Things We Do in the Dark
@jenniferhillierbooks
Thriller
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Goodreads rating: 4.13

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Dark and juicy family dramas
▫️Addicting storylines that keep you reading
▫️Multiple POV from characters that keep you guessing 🤔

INITIAL THOUGHTS:
She does it again!!!!! 😵 This is my 3rd Hillier book and let me tell ya, IT DELIVERED. I devoured this book in a few sittings and when I was wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. It opens up with an amazing shock-factor that had me immediately gripping the pages, in per usual fashion for Hillier’s books! If you’re looking for something deliciously dark & evil… This book is it❗️

ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS:
After Paris wakes up on her bathroom floor covered in someone’s blood and a razor in her hand, she turns to see her celebrity husband dead in the tub next to her. 🔪

RATING EXPLAINED:
I will definitely be recommending this book to all thriller lovers. I was able to guess a few of the twists BUT there was SO MUCH DETAIL and moving parts in this story that it still had a fantastic ending. It filled up all my thriller cavings! 😈

DETAILS:
▪️Publishes: 07/19/22
▪️There are some heavy trigger warnings in this one friends, as always check before you read! 🚨
▪️Thank you SO MUCH @minotaur_books, @stmartinspress, & @netgalley for the super cool gifted ARCs in exchange for an honest review!

Well, Jennifer Hillier can always be relied upon to deliver a dark and twisty story that will have you gripping the armrest of your reading chair and flipping pages with abandon.

She does an excellent job of keeping you off-kilter and not knowing whether you should like or hate her main characters. This book starts off with Paris Peralta being arrested for the murder of her celebrity comedian husband. The pair live right on Queen Anne overlooking the Seattle City. For those of you who haven't spent time in Seattle this means they are pretty well off. Those houses go for upwards of $6 Million. But with a seemingly airtight prenup in place, what motive could Paris have had?

Anyway, it becomes apparent that Paris has quite the secret history of her own, and this might not be the first time she's been involved in a murder. The rest of the book is spent between the past and the present time and Paris' history starts to unfold.

I can't say too much more without giving any spoilers, but in true Hillier style this story is pretty dark and there is a lot of abuse (child, emotional, domestic etc) which can be really hard to read about...at least I thought so. But it was so well written and even though I guessed at some of the twists it didn't make it any less compelling to read.

I really loved this compulsively readable thriller! Things We Do in the Dark is fast-paced with dual timelines about Paris Peralta, who has run from her traumatic past and made a new life for herself. We're immediately plunged into her life as she discovers her husband has died. The story follows her present-day and about twenty years prior. The story moves swiftly and feels like watching a movie. I loved the writing style and characters. Though I guessed the reveals, I still really enjoyed the story and couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. I loved Carla Vega's narration. It was perfect for this book. Highly recommend if you're looking for a captivating thriller!

Thank you Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio for providing this ebook / audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I love loved the beginning of this one. It kept me completely engaged and the storyline was intriguing. With that being said, I felt like the middle dragged a bit. There was a lot of backstory. By the time the big reveal came, I felt like I was more “finally” than “OMG.”

I love Jennifer Hillier’s work, so I still really enjoyed this one. I may also not be in the right space right now, cause I don’t seem to be impressed by much lately 😂😂

All the stars!!

Another great read from Jennifer Hillier!

"Jar of Hearts" was my first Jennifer Hillier novel. I thought it was terrific. Then I read "Little Secrets" and LOVED it. So I was super excited to read "Things We Do in the Dark". I'd hoped I wouldn't be let down.

I wasn't let down at all. In my opinion, this was a very good read.

I thought the story flowed well and I thought the characters were complex and dynamic.

An excellent psychological suspense novel from one of my favorite authors!

I can't wait to read more from this very talented author!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I felt that this thriller was pretty middle-of-the-road. It wasn't boring, but it doesn't rank high on my Thriller's Must-Reads.

With that being said, I enjoyed the story and was intrigued by the mysterious "Ice Queen Killer". That was a fun twist, and I liked Paris more and more the further I got into the story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Hillier coming in hot with another excellent unputdownable thriller!⁣
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Paris awakens covered in her rich, older husbands blood, with the police arresting her, and a dark past that haunts her.⁣
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There are so many ways this story could go. With Paris’ dark past and found next to her husband, you assume she did it; but did she? ⁣
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She had an abusive child hood. She’s receiving black mail letters from the Ice Queen who’s in prison for murder. An old friend who has a podcast ‘’Things We Do In The Dark’’ discusses his deceased best friends past and her mother who is in jail for murder. ⁣
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There’s a lot of interesting characters, a finger could be pointed at any of them at some point. I was always trying to guess what was going to happen next and was still left shocked at the twist at the end and loved how it ended. I absolutely loved this book. ⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Things We Do in the Dark is an intricately plotted suspense novel that traces the deaths of three people over the years. Through well-paced chapters, you’ll learn how these three murders are linked.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, and found myself really drawn to the past plots more than the present.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and I loved it but it did fall kind of short for me.

I love Hillier so much, because she does a fucked-up, scary, gory thriller SO WELL. So when I picked this up, and realized it was less gore and more psychological I felt a little meh about it. Butttt I think that’s my own fault because outside of building my expectations up this was a fantastic thriller.

It was multiple POVS and multiple storylines so I got so much out of this. I loved the characters and the mystery behind them. Although I saw the twists coming, I seriously sped read this book in about 4 hours because I was dying to know what happens next. Hillier is such an amazing writer and I just love the way she brings character’s inner thoughts to life.

Overall, if you need a good summer thriller, and you can’t handle gore or super scary, this would be perfect! I also highly recommend this for a book club because there was so much I would have loved to get other people’s opinions on!!

I Refuse To Be My [Parent]. Yes, a version of the title line of this review is said in the book. And that was the moment the book hit particularly hard for me. Because I've lived it. Not directly, but as the child of a person that did. To be clear, it was not the same kind of abuse that my parent endured, but it *was* abuse and it *did* shape that parent in ways that have played out over the course of my own life. So at that moment, this book became very, very real for me and I could see that character's actions as clear as day and understand them on levels I don't often get to even in fiction.

The rest of the book, with a present day murder and blackmailing, a secret identity, a true crime podcast looking at a murder years ago and how it all ties together... was all excellently done. Other reviews complain about the backstory, but for me that was the actual story - because it shows everything that caused the person to utter the line I titled the review with. Overall a strong tale that survivors of domestic abuse may struggle with, but which ultimately should prove cathartic indeed even for them. Very much recommended.

"While you can reinvent yourself, you cant outrun yourself."

Paris Peralta is the much younger wife of a famous comedian and she becomes clouded by suspicion when he ends up dead and she's found holding the weapon. The fact that she's on the hook for murder is actually only her second biggest problem at the moment, being suddenly thrust into the limelight she's at risk for the secrets of her past unraveling in the worst way.

Jennifer Hillier is easily one of my favourite thriller writers. I love the pacing of her stories, they keep me on the edge of my seat throughout. Did I guess some of the twists? Yes. Did it take away from how much I liked the story? Not at all. Recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller with intriguing characters, family drama, secrets to be revealed and a murder mystery all wrapped into one.

Please check trigger warnings before reading!

I enjoyed this book, but wasn’t my favorite. I think my expectations are high because I’ve loved every single book Hillier has published.

What I like about this : It starts off with a thrill, Paris’s husband dead in a bathtub. I also liked the multiple POV’s.

What I didn’t like: The back and fourth of past and present. I found myself getting confused and not interested at some points.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest psychological thriller by Jennifer Hillier and wonderfully narrated by Carla Vega - 5 stars!

Paris Peralta is accused of killing her celebrity older husband - and things don't look good for her seeing as she was found with the murder weapon in her hand. While the thought of going to jail terrifies her, so do the letters that she is receiving from Ruby Reyes, threatening to expose a secret from her past.

I don't want to give too much away because you must read this book yourself! It is full of multiple storylines and timelines as well as stories that will break your heart. There are the twists that you might see coming and those you won't - all adding up to a gripping story that I couldn't put down. Jennifer Hillier has done it again - her writing and character development are top notch. Highly recommended!

Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier

Paris is a young lady about 29 years age difference between her and her husband Jimmy. The story starts off with Jimmy her famous comedian husband is found dead in the bath tub. Paris is in the bathroom holding a razor in her hand. Paris is arrested for murder. This is how the story starts then it split with a duel time line Paris as a young girl before and Paris who is in jail dealing with murder.

The story has some complexity cause everyone feels like a suspect and the main character Paris has her own little secrets. Jimmy had his own crazy history with depression and drugs. Did Jimmy commit suicide or was he murdered? Who killed Jimmy?

I love the duel time line it helped explain the complexity of the main character life and her secrets. Everything does come together by the end of the story it was fleshed out really good leading the reader along the story. The reader is given crumbs along the way to put the story together. I felt like the story wasn't overly complex as I initially thought it would be. My gut was right all along who I thought did it.

This was overall an enjoyable thriller to read and I enjoyed it was a 4 star read for me. If you like thrillers this is a good one to wet your taste buds for a decent straight forward thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for giving me a free copy of the book for an honest review./0

Another amazing read from Jennifer Hillier that I didn’t want to put down! Just like her others that I’ve read, this one was dark and twisty! I absolutely love Hillier’s writing and I highly recommend all of her books. My favorite is still Jar of Hearts but this one was an amazing 4 stars!

I absolutely loved this thriller and can't wait to read more by this author!

Paris Peralta is found covered in blood, holding a razor beside her dead husband's body. Did she kill him? Did he kill himself? Was she framed? Anything is possible.

This story is woven together through multiple POV's taking the reader on a journey through Paris's past and present situations. Although tough to read at times, the plot was gripping and kept you turning the pages until the very end!

Oh my goodness! What a suspenseful, twisty story!!!!
Most of the time I was reading the book, I think my mouth was hanging open. It is really a heart breaking story to read.
To sum it up, a very intense, disturbing and emotional read
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Reading Between the Wines book review #57/135 for 2022:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Things We Do in the Dark
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES July 19, 2022!!! Get your copy today!

Sipping thoughts: I knew Jennifer would live up to my expectations as well as all the hype I heard. Reading this book was like getting 2 books in one. Although the storyline is really one larger one, the past and present POV really made it feel like I was reading 2 stories. I enjoyed following Paris’ story and trying to figure out if she was guilty and the past she was running from. There is one character in this book is one that I just could NOT stand and for the sake of staying away from spoilers, just know you will feel the same way. I loved the ending and I think all the twists were believable.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @jenniferhillierbooks @StMartinsPress, @MinotaurBooks and @MacmillanAudio for an advance copy of @ThingsWeDoInTheDark.

#ThingsWeDoInTheDark #JenniferHillier #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

Thank you to NetGalley and Jennifer Hillier for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Paris finds her husband, comedian Jimmy Peralta dead in their home. Now she faces herself in a very familiar situation. She is accused of murder, just like her mother was years ago. Now she has to prove herself innocent while being blackmailed by the Ice Queen aka her mother. Will Paris be able to prove her innocence and outrun her past?

I really liked this thriller. This is one of my more favorite ones I've read so far. I haven't ever read a Jennifer Hillier novel before but I am going to be checking out more of her work now. Unfortunately it did lag a little in the beginning so it took me some time to read but once I got through that into the second half of the book I was hooked! I thought I had everything figured out when lol nope I was wrong. This one is a must read!