Things We Do in the Dark starts off with Paris being arrested for the murder of her famous comedian husband, Jimmy who is about 20 years older than her. She is found with the straight razor used to kill him in her hand. Now Paris's dark past comes back to haunt her. She has never revealed her past to anyone in her current life, but now that she is front page news, someone from her past recognizes her.

This was a dark psychological thriller with the twists pretty easy to figure out. I liked the characters - Paris, Drew, Joey and Ruby were all very interesting. There's definitely the hint of an unreliable narrator with pieces of a young girl's journal and lots of secrets kept under wraps for years. This was an entertaining read, although I didn't feel like it had a lot of suspense or mystery. A pretty good thriller, even without a lot of 'thrill'.

Thanks to Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

SCREAMING. How have I never read a Jennifer Hillier book?? Because wow. This will definitely be the thriller of the summer.

Definitely get this book in hardcover or a paperback because I heard the cover glows, which is amazing.

I could not put this one down, because the twists kept coming. There are multiple POV which is always amazing during a thriller cause then you don’t even know who to trust.

I don’t want to say too much that will give it away - but if you like thrillers at all then pick this up and be ready for a wild ride.

Paris, a woman accused of murdering her rich, famous, and much older husband attempts to cooperate with her lawyers while hiding her secret past. Meanwhile Drew, a true crime podcaster, considers interviewing a convicted murderer with whom he despises for personal reasons.

Paris and Drew, who alternately act as point of view characters, are both likable, which made it easy for me to connect with them. Paris’ dire situation and the way her secrets are used to create suspense made her sections page turners. Drew is a great investigative journalist, so his chapters created a puzzle to be solved as he tries to piece together the events that led to the discovery of the body of his friend, Joey. While Joey’s tragic backstory including child abuse and sexual assault was hard to read, it served nice to form her character.

I really liked how the author organized the book, even though I was a little put off when the story transitioned into Drew’s point of view in the second section, because I was so invested in ParIs’s story. It didn’t take long though for me to be pulled into his world.

The secondary and tertiary characters, even those with little page time, are beautifully rendered. Even the dead husband is a three dimensional character. The novel is rich with food delicacies, and the court scenes were infrequent and well paced.

This book marries glossy tabloid intrigue with the heart that comes from creating a cast of lovingly-developed characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

I was all in in this book from the minute I read the blurb. It starts off with a bang and you can’t help but get sucked into the story. It has that element of suspense that keeps you intrigued from start to finish. Just when you think you have it figured out, there is a twist and it makes you rethink things. There were parts of the story that I found to be a bit slower, but then it would pick back up and I was right back in it. This is one I would recommend you give a chance on. It will be worth the read.

Welp, Jennifer Hillier does it again with another unputdownable thriller.

Paris Peralta has rebuilt her life. That is until she’s found covered in her celebrity husband’s blood and is on trial for his murder. At the same time, Ruby Reyes who was convicted of a murder similar to Paris’ in nineties Canada. Her unlikely release at the same time Paris is being investigated might just be a coincidence, or it might be about to drag Paris back into her past. With Ruby set to appear on the popular podcast ‘Thing We Do In the Dark’, Paris stands to loose everything she’s spent years building.

I’ll be the first to say that I love a good thriller from Hillier. She has a knack for writing some truly terrible people, while keeping readers engaged in the intricate plot. Once again she utilizes two timelines in order to depict the past and the present.

The past is portrayed through the daughter of Ruby Reyes, Joey Reye’s diary. Joey who died 25 years ago was regularly subjected to physical and verbal abuse by her mother and her mother’s boyfriends. This could be a main trigger for some readers and while Hillier doesn’t get overly graphic there are a few incidents that could give readers pause. Her journal entries though, really develop the character of Joey, even though we don’t get her POV I felt that I knew her better than any of the other characters.

Not only does the present timeline follow Paris but it also follows one of Joey’s best friends, Drew. Drew Malcolm, the narrator of the popular Podcast, Thing We Do in the Dark, is set to interview Ruby Reyes after her release from prison. He’s convinced that Ruby knows more about what happened to Joey, and he’s determined to get answers.

Even though I saw once of the twists coming, the second one was a bit unexpected but it works within the story. As always, her books are a bit dark but she is great at perfecting the atmosphere of a story and at creating complex characters. I really enjoyed trying to figure out the ‘whodunnit’ in this one and highly recommend Hillier’s books to anyone needing a page turning thriller.


Things We Do in the Dark comes out July 19, 2022! Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier starts off with a bang and doesn't let up. The writing was crisp and kept my interest. The book is divided into two parts, and there were times I felt I was reading two separate stories, but I did get the connection. During the second part of the book, I figured out how the story would unfold, but the book was still enjoyable to read. Also, at first, I did NOT like the Zoe character, but she grew on me, and I really liked her in the end. The storyline is quite twisty, and it had a head-turning ending.

I would recommend this book and this author.

#NetGalley @StMartinsPress

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinions

4.25 stars!

Jennifer Hillier is one of my favorite thriller authors and has yet to disappoint me with every book of hers that I have read. Things We Do in the Dark was one of my most anticipated books of this year and I'm happy to say that it met almost all of my expectations. Things We Do in the Dark follows the story of Paris Peralta, who was found by the police holding the weapon that killed her older husband, as she tries to prove her innocence while also holding back some of her own secrets. I loved the characters that Jennifer Hillier created, and thought it was best that I went into this novel essentially blind. The only thing I felt was lacking was the mystery element. I'm not sure if it is because I have read many thrillers and mysteries, but I found myself guessing all of the plot twists. The only thing I wanted was to be shocked and all other Jennifer Hillier books have done to me thus far. Either way, still very unputdownable, and I look forward to continuing my way through this author's backlist.

Another great read by Jennifer Hillier.

The book was written very well, and though I guessed one of the major plot twists very early on, it still didn’t take away the surprise and enjoyment of the plot. It was a great fast paced read that makes you rush to turn each page, wanting to know what comes next. I could totally see this story made into a movie. Though I’m sure it won’t live up to the book lol.

The only thing I have to complain about is the last part (ending)of the book. I feel like it was kind of rushed and ended too quickly. Left me feeling like something was missing.

This was an overall 3.5 Stars for me.


Thank u Net galley and St. Martin Press for an ARC copy of this book.

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me :( I'm a big fan of Jennifer's writing and had such high hopes, but this just totally missed the mark. Found it to be predictable and didn't hold my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book before its release in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say that this book disappointed me a little. From the get-go, I was able to easily predict what the twists were going to be and because of that, this book lost its "wow" factor that typically keeps me on the edge of my seat when reading thriller books.

When the author gives those two big reveals by the end of Part 3, it had me excited to see what brilliant thing they would do to make this book stand apart from the rest in the genre. Perhaps it was my mistake to assume that, but it ended up being a book that had a big climax in the first third of the book and then slow-burn storytelling for the rest of the 2/3 of the book.

All of this to say, I did not hate this book. Despite there being no big twist for me to enjoy, I still couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened to Paris all those years ago. I think what brings this book down is the fact that the most interesting parts are during the flashbacks. Because of this, it feels like the parts in the present are a nuisance and overstayed their welcome. What happened to Jimmy Peralta was uninteresting because I cared more about what happened to Paris 20 years ago. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a dark, mellow mystery in their life.

I am probably going to be in the minority for this review, but I don't think that "Things We Do in the Dark" lives up to all of the hype and buzz that it is getting. The pacing of the story is quite slow, and the "twists" are fairly easy to see coming from a long way off. The past timeline of the characters takes up far too much of the novel and makes it drag. This is just an OK read, and I would recommend going to other things before picking up this one.

I really liked this book! The twists and turns felt organic and believable the characters felt true. I would recommend it. It was an interesting thriller that didn’t go for cheap thrills and was a quick summer read.

Paris Peralta is being accused of murdering her much older (and much wealthier) husband, for the exact reasons one would assume, but she remains firm on her innocence. She loved her husband, and he loved her, but there are secrets from her past that threaten to muddy those facts, and possibly paint her as the suspect that everyone thinks that she is. Not far from this bubble of drama, Ruby Reyes, dubbed the 'Ice Queen' after murdering HER older and wealthier boyfriend, is being released from prison after serving a reduced life sentence. Ruby is not only leaving with her freedom but also with the knowledge of Paris's secrets and a plan to use them against her if she doesn't get paid. With the help of many unexpected hands, Paris works to clear her name and keep her secrets in their grave where they belong.

I've waited a long time to use the phrase "everything but the kitchen sink", and my final thoughts and review for THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK seems like quite an appropriate place to use it. This book was disheartening, in a way that seemed to be done more for intrigue and shock, rather than for purpose. There was so much backstory and reasoning provided in the narrative, but none of it felt like enough of a foundation to make the twists worth it or even to make them make much sense.

What I did enjoy, was the many familiar references to my hometown of Toronto, the character diversity and how Hillier was able to create voices that were believable and felt genuine—my favourite character had to be Drew, a former journalist whose perspective we get to hear from alongside Paris's. The pace of the book was fast, and justice was served, even if it wasn't very satisfying. The bulk of my enjoyment lay in the characters themselves, so much so that I would have loved for the book to be at least another 50 pages, if only to see them rounded out a bit more. This was my second book by Hillier, and I'll definitely be picking up more in the future!

Trigger warnings: sexual assault of a child, physical abuse from a parent, drug use and graphic murder.

Jennifer Hillier never disappoints and Things We Do in the Dark is another favorite to add to my list. I love the shifts between the past and present and the different POVs. Things We Do in the Dark kept me flipping pages way up in the night. Definitely recommend adding this one to your list.

Here I am again, in this valley of betwixt and between.

I loved the beginning of Things We Do in the Dark. We have grit and heavy topics that made me think about how easily a life can derail.

Then…

I figured out the twists WAY before they happened. While I’d like to credit my innate brilliance, it’s more likely that all the foreshadowing made everything obvious.

I would’ve been okay with knowing the twists had the story kept up a good pace and blazed an interesting path to the end. But it mostly felt predictable and slow.

The story is told via past and present timelines. We spend too much time in the past, dawdling along. Yes, traumatic things happen. But we didn’t need to see every detail, which took us through multiple, complex backstories. These long treks through the past only served to disengage us (or, at least, me) from an intense present.

Then the final reveal seemed too convenient, going the way of sudden true confessions because how else are we going to learn the truth if someone doesn’t decide to unburden themselves?

I’m not saying this is a bad book. I’m just coasting along here in neutral. I know lots of readers have loved and will love it, and I respect their views. That’s the nature of reviews, which are only opinions, and you’re certainly free to ignore mine.

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK is going to easily land its way in my top 2022 reads—aaaand swipe for the coolest cover everrrr 🤩🥵🔥

where are my @jenniferhillierbooks fans at?! 🙋🏼‍♀️ at this rate, i would read this woman’s grocery list

🌟 rating: 5 stars
📖 genre: thriller // mystery
#️⃣ pages: 352
🥳 pub day: 7/19
#gifted from @minotaur_books
✍🏼 same author of JAR OF HEARTS and LITTLE SECRETS
read if you like: murder mysteries, serial murders, whodunnit plots, dual POVs

it feels like we’ve been waiting ages for a new novel from JH and she is BACKKK with an unputdownable, delicious thriller you won’t be able to stop thinking about! i mean, when the book starts with the MC waking up in her bathroom covered in blood standing over her famous dead husband, how could it not grip you from the start?!?! THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK had a lottttt going on, but it all worked. Hillier did an amazing job weaving all the characters and plots together and divided it up into 6 parts with quick chapters to keep you entertained. there were SO many twists (yes, plural!!) and i was here for it 🔪 she made me so emotionally attached (hated and loved!!) to all the characters. it reminded me a lot of JAR OF HEARTS but in my opinion, this is her best work yet 🔥

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK follows an MC with a messed up, mysterious path. when her husbands death goes viral—and she’s the main suspect—she’s worried that people will destroy the new life she’s tried so hard to build. then the book flips back 25 years ago where we learn just who the MC is… and you will not see how that plot unfolds coming 👀👀

the multiple POVs, twisted family drama, disappearances, murder mysteries (yes i said two), backstabbing, murder trial, wealth… all divided up in six parts?!?! SHEESH. this was such a ride—and i tried my best to make it last but thought about it every time i put it down and immediately snatched it up when i had a minute of spare time 🥲 some scenes are pretty intense/graphic so beware going in. i’ve seen some mixed reviews/dnfs for this and i’m so confused as to why!

This had a great hook but felt a little predictable as the story unraveled. I do think mystery/thriller readers will enjoy it regardless!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is fantastic! Jennifer Hillier keeps you riveted from the first to last page. I couldn’t put it down. Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy.

WOW! Once again Jennifer Hillier has crafted an emotional rollercoaster of a page turner. I was gripped from the beginning. Completely invested in the story and the characters. When Drew entered the picture it really intensified. I couldn't put this book down. There were plenty of surprises to keep you guessing. Then there were the love to hate characters. They were just as complex and interesting. Highly recommend. This is one hell of a great read!

I thought I had this one figured out, but the twist ending got me! Things We Do in the Dark is brilliantly written and will keep you on your toes until the last page!