I found myself having a really hard time getting interested in this one. It seemed formulaic and predictable. There was a twist thrown in at the end that didn’t save the rest. I found several parts just plain icky and suspect. The main character, whose husband is murdered, is completely clueless. The beginnings of her relationship with her husband are pretty sketchy. I had a hard time feeling for her at all.

The story is told in alternating points of view of Molly and Detective Rita. Molly is dull and tedious. She has some understandable emotional issues due to The Big Horrible Thing That Happened to Her When She Was Little. That storyline is tediously slow—it is brought up regularly and vaguely as sort of a tease, until suddenly it all spills out at the end. This was ineffective on me—I almost didn't care by the time the backstory was actually revealed. In the present, Molly works in a bookstore (fun!), but is generally uninteresting, privileged, and whiny (annoying!). Rita is 60 and experienced. Her habit of sketching during investigations—she's a visual learner—was one of the more interesting aspects of the book, which is actually sort of sad.

Content warnings include child abduction, drugging, and murder; multiple murders of adults; harassment; infidelity; and rape (threatened or in the past?). There's a lot of naughty to go around, perpetrated by multiple characters.

Generally, the characters are unlikeable, with the exception of precocious Alice (10 or 11)—homeschooled daughter of a widowed bookstore owner dad and children's author mom—and the rescue dog Sadie—whom Molly adopts as an emotional support animal, outside of official channels (icky). Rita escapes the categorization of unlikeable, as well.

Because I found the pace painfully slow and most of the characters wildly unlikeable, I'm hesitant to rate the book higher than 3 stars. However, everything is connected and the story ends well, so I'll give it a bit of a bump. [3.35 stars] This is the author's debut. I might give another of her books a chance, in hopes that her skills will improve and that she might get better editing services as her career develops.

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected December 27.

Coming off a bunch of romance books in a row, this was a much-needed crime/thriller read!

-The story and lives of all of the characters were so easy to like and feel involved in. The dynamic between Molly’s friends was so well established and welcoming at the start of the novel and was cohesive throughout the entire story
-In all crime books, I never trust anyone - not even the narrator - but I loved that I felt like I could trust Molly. It made her feel like a friend who wanted to find her husband's killer as much as she did
-Cops in crime books are often depicted as cold and like they have no life outside of the case they’re working, but that wasn’t Detective Rita. Parlato humanized her and I loved both the parts where she was working the case and the parts that showed her personal life
-That twist ending was 👏🏻

Overall, I found myself running back to finish this book. It kept me hooked through the whole story and I recommend picking it up if you’re looking for a good thriller!

Thank you NetGalley, Terri Parlato, and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to review this book!

After celebrating her husbands birthday with their closest friends, Molly Bradley wakes up the next morning to find her husband has been killed in his home office. While trying to grieve and help find Jay’s killer, Molly is haunted by her tragic childhood and needs to figure out how her past is connected with her present.
 
What I liked:
The narrators of this book were INCREDIBLE. Completely engaging and told this story so well.
Dual perspectives between Molly and the lead detective (who was a total bad ass)
I really do love this thriller trope of a tragic past coming back to haunt the MC
 
What I didn’t like:
This story was VEEERY slow paced. Not even the most mild of clues until about 30% into it.
Some of the conversations within the investigation we’re long and drawn out and felt unnecessary.
Nothing really kept me guessing or intrigued or on the edge of my seat. It was a whole lot of no one knowing what was going on until more things happened, making it obvious.
 
All in all, a pretty decent thriller to be released soon taking place in January so it’s perfect for this wintery season!

3.5⭐ for the audiobook

Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, debut, police procedural, murder, childhood trauma, infidelity references

Molly is married to Jay, who turns up dead in their home after a night of partying for his 40th birthday. Rita is our detective on the case.

Molly had a traumatic childhood (I can't remember if we found out why early on, so I won't spoil why just in case), which makes her think Jay's murder has something to do with that. Could that be true or did Jay have some secrets of his own that lead to his demise?

Can't say I enjoyed Rita as a person, but I like that we had the police procedural side of things and I think they worked well to solve the case.

This was a bit slow moving at points, but I liked this one as a debut. I didn't see the murderer coming and that thrilled me, so for that I'll round my 3.5 up to 4. I'll give this author a whirl again.

Narrated by Stephanie Cozart and Christina Moore for 10 hours and 33 minutes, easy to follow at 2-2.5x. Wasn't wowed by either of their voices really. Stephanie's voice sounded robotic at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the audio copy of this one! It was a pretty standard domestic thriller. It took a bit to get to the point of it (other than the obvious murder at the beginning) but once it gets going it feels like there are a few intersecting storylines. We have the present day murder investigation, the past of the victims wife as well as the past of the victim himself.

The dual narrators to follow the dual POV was perfect. I always appreciate a cast when there are multiple POVs. It’s easier to keep up with who’s talking. The POVs follow the murder victim’s wife and the investigating officer. It’s interesting to get not only the usual POV (victims family) but also the investigating officer. There are plenty of books that offer this, but I really enjoyed the way that this particular book used this POV to give is extra insight.

The big twist at the end was really interesting. I liked that aspect and how well it tied everything together. It did feel like there were a couple more chapters than necessary at the end, but I understand why they were there. I personally could have done without them but they did tie up everything well.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I can’t really complain about it, but it was pretty typical for a domestic or psychological thriller - just mixed the two together.

This book!! I love a good cat and mouse book, and this one had me hooked from the start, I had no idea how it would end! The suspense in this books keeps you guessing, and each time you think you have it figured out, you are completely wrong! I was amazed they pulled together so many lose ends before the end, will definitely look into more books by this author!

Molly Bradley wakes up on a cold January morning to a nightmare - her husband Jay has been murdered in his office behind their home. Everyone seemed to love Jay (gee, doesn't everyone say that?!), so who could have wanted him dead? After all, he had just celebrated his 40th birthday with his friends the night before. Molly is tossed into an awful world where all her friends are suspects, and she is in danger of having her own trauma revealed. You see, Molly was kidnapped with her friend as a child and kept in a basement for several days. Her friend, India, died, but Melinda was rescued by an inquisitive neighbor and came home. After the arrest, trial, and guilty verdict, the family moved and changed their name. Only Molly's family and Jay know who she truly is. But after Jay's death, someone starts calling her and taunting her about the past...

To make matters worse, when searching Jay's office the police find a cheap necklace that does not below to Molly. It actually belongs to a woman who went missing when Jay, Molly, and all their friends were at Jay's lake house the previous July 4th. So now we have 3 mysteries - Jay's death, a missing woman, and Molly's tormentor.

Flipping perspective between Molly and Rita Myers, the Boston detective investigating her case, we watch the case unfold from the side of the victims and cops. Rita was a great character - 60s something detective that's been on the force for 30 years. The short chapters kept the story flying by. I really enjoyed this, and had a hard time putting it down!

First of all, I cannot image passing away, whether by murder or other means, on or just after my birthday.
Terri Parlato did an amazing job with this book. I spent this entire journey on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to figure out "whodunnit?" at the end of the story. The choice of dual narrators and the narrators themselves were amazing choices. They helped with the engagement with the story and contributed greatly to my interest in the story and how much I was drawn into the book every time I picked it up.

All the Dark Places
by Terri Parlato
Narrated by Stephanie Cozart; Christina Moore

Rating: 4.9/5 Stars

Terri Parlato has crafted a gripping suspense murder mystery novel. What a great debut! I found myself easily falling into this fast-paced story that brings together a wide array of characters and really keeps you entertained and guessing until the very end. I will definitely be keeping an eye on Ms. Parlato for future novels.

Molly is happily married to Jay. After a night celebrating Jay's birthday at their house with a decent handful of their family and friends, Molly wakes up to find Jay dead in his home office AKA the garage. Completely blindsided and feeling more than a little guilty that she had as much to drink as she did the night before, Molly's world is shattered. Detective Rita Myers is assigned Jay's case, and as the investigation progresses, surprising new revelations come up that leave the reader guessing until the very end as to what really happened.

I definitely, happily recommend this book. The narration was well done, though whomever narrated Det. Rita's character almost sounded manly-it sounded like it was a woman narrating a male character. She still did a good job performing Rita's character. It just made me kind of do a double-take a few times until I got used to it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RBMedia for giving me the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC!

ALL THE DARK PLACES by Terri Parlato opens with Jay's 40th birthday party. All is well, but he'll be murdered before morning. What follows is a fairly well-paced whodunit, including a mysterious past (his wife's) and several suspects.

Perspective alternates between Molly, Jay's wife, and Rita, a seasoned detective. Two narrators, Christina Moore and Stephanie Cozart, captured their voices -- I liked that they each had their own, distinctive voice.

I read the first half of this book in a night and didn't want to go to bed; this domestic thriller had me wanting to find out who the killer was. There were a few comments about people's weight I could have done without, and a few of the characters bled together, but I think overall this is a solid thriller and a fine debut. I'll likely pick up whatever Parlato writes next.

The morning after Molly Bradley and her closest friends have celebrated her husband's Jay's 40th birthday, she finds him murdered in his office. This story is told from the view points of Molly, the wife, and of Rita Myers, the detective that is leading the murder investigation. Jay was a well liked psychologist and had many friends but as the investigation continues Rita starts to suspect that either someone from Jay and Molly's circle may be the killer, or perhaps Jay was not the sweet man everyone thought him to be.
This starts out pretty slow and as the investigation continues more and more side stories start to get added. There are a lot of people to try to remember and that was sometimes confusing. This was well written but I wish there had been a little more excitement throughout. I really enjoyed Rita's character but Molly sometimes annoyed me. Even though this was a little dull at times, I still wanted to keep listening to find out what happened. Things do pick up more over halfway through. The ending wasn't my favorite, but it was something I didn't come close to guessing. I think the narrators for Rita and Molly were excellent choices. All in all, pretty decent for a debut thriller and I look forward to future mysteries from this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Terri Parlato for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All The Dark Places - Terri Parlato

In my opinion I think the story started off really well, but The second half just seemed to drag the storyline out to fill the book.

I loved Rita’s character, I found it easier to relate to her somehow than anything or anyone else in the story. The book was ok but I wouldn’t rush to read/listen to it again.

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!

I think I would have liked this significantly
More if I read it instead of listened to it. I really liked the characters, their dynamics and relationships. I was truly unsure who to trust, who was telling the truth and who was sincere. I was engaged until the end and surprised by all that unraveled. I did find that at times the story was hard to keep straight in the audio version. I got the overall gist, but some of the details were lost on me and I found myself daydreaming instead of listening. It did not stop me from finishing and one day I may pick up the physical version to see if some of the storyline is smoother. Overall, a great mystery and psychological thriller. I would probably recommend the physical book though!

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy!

Molly’s husband is found in his detached home office garage, murdered the morning after his 40th birthday party. This was a slow-build suspenseful read that had me guessing who was behind it. I enjoyed the flashback scenes to Molly’s childhood. The plot was well thought out and every person who was at the 40th birthday party becomes a suspect. Who had reason to kill and why? I liked how the two different story lines merged and tied up nicely. I thought this debut from Parlato was great and I look forward to the next one!

A slow burn that took a while to build up but as the story goes on and you get to know the characters and the history of the FMC deep into the story.

I will admit this is the one of the first detective POV books and I was entertained while listening. The story started to move along about 50% and kept a medium pace until the very end.

The plot twists were done perfectly.. I didn’t trust anyone and was shocked with the ending. The audiobook was done well and I enjoyed the narrators.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced audiobook copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, RB Media and Terri Parlato for the audiobook ARC of this book.

From the very first chapter I was hooked into this book. It was gripping, the narrators were fabulous and the pace of the story itself was consistently great.

The plot was twisty, mysterious and full of suspense. I thought I had it figured out until the end!

Great book and a great listen/read

Narrated by Stephanie Cozart; Christina Moore ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author Terri Parlato ⭐⭐⭐ 3.5
At first this felt like two separate stories. One about an killed husband and one about an old crime but then came together beautifully.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Goodreads for giving me copies of this book for review. At times today I both read and listened to this book and I while I enjoyed both formats, I would definitely recommend the audiobook. The two narrators who did both perspectives were wonderful.

I am not going to go into the synopsis of this book because I know that I prefer to go into thrillers as blindly as possible.

So, what I will say is this. This is a sort of "locked room" whodunit mystery thriller. While the writing was good, and the story was definitely decent, it isn't anything particularly new. I feel like I have read this same story or seen this idea in movies before. However, don't let that deter you if you like these kinds of stories because it was fun and a quick read either way. I will also say that it has quite a large cast of characters, and unfortunately none of them are particularly remarkable or memorable. They all felt super interchangeable and while I knew it was obviously someone in the friend group, I found myself not caring WHICH friend it was because none of them stood out more than any of the others in terms of relatability or how much I cared about them and their individual lives. On the other hand, for a bit of positivity, I thought that it made a perfect cold weather read and the setting was just detailed enough to make it lovely for winter and this time of year.

Trigger warnings for death, rape and kidnapping.

I think that readers who enjoyed The Guest List or other Lucy Foley books may enjoy this.