I enjoyed this book, as I expected I would based on my experience with this author. The story centers primarily on Paris, who is accused of killing her much older husband. You also get an alternating story focused on Drew, who is trying to figure out what really happened around a friend’s death years ago and a jailed woman getting ready to be freed. The 2 stories weave together until they converge in a satisfying way.

Both Drew and Paris were likable characters and I enjoyed the flashbacks that further characterized them and provided their backstories. The mystery around the death(s) was well written and believable, including twists that I didn’t see coming. The end tied up everything nicely and left me pleased with the story as a whole.

Overall, another winner from Hilliard that I would recommend to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

Holy dual timeline / mysterious past / terrifying family /everyone is shady af / what did I just read / thanks I loved it, Batman!

Paris Peralta wakes up in a pool of blood. Her famous husband’s blood. She’s holding a straight razor. He’s in the bathtub, and he’s not waking up.

Paris has lived this whole other life prior to the one she shared with her comedian husband, Jimmy. One that she’s kept hidden. One where she went through unspeakable things to survive.

With a high profile criminal case like this in the media, long-buried secrets don’t stay that way for long.

DUN Dun duuunnnnnn

Loved the character building, especially for it being a thriller. No shortage of shady people that have you questioning intentions. Typically, in time-hopping novels, there will be a timeline I will prefer or want more from. In this book, both timelines are fierce. FIERCE. I was in a hurry to finish, and now bummed it’s over. #UnPutDownable

Will you guess some of the reveals? Good chance.

Will it matter? Absolutely 👏 not 👏 for 👏 me. The writing is that captivating. The story that bewitching.

Pre-order, go on NetGalley, set an alarm for your Libby App, tell a friend, become a librarian, tattoo it on your arm- it’s out July 19th.

I’m feeling super freaking blessed for having read this as an arc. It is fabulous. I think Bookstagram is going to go wild about it. Thank you to @NetGalley, @StMartinsPress and @jenniferhillierbooks ! Also @booksndoggos for the buddy read ♥️

4.5/5 only because there were two little loose ends I had wanted answers to.

Final Note: This new thriller does a deep dive into all forms of abuse, so if that’s a trigger, this ain’t the one. It’s dark dark. Thought that was worth a mention.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and Jennifer Hillier for this ARC. First of all, Jennifer is my favorite thriller/horror author so I could never say anything bad about her. This book just didn’t grab me like all her others. I guess after reading books like “Wonderland” , and “ The Butcher” (which left me afraid to sletp for days, 😱) , I was thinking this book would be as exciting. There wasn’t as much in this book for me as those others… Maybe it was my anticipation of another great one that leads me to this conclusion.
But having said that I still enjoyed this book and might even read it again to see if it gets me the second time around. Still it’s a 4 stars

Things We do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier focuses on Paris Peralta, a young woman married to Jimmy Peralta, a comedian/celebrity much older than her. When she is found in the bathroom of their mansion with Jimmy's dead body in the bathtub, things spiral for her very quickly. She becomes the lead suspect in his supposed murder case. Luckily, Jimmy's good friend Elsie, who also happens to be a lawyer, agrees to defend her. Things aren't so simple because Paris seems to have some secrets of her own and possibly a dark past.
Then there is Drew Malcolm, a former journalist now running a podcast called "The Things We Do in the Dark". His next story deals with, Joey, the daughter of a woman named Ruby Reyes who is in jail for a very similar situation to Paris's. He's starting to see a connection between the two cases and his investigation keeps the story going.
There are a lot of twists and turns in this one that I thought I guessed, but then there were more surprises. It really kept my interest!I love Jennifer Hillier's books! When I saw this one, I knew I immediately had to read it. Her writing is crisp, sharp, and very engaging. There is never a dull moment and it's hard to put this book down.

Things We Do in the Dark was entertaining. I felt so sorry for the lead character, Joey/Paris. Her mother was such a witch! Her abuse was absolutely brutal. She pinched her to the point of crying, she put cigarettes out on her, she hit her repeatedly, and so much more. I was so pleased when she went to prison for murdering her lover. As far as I'm concerned, prison was too good for her.

And all Joey went through. All of the sexual abuse from her mother's lovers. The attempted abuse from her uncle. All she had had when she went to live with her aunt and uncle were her books. When she caught her 4 year old cousin shredding her books she slapped him pretty hard. Her aunt learned of the slap and took all of her books, including the two new ones she'd just purchased, and burned them. Joey got back at them though. When she fled from there she stole all of the money in the house.

Joey went back to Toronto where she became a stripper. Her best friend, Drew, frowned on that but it was what she had to do in order to earn enough to finally vanish. Her close friend, Mae, somehow found a way into Joey's apartment and when she got home she found Mae brutalized on her sofa. She knew her boyfriend had done it because he'd given Mae drugs and money to hold for him. He wanted it back but apparently Mae wasn't about to give it to him. Joey thought Mae was dead but she spoke to her. Joey wanted to call the police but Mae just wanted Joey to stay with her. She finally died. This was Joey's opportunity. She found the $100,000 that Mae had hidden in her room along with the drugs. So she had that money plus $40,000 she'd saved, and she had the drugs. She took off her necklace and put it on Mae and set fire to the apartment. The necklace was to identify Mae as Joey.

Joey went to her friend and bouncer, Chaz, to get a fake ID, a new birth certificate and a driver's license so that she could begin her new life as Paris Aquino. L

She went to Los Angeles where she met and married a man 29 years her senior, Jimmy Peralta who was a Hollywood has been. They moved to Seattle, his home town, to live a quiet life. But he was asked to re-start his career as a comedian and he was a big success.

When Paris went to a conference in Vancouver, BC Jimmy died. Joey went home early and found his body. She was then accused of murder. Jimmy's lifelong friend and attorney, Elise, agreed to be her attorney but she blew it when the DA introduced in the prelim a new will that Jimmy had had drawn up. Previously, Jimmy had Paris sign a prenup and was leaving her $1,000,000. In the new will he was leaving her $47,000,000, $5,000,000 to Elise, and $5,000,000 to his assistant, Zoe. Paris was exonerated when the coroner determined that the cause of death was undetermined.

Paris's mother was released from prison after 25 years on good behavior and with a statement from her lover's daughter basically letting her off the hook. Ruby, Paris's mother, started blackmailing Paris with the fact that she knew she was alive and that she assumed Paris killed Mae. She originally requested $1,000,000. Then she went up to $3,000,000. When she learned that Jimmy had died leaving Paris a very wealthy woman, her ask went up to $10,000,000. She asked her to wire the money but Paris had other plans. Her plan was to go see her mother and present her with a cashier's check for her original ask, $1,000,000.

When she got to Canada, Drew agreed to take her to her mother. Paris wanted the urn that held Mae's ashes because they could be tested for DNA. Drew waited in the car while Paris went inside to make the exchange. Her mother was not happy with the amount and wouldn't give Paris the urn. Paris said forget it and went outside. Her mother followed her out and told her that she'd take the check but Paris ripped it up. She was standing by a pond and her mother ran and pushed her in. Paris couldn't swim and the pond was deep. Drew jumped in and saved her but the urn she was holding drifted away. When Drew saw Ruby come outside he began taping her and he called the police. The police arrested Ruby for attempted murder knowing she'd be sent back to jail co complete her life sentence.

There was a bit of a twist ending as to what happened to Jimmy. Also in the end, Drew pretty much admitted that he cared for Paris. She told him she wasn't ready and that she may never be ready. I would definitely recommend this book for book club.

I adore Jennifer Hillier's books and this was no different. The book starts with Paris being accused of her husband's murder. The twists and turns were unexpected and kept me furiously flipping pages. 5/5!

This is my first Jennifer Hillier novel so I picked a copy of Things We Do In The Dark without any preconceived notions or expectations because I love a good whodunnit. What was interesting to me was not the mystery as to who killed comedian Jimmie Peralta in his own bathtub--that seemed was almost secondary--but the mystery behind his fifth wife, Paris Peralta. The book opens with police, guns drawn, telling Paris to put down the bloody straight razor and step away from her husband's body. It's a tasty beginning and Paris has some internal dialogue that makes the reader want to know more about the past she is hiding.

Then the narrative then switches to a man named Drew with a podcast called Things We Do In The Dark. He also has a past, however his is not full of secrets, but regrets, especially concerning his long departed dear friend, Joey. Drew wants to do a story on murderer Ruby Reyes, Joey's horrible mother, for his podcast. While a large part of the book focuses on a man with no obvious relation to Paris it is interesting, sometimes more so than hers.

Then the story comes full circle with multiple twists, some we saw coming, some not at all. And while the mystery has little suspense, it keeps the reader enthralled with a lot of 'aha' moments. It's well written and the changes in narrative are well done and not confusing. This book has made me interested in checking out Jennifer Hillier's other novels because I like how she tells a story.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Things We Do In The Dark in exchange for an honest review.

Paris Peralta is married to a much older man, a rich famous comedian, who she finds dead upon arriving home. What is worse is the weapon is in her hand.

Another fantastic book by Hillier told in multiple POV's. I will say I did figure this out about half way through, however, this did not take away from the plot line. The book flowed and was well written. Hillier is definitely a go to author for me and a must read for Summer 2022

Another wild and fast-paced thriller from Jennifer Hillier! One that’s extremely hard to put down, as it reels you in right from the get-go. I absolutely love when a thriller can pull off merging multiple characters’ narratives into one cohesive story that actually works & this one did. I especially liked the complexity of Paris’ character arc. However, I did feel like both the ending and the solving of the overarching mystery were a little rushed, which made them a little less exciting and shocking than they should have been. But luckily they didn’t detract much from the overall craziness of the story. Like I said, a very wild thriller & I throughly enjoyed it! I look forward to Hillier’s next one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press / Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Jennifer Hillier novel and it definitely won’t be my last! I’m not sure what took me so long to read one of her books, but I am so glad I did. I loved her writing style and she kept me hooked the entire time. I really enjoyed this book overall! For me it wasn’t an edge of your seat suspenseful thriller, but I really enjoyed the slower build throughout the entire book and I hard a really hard time putting this one down. I loved the multiple perspectives from Paris, Drew, and Joey, and I loved how she split the book up into several different parts and it felt like I was reading two different books but it didn’t feel jumbled at all, she tied it all up together at the end perfectly! While I did figure out the twist, it didn’t change my opinion of the book at all. I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to start one of her backlist books! 4.5 stars for this one!

Thank you again NetGalley, Jennifer Hillier, and St. Martins Press / Minotaur Books!!

I was lucky to receive this ARC from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I absolutely love this author's novels and once again she did not disappoint. The story had just enough murder, revenge, love lost and then found again. I gave this book a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Jennifer Hillier's books are always readable, engaging, and well-done. "Things We Do In The Dark" is an excellent example and one that I highly recommend to fans of this genre. It contains both little and big mysteries, revealed and also uncovered, and will keep you involved in the story through the end and potentially wanting more.

(4.5 Stars)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC! ⁣
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I loved this one! It was a book that seemed to keep my interest through the whole thing. There were points where I felt like I was reading 2 different books, but I love when everything comes together and wraps up well. ⁣
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This book isn’t a big ‘who done it’ type of mystery/thriller but still a very interesting case to say the least. This book follows Paris Peralta who has just been arrested for the murder of her celebrity husband. We follow her though the process of being arrested and while she says she didn’t commit the crime, we come to learn that her main focus is more on her past being uncovered. The other part of this book follows the story of ‘The Ice Queen’ (Ruby Reyes) who was convicted of a similar murder in Canada. What makes her story so important is that she is due to be released soon - and she knows who Paris really is. With Ruby threatening to reveal Paris’ identity, Paris must confront her past while trying to clear her name. ⁣
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This book had me on the edge of my seat and I flew through it. I would recommend this book to those who like mysteries with a bit of a slower plot.

I originally requested a copy of Jennifer Hiller’s latest novel Things We Do in the Dark (out on July 19th!) based on the description - she loves a thriller, folks - and it wasn’t until I dug into the book and took a closer look at the gorgeous cover up close and in full color that I realized that our protagonist AND author are Filipino - like me! 🇵🇭 I’ve never read a thriller by a Filipino author before and… wow. Sharing a heritage with an author adds a whole other layer to the reading experience that I really loved.

When Paris Peralta’s famous comedian husband is found dead and she is staring down a murder charge, surrounded by media coverage, she has to reckon with a past she tried to bury. Meanwhile, a podcaster named Drew and a murderer known as the Ice Queen are onto her… for better or for worse. Paris’ story is a sad one, but within the juicy mystery of what happened to Jimmy Peralta and how did Paris end up where she is today, is a story of a woman’s journey through friendship, loss and survival.

I loved Jennifer Hiller’s writing and the realism of her characters. I felt like I could relate to our main character in many ways, which makes her experience even more heartbreaking.

Many thanks to @stmartinspress, @minotaur_books and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. @jenniferhillierbooks you fucking rock. // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the digital arc of this book!

Full review to come on Bookstagram!

This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier and it did not disappoint! So many twists and shocking moments and just when I thought I had it figured out… TWIST. I really enjoyed the backstory and having to figure out multiple mysteries.

I see this being the thriller hit of Summer 2022 - thriller lovers will not want to miss this one!

Jennifer Hillier is back! I was over the moon to receive a copy of Things We Do in the Dark.

As I expected, this one really started off with a bang. I loved Paris from the get go. I wouldn't classify her as an unlikeable character, but she had this aura of "I don't care what you think" about her that translated really well on the page. It also made her POV a lot of fun to read from.

I'm a sucker for books that have dual timelines and as usual, I loved the chapters set in the past the most. It felt like watching something unravel or an oncoming train barreling towards something it doesn't know while you have all the information already. While I did figure out one of the twists, it was so satisfying to see that achieved. There were quite a few I did not see coming and I loved being kept on my toes.

One of my favorite aspects of Hillier's writing is the ease with which she shows human behavior. How messy, dangerous, and sometimes beautiful aspects of being human. I sympathized with so many characters, not the ice queen of course,

I think die-hard fans of HIlier will love this book! I cannot wait to see what she does next.

First I want to thank St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This book follows Paris Peralta after she is arrested for the murder of her husband. Delving into the past and following the aftermath of her husbands death this book took me on a ride! I was shocked by some of the things revealed!

Without giving away too much of this book, I had come to route for Paris as the story went on. I really did like her character.

I plan on checking out this authors backlist now! I loved this book!

This story gains all the stars because of the characters and the development of each individual throughout. I would say 80% of this book had me knowing what went down, but I did not care that I had things "figured out." I needed to find out how we got mess. What a mess it was! Each story and back story was interesting, well thought out, and heart-wenching. Heart-wrenching isn't even a term that should be identified with a thriller, but it is and it adds so much more to the story.

This is my third Hillier book I've read, and she has been catapulted into one of my favorite authors.

I know going into anything written by Jennifer Hillier that it'll be a dark and twisty read. Things We Do in the Dark was no exception. Although I figured out the first twist pretty quickly, I didn't see the final one coming at all.

I liked reading from Paris' POV but it was Drew's chapters that really intrigued me. I thought all of the characters were well-written and added layers to the story. There were times where it felt like there was too much going on, and I wondered how Hillier would be able to wrap it up, but she succeeded.

I really liked the Filipino and Vietnamese representation-- I haven't read many thrillers with Asian main characters and I hope Hillier writes more of them.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was another great read from Jennifer Hillier. She is definitely an auto-buy author.