as intuitive and she also deeply cares about digging until she finds the truth. Good thing, too, since she has to dig deeply to uncover the secrets that Molly and her husband had! I really enjoyed the characters and the way each of them was described and fleshed out so thoroughly. My love for the book, though, came from the plot that was so well-written that at times I forgot I was reading a book and thought I was reading a movie script. The characters came alive and the plot fairly raced along to the finish. I look forward to the next book from this author, but I already know it will be hard to top this one.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I decided to DNF this book at the 37% mark. I could not connect with the writing and I found the abrupt endings to the chapters a bit off kilter. I also could not connect with any of the characters. This book may have had a fantastic ending that I wouldn't have seen coming but all of the other factors made me decide to not pick it up again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I love reading debut novels! This was overall a decent read.

I did struggle with the amount of friends in the story, attempting to keep them all straight and the lack of background on them.

Dual povs are my favourite. Switching between the wife and detective.

Everyone seemed to have something to hide that came unraveled throughout the investigation.

There's so much I liked about this great debut novel by Terri Parlato! It read like a psychological thriller mixed with a police procedural mystery. The characters are well developed and I like how the story unfolds through two points of view. It's well written with enough twists to keep you guessing and turning pages. I could see the story playing out in my head and think it would make a great movie or tv series. I'm looking forward to more books by Terri Parlato and would even love to see this one become a series with more crimes for this police department to solve with a little help from the FBI.

All the Dark Places is a solid effort for a debut thriller. Jay and Molly have a small party to celebrate Jay’s 40th birthday. The day after, Jay is found murdered and everyone at the party is a suspect.

The plot is mostly driven by Molly and Rita, the detective seeking the truth. We find that Molly was kidnapped as a young girl that puts everything in a new light. We find that there’s a possible connection to another murder that happened in the recent past. The connections seem to be nebulous but there. Rita was a bit annoying and the little fragments of her life written in didn’t really add to the book.

This is a domestic thriller that is in the vein of a Megan Miranda or Ruth Ware book. It was, at times, more formulaic than I usually like but a solid effort nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this eARC. All the Dark Places is out now.

Five stars for this incredible debut thriller!

The highest complement that I can give this book is that it is truly character-driven. Terri Parlato uses an amazing cast of characters to spin a web of secrets and lies. Everyone in the story is a suspect, and it had me guessing until the very end. And I absolutely loved the ending. She left no stones unturned.

This book starts out at a birthday party for Molly's husband Jay. But by morning, Jay is dead and the case begins. What follows is a story where everyone seems to have something to hide. At the heart of the story is Molly. She has a very traumatic past that seems to be coming back to haunt her. Not only did I love Molly as a character, but she becomes so strong as her journey unfolds. I was very satisfied with her ending, and I will be thinking about her for a long time to come.

As I have already mentioned, there is an amazing cast of characters that you will get to know very well. Molly and Jay's friends, Molly's sister, and Detective Rita Myers. I really grew to love Detective Myers - I would love to see her again in a future story.

This book is a true thriller. The attention to detail is thorough, the chapters are short and fast, and the story is a true slow burn in all of the best ways. I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. I look forward to reading this author's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced reader copy of this terrific thriller. I was so happy to receive it! This book is out this week. I highly recommend it - it is the perfect winter read!

Everyone loved well-known psychologist, Jay Bradley. If so, then who viciously murdered him in his office? He and his wife Molly had celebrated his fortieth birthday, earlier in the evening, with their close group of friends. Detective Rita Myers is called to the scene along with her partner Detective Chase Fuller. Molly admits that she had too much to drink during the celebration and heard nothing until she awoke in the morning. As Rita and Chase begin to interview the friends who attended the celebration as well as others, they learn of a tragic incident from Molly’s past. Did the fact that Jay was planning to write a book about abnormal psychology and the criminal mind make him a target? When someone begins harassing Molly, is this connected to Jay’s murder? I make notes when reviewing a book, but even with my notes, the story was a little confusing and I didn’t get the feeling of life-threatening suspense (until the very end) that usually accompanies such a murder. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ All the Dark Places was a decent debut with a pretty intriguing plot. When Molly Bradley wakes up the morning after her husband Jay’s 40th birthday party she discovers he’s been murdered. The Bradley’s have a close group of friends who all agree that Jay, a psychologist, is a really great guy. Who on earth would want to hurt him?

The story alternates between Molly’s POV and that of the detective who is investigating the case. I liked that Rita was both older and wiser and even though I found her a smidge annoying, I appreciated reading about a seasoned female detective for a change.

The writing was solid, albeit a bit clunky. The large friend group confused me at times, especially because I felt the character development was lacking. I would have preferred to have a better understanding of the key players in this story but there were also details given that felt totally irrelevant.

While this wasn’t my favorite book, I can definitely see potential with this author and I look forward to seeing what she does in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to be an early reader.

Sadly, for me, this book was one of those cases where the blurb was the most interesting part. Don't get me wrong, it had potential, but ultimately, I just didn't feel the tension and suspense the author was going for.

In my opinion, this was partly because there were just so many characters that were mentioned over the course of the novel that it became hard to keep track of just who was who. I didn't feel any of the background characters were well developed, although certain ones did seem to play a more important part to the story (but that is a whole different can of worms that I will get to in a minute).

When I look at the two main characters, I found them hard to like. On one hand we have Rita, the seasoned detective who says "uh huh" entirely way too often. She comes across as a competent enough officer, but to me, lacked any real personality.

And then we have Molly, whose entire personality seemed to be her husband (and a traumatic past). And while I get it, you've just had your world upended and now it seems like someone might know about your secret past, I cannot condone the fact that one of her solutions is to go to the shelter and rescue a dog just so she could purchase a service dog vest, slap it on said dog with no training whatsoever and decide the dog could go everywhere with her, and no one could stop her. Yes, I know it's a work of fiction, but stuff like that makes it so much harder in real life for people who own actual service dogs to be taken seriously.

Another big problem I had with this one was just who the killer turned out to be. I found it a bit on the inconceivable side that this person would have been allowed into their lives without either of them having any idea who they really were.

However, being that this was a debut novel for this author I would give them another chance because I can see the potential they have.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I found this book to be a strong debut, so strong I had to double check that the author didn’t have a backlog I could dig into. The story was fast paced and had some decent twists and a good mystery. It’s told in two perspectives Molly, who wakes up the day after her husband’s birthday party to discover he has been murdered and Rita the detective investigating the case. Molly was a hard narrator to connect with. She had quite a trauma history before her husband was murdered and she understandably struggled afterwards so she was very realistic. The cast of characters was also well done with several decent suspects on the list. Alice was probably my favorite character (next to Sadie of course). I liked how the two narratives told one whole story encompassing the present mystery and it’s connections to the past.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4719338934

All the Dark Places by Terri Parlato is a well-written, fast paced story. The descriptive writing made me feel like I was immersed in the plot. As always, a multiple POV is my fave device to use in a psychological thriller, as I feel it adds so much depth. The characters were really interesting there were great surprises. I definitely recommend this one!

Following a birthday party with close friends in attendance, Jay, a psychologist, is found murdered. His wife, Molly, is distraught; he was her rock. Was it a patient or someone close to him? The police find a secret he was hiding, but his wife is hiding one also, and perhaps some of the friends? When the death of a missing girl ties into the investigation, led by Boston detective Rita Myers, the mystery deepens.

Fast paced and engrossing, the story is told from alternating points of view, Molly’s and Rita’s. I thought the book started off a little shallow. But, as it progressed, so did the depth of the story With a solid, credible plot and well developed characters, this is a good read for mystery/police procedural lovers. Kudos for a debut novel. Here’s hoping it may be the beginning of a series featuring Rita.

This story grabbed my attention pretty quickly with a shocking murder in the first few chapters. I like stories that can do that and that can keep me attentive for the rest of the story. I find that this can be a sign of a good writer and storyteller.

The book summary lays out the two storylines. The primary one being the investigation of Molly’s husband, Jay, by Rita, a local police detective. Rita is an older and seasoned detective, and her suspicions tend to run towards someone close to Jay, like one of his friends and/or coworker. Molly is clueless but pretty early in the story, makes references to something bad happening to her and it was how she met Jay. The secondary storyline is Molly’s past and the perpetrator who is now in jail. The story flips back and forth between narrators Molly and Rita.

Before the halfway point, there is the reveal of Molly’s past and another murder investigation. The rest of the story revolves around the two murder investigations and the questioning of the suspects, all of whom are friends of Jay. There is also a reveal about the harassment of Molly by an unknown person. There were just too many suspects for me to really narrow down “whodunit” and Parlato wasn’t giving up a lot clues, at least until the end (last 20%), which got scary and intense for Molly towards the very end. The finale was very satisfying😊

This was a good murder mystery and Parlato is a good storyteller; I read it in two sittings. This is the part where I would be saying that I would be checking out her other work, but this is Parlato’s first book. So, I’ll just say that I’ll be keeping an eye out for her future work. I want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

@NetGalley @KensingtonBooks @AllTheDarkPlaces

Synopsis: A savage murder rocks a quiet Massachusetts suburb, revealing the dark secrets at the center of a group of friends and setting two women – one with a traumatic past, the other a Boston police detective – on a hunt for truth in this stylish debut thriller by Terri Parlato, "All The Dark Places".

Descriptive writing brings this to life, Terri Parlato structures her story with alternating character chapters. And, these are short chapters, which I enjoy for building suspense.

All the Dark Places is a mind blowing debut that will stay with you long after the shocking conclusion. I look forward to reading more by this debut author in the future.

Thank you #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for providing me with an E-ARC of “All the Dark Places” in exchange for an honest review.

I rated this 5 Stars

This thriller kept me enthralled. After his birthday party, Jay, a psychologist, is brutally slain. His widow, Molly, has a terrible secret from her own past that comes out.
I liked Detective Rita. She reminded me of Olivia Benson in SVU, only better!
I was completely in the dark about the killer. The author did an excellent job in obscuring the killer’s identity until almost the end.
Reading this book may make you question your friendships.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book grabs you from the beginning. All the characters just feel a bit off. When Jay is murdered everyone is a suspect and everyone seems to be hiding something, even Molly. I couldn't figure Molly out at first but it's obvious that there is something in her past that she is trying to keep hidden. She doesn't like basements, doesn't like the press and seems scared of her own shadow.

The female characters in the book don't seem as creepy as the men but Jay's partner rubbed me the wrong way several times and I could never pinpoint why. Overall this is a very well plotted book with relatable if not always likable characters. The alternating point of view chapters from Molly to the police detective involved helped put you in the mindset of both participants.

When things are finally revealed in the end I hadn't seen it coming. I was focusing on a different character so I was pleasantly surprised by that. Overall a great mystery/thriller for a debut author.

This twisty domestic thriller is a solid debut from Terri Parlato!

Molly and her husband Jay and six on their dearest friends are celebrating Jay’s 40th birthday at their home. Molly turns in early and Jay, a psychologist, stays up late to work on his book on Abnormal Psychological Behavior and Criminals. When she wakes in the morning Jay’s side of the bed is untouched and still cold and she doesn’t smell coffee, which is highly unusual. Molly heads out back to Jay’s office and finds him dead with his throat slashed. Did one of their friends do it or did a stranger break in and kill her husband?

Detective Rita Myers is a thirty year veteran with the Boston PD. She and her new partner, Chase Fuller, begin to investigate Jay’s murder. Rita likes to take notes by hand and doodles while she does so, while Chase likes to take his notes on his smartphone. It works. While they’re investigating Jay’s case another body turns up on the property that Jay and Molly own. Could there be more to this??

The chapters alternate between Molly and Rita, with Molly’s story being more in depth but I felt more drawn in to Rita. I hope Rita was not as fleshed out because we will see more of her in the future, because I REALLY liked Rita. Even though this seems to be a police procedural it is very character driven especially between the two women.
I thought I knew who the murderer was but boy was o wrong and that doesn’t happen often.

The narration on the ALC was perfection. I especially loved the narration from Christina Moore- “Rita”. She really channeled the detective part. I hope to hear more from her.
4 solid stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and RB Media for the early review copies!

Terrific thriller. It kept me guessing. Several couples involved besides the main one. Even the police detectives are interesting. Many surprises. Nicely wrapped up in the conclusion. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.