Paris Peralta is living her best life. She owns a yoga studio and finds love with an older man, Jimmy, a retired comedian who is making a comeback. What could interfere with her pretty perfect life? The death of Jimmy, and perhaps the fact that she is arrested for his murder. Nothing like being taken away in handcuffs when your entire world has just turned upside down.
The POV switches to Drew Malcolm, who became well known for his podcast, Thing We Do In The Dark. He is livid because Ruby Reyes, a woman who went to jail for murder is about to be released. Why is he so determined that Ruby never gets to enjoy her freedom? She was the abusive mother of Joey, a girl Drew loved and lost.
Paris, Drew, and Ruby's paths will cross, and none of their lives will ever be the same. A very character-driven tale that comes together in unexpected and heartbreaking ways. My favorite character was Jimmy. Even though Paris has lost him when the story begins, we learn how much his love and stability gave her. As you will discover, Paris deserved good things in her life.
I couldn't flip the pages fast enough and just devoured this book. The author has done it again!

Jennifer Hillier as a fabulous storyteller! The story Things We Do in the Dark is no different in terms of the dynamic writing that Jennifer uses within the pages of details that she writes. Being the wife of a Filipino man, I loved the references to Filipino food, Filipino culture and the Filipino language in this book.
This particular book weaves a tale throughout the years that works together so masterfully and Jennifer does a terrific job of wrapping up the main character’s story at the end.
Just a word of caution to those who may have sexual assault, poverty, abuse, or foster care in their background (like myself): there should be a trigger warming at the beginning of this book.

Things We Do in the Dark is an awesome thriller, and it's the first book of 2022 I couldn't put down until I finished reading it! The character development is strong and full-bodied while the settings are descriptive and detailed in a way that makes them super easy to visualize. This novel had so many strategic layers both to the plot and to the people. As each layer was pulled back, it only got more flavorful and interesting. I love Jennifer Hillier's writing, and she just keeps getting better and better! One of the things I love about Hillier's writing is she always looks at life and tough topics from an unexpected perspective. Her stories are rich and the tougher plot points in this novel around parental abuse are gritty, feel authentic, and have a lot of emotional impact. Love, love, loved this novel so much!

When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future. I will devour anything this author writes and this story was every bit as brilliant as her other books. Full of interesting surprises and twists it kept me guessing almost until the end. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paris is found covered in blood and holding a razor while her husband Jimmy, who is rich and 30 years older than her lies dead in the bathtub. Paris is arrested for his murder, which she claims to be innocent of, but she has a checkered past and there are things she doesn’t want to be revealed.

This was another winner from Jennifer Hillier. I was totally engaged in this story and never got bored, wanting to know what Paris was hiding. There are flashbacks to Paris’ past and we know she has some connection with a convicted murderer Toronto. There was a lot going on, all of it entertaining. I am never disappointed with this author.

Jennifer Hillier is one of my go-to authors, so when she releases a new book, I usually rip through it as soon as I can get my greedy little hands on it. I've adored her writing style, wit and storytelling ability ever since reading Jar of Hearts. Having read pretty much everything she's written, I feel fairly qualified in saying that her latest thriller, Things We do in the Dark, may be her best book yet.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence to the final page. There were a few really fun surprises along the way, and even though I suspected at least one of them, it did not detract one bit from my enjoyment. It may be early in the year, but I predict that this will be one of my favorites of 2022.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Things we do in The Dark showcases Jennifer Hillier’s talent as a writer. For me it wasn’t a book of jaw dropping twists (I found the major twists a little easy to spot), but I still gave it 4 stars because the quality of the writing and storytelling kept me engaged. It still had its suspenseful moments, but it was also a heartwrenching narrative with characters I genuinely cared about. That doesn’t always happen in the thriller/mystery genre.

As a Canadian I also appreciated all the Canadian content in the story. The scenes in Toronto, the references to our justice system, the tiny bit of French, and of course The Tragically Hip references. It was so refreshing as the majority of books I consume are set in the US or UK. I had a chuckle wondering if non-Canadians were scratching their heads at Joey putting 4 loonies in the tip jar at juniors the same way I don’t really know what a pound looks like or what actual value it holds. I also enjoyed the main character being Filipino, as BIPOC tend to be underrepresented in this genre.

My one critique is that I found the beginning of Part Two dragged a bit as I waited for Drew to piece together what I already knew; however, it provided a lot of important back story.

Overall, a great read I would recommend! I’m still on my library waitlist for Jar of Hearts and this book just made me more eager to read it!

Jennifer Hillier is one of my favorite authors, and she's truly done it again with this book. I found the ending to be a bit predictable, which I did not see coming in her other work, but it wasn't enough to give this book anything less than 5 stars. The writing, the characters, the different storylines, I was absolutely hooked. Paris and Joelle are such likable and unfortunately relatable characters, you always like to see the good guy win out and this book gives you that. Ruby was written in such a way where you have a small piece of you that does feel for her, but also want the worst for her, which was so much fun to read. Jennifer really did such amazing work in this new book. I'm so excited for it to be released and for people to be able to love it as much as her other work. 10/10.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Jennifer Hillier's unputdownable new novel, Things We Do in the Dark. I became a fan after reading Jar of Hearts and her newest thriller lived up to -and surpassed- all of my expectations.

Paris Peralta is accused of murdering her much older, much wealthier husband after she is found standing over his body covered in blood. She knows that she's innocent but convincing the rest of the world is no easy feat.

Joey is an innocent child whose mother has committed countless crimes, ranging from abusing her own child to murdering her married lover in a fit of jealous rage. But when she helps put her mother behind bars, her life continues to spiral downhill.

Jennifer Hillier ties together the stories of her characters in a way that will have you captivated from the very first sentence. Her original style of storytelling makes her one of my favorite authors, and the twists and turns in Things We Do in the Dark are sure to keep you up all night.

Oh YEAAAAAAAAAH!!! This is the thriller I have been waiting for!! I don't read a lot of thrillers because I tend to get really bored, but this was not the case with this one. I should have known this was going to be great considering I loved Little Secrets.

From the vert beginning I was HOOKED. I kept trying to hide from my two year old just to sneak in a few pages because I just could not put this sucker down. Even though I figured out some of the twists I was still highly addicted to this story. There were so many things happening, but Jennifer Hillier is so talented at keeping you interested that I didn't feel lost or confused at all.

I cannot wait until her next book! I'm going to read some of her older books now!!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to learn I had been approved for an ARC for Things We Do in the Dark that everything else got put on hold.

Every book by Jennifer Hillier has knocked it out of the park and this one was no different for me. A five star read!

The evil villain known as the Ice Queen, who murdered her lover twenty years ago, has a connection to a seemingly unrelated case of a dead comedian, turned actor, in Seattle whose wife has just been charged with murder. Paris Peralta, wife of the famous Jimmy Peralta, has been caught with a weapon in the same room as her dead, rich husband. It seems like an open and shut case that Detective Kellogg (a.k.a. Detective Mini Wheats 🤣) has no problem forwarding to the prosecutor’s office for murder charges. Paris is less concerned about being charged than maybe she should be. She is more concerned that people from her past will find her once the media frenzy begins.

Carefully plotted with enough clues to give the reader some strong suspicions but nothing that ruins the story, Things We Do in the Dark is an edge of your seat thriller with a satisfying conclusion. Hillier knows just how to grab the reader and carry them along for the ride. The multi-faceted characters are not always likeable but draw emotion.

The author has chosen to write the settings in two places she knows well, Seattle and Toronto. I absolutely loved the title tie in to the storyline.

I have read four of this author’s previous books and have 2 more on my bookshelf to read. It’s a tight race but this might be my new favourite.

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for this arc in exchange for my honest opinions. Things We Do in the Dark comes out July 19, 2022. Preorder now!

Trigger warning for sexual assault.

I love Jennifer Hiller. She is one of my favorite authors and I have read every single one of her books. This one was good but not my favorite of hers. Lots of POVs and a little lagging in the middle. There’s a lot goin on in this book. There are a lot of characters with lots of action. Thanks NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book.

Author Jennifer Hillier never disappoints and always brings the "creepy" factor to her books.

Things We Do in the Dark was a carefully plotted with enough clues to give the reader some strong suspicions but nothing that ruins the story, Things We Do in the Dark is an edge of your seat thriller with a satisfying conclusion. Hillier knows just how to grab the reader and carry them along for the ride. The multi-faceted characters are not always likeable but draw emotion.

(9/10)

"When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future."

Not having read anything by Jennifer Hillier in the past, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked up Things We Do in the Dark, but I was instantly drawn into the story. Hillier masterfully weaves together multiple points of view and storylines spanning over decades into a dark, heartbreaking narrative that had me struggling to ever put the book down. I love very psychological, character-driven stories, especially if they deal a lot with family dynamics, so even though I haven't read many thrillers in the past this was still right up my alley. My heart was aching for Joey for most of the book, but as dark and twisted as the story was, it was still interspersed with a lot of love and hope.

Bonus props for the beautiful cover and how the title ties into the story! Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You find out a big reveal early on but this was well written and entertaining, thus I wasn't shocked by anything that happened. I prefer it over her last book, Little Secrets.

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK
BY: JENNIFER HILLIER

I was excited to read Jennifer Hillier's latest novel called, "Things We Do in the Dark," because she is one of my favorite thriller authors. Since I read the unforgettable "Jar of Hearts," which is probably right up on the top best thrillers I have ever read. So naturally I wanted to read her newest novel. I have been eagerly anticipating for her work searching Net Galley for this author periodically. I think her thriller that she came out with last year called, "Little Secrets," was my second favorites of hers.

This one wasn't as compelling to me and it reminded me of her earlier work. This was more masterly written than the ones I haven't mentioned, but I loved the ones I have listed above more.

There is no doubt that Jennifer Hillier is an erudite writer but I guess I am in the minority here because I didn't love this. It could be that this was well above average writing but I wasn't as enthusiastic about this one. It is original in its plot and characterization henceforth my four star rating.

Paris Peralta is being arrested for killing her comedian husband Jimmy and she is charged with his murder. She has reinvented herself and doesn't want the publicity because she is somebody else. She is being blackmailed by a vile and vicious murderer named Ruby to expose her true identity. Intuitively, you will probably get the sense that she didn't do it. But she has many secrets and this story meanders into Paris's true identity. Everything does come together in the end seamlessly even though it has a backstory which it is pretty easy to figure out. That vile blackmailer named Ruby was convicted of murder and is just about to be released from prison. She was a horrible mother and she often let her many boyfriend's have their way with her young and innocent daughter Joelle.

I will leave it at that because I am not going to divulge spoilers. I will say that this is complex and not really thriller genre material, at least in my humble opinion. It was more like a slow burn mystery. I apologize but due to "Jar of Hearts," setting the bar so high this doesn't compare. I found the plot to this interesting but it wasn't what I have come to expect from Jennifer Hillier. Still, all in all, I did think this is creative but I was underwhelmed because it just didn't deliver to be what I have come to expect from this author. I wish her my very best wishes for success with this latest offering.

Publication Date: July 19, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Jennifer Hillier and St. Martin's Press-Minotaur for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#ThingsWeDoInTheDark #JenniferHillier #StMartin'sPressMinotaur #Netgalley

This was a really great thriller to read. While it was predictable and k never was shocked by any turn of events, it was a solid plot line and had interesting characters. Joey was a survivor and her determination and strong will carried throughout the book. Drew was a pleasant surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed his chapters. The conclusion with Ruby felt anticlimactic but necessary.

I adore all Hillier's books so was excited to read this latest and it did not disappoint! Paris has been arrested for killing her husband; as she awaits trial, we get to see some of their history and it leads us to understand their history. But things get twisty as Hillier's always do, and it manages to keep you off balance as you strive to figure out what really happened! You don't really need any plot; go into it blind and just be prepared to have your head spinning until the end. Another winner for this writer!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

“Things We Do in the Dark” by Jennifer Hillier is a contemporary mystery/thriller. Most of the book focuses on Paris, the wife of a much older comedian who is making a “comeback.” Paris is accused of murdering her husband, but she doesn’t recall murdering him. It also turns out that she’s being blackmailed for something in her past. Then the book focuses on Drew, a former reporter now turned crime podcaster. It takes a while for Drew’s story to connect to Paris’s but it does … throw in some blackmail, some red herrings, some twists, some miscommunication and some withheld information … and you have this book.

I really liked parts of this book - I felt some of the characters were very well developed and explored. Other characters I didn’t enjoy as much - and it wasn’t only because they were unlikeable and untrustworthy. I believe, as in real life, every character in this book has their flaws - some more obvious than others. This book should come with trigger warnings - but for the most part, the triggering items are treated with respect (opposed to being glorified on the page). I think that Ms. Hillier writes in a way where the story has layers and as things are discovered, oftentimes there’s more to the story (yet another few layers). Some of the “twists” can be puzzled out before the ending, but honestly it does not spoil the story (see mention of those layers). I would read another book by this author, which is high praise from me.

Solid 4.5 ⭐️! I stayed up all night to finish this and even though you find out a huge twist early on, Jennifer Hillier’s writing style kept you wanting more and did not disappoint! The story is told in different POVS and jumps between the past to the present. I feel it’s best going into this blind without reading the plot and then don’t stop until you have finished. Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this outstanding thriller.