TESSA TALKS BOOKS

What’s it about (in a nutshell):

Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier is a psychological thriller about a husband found dead in the bathtub and his confused wife beside the tub with a straight razor in her hand. It seems like an open and shut case, but when is anything ever that simple.

Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):

This is my first Jennifer Hillier thriller, though I have heard fantastic things about her past books. I expect as the blurb says, “a brilliant new thriller.” The cover is a woman in the dark. You can only see part of her face gently illuminated by the moon or other naturally occurring light. This goes with the title nicely, but I don’t know what it says about the book. From the blurb, I also get that there are many secrets to be revealed, which I love.

Actual Reading Experience:

This story hooked me from page one. I loved all the suspense and shocking revelations. The twists weren’t surprising, but that’s only because the story is so tightly constructed. Things We Do In The Dark is a compelling thriller with a satisfying mystery, a wonderful romance, and a cast of interesting and entertaining characters, each in their own devious way. It’s fast-paced most of the time with very few lulls, which I also loved immensely.

The story is told in six parts, and the reader gets to experience it from multiple points of view. Paris Peralta is the leading voice and character, so I mainly experienced the tale through her eyes. I enjoyed the changes in perspectives, though, because they allowed me to see things differently than I could have if I only knew Paris’ POV. In some instances, the changing perspectives clued me to the next reveal only pages before it was stated, so I could tell that every choice was masterfully purposeful to keep the suspense at an unflagging high.

The story is not just a mystery thriller but also a story with a heart that I could grab on to and enjoy. The emotions ran high, the past held a lot of baggage, and much needed to be resolved for Paris to feel like a whole person – one without skeletons in the closet and secrets on the shelf. It’s not just a thriller about the death of her husband, it is also a chance for Paris to be able to live and love, and this makes such a compelling story. I had trouble putting this book down and ended up reading long into the night.

Characters:

Paris is the main character. She is accused of killing her husband but insists that she wasn’t even there. She’s their only suspect unless she can come up with a rock-solid alibi that proves it can’t be her. Paris is a woman with many secrets, but she also stands on her own two feet and owns a successful business.

Drew is the host of the podcast Things We Do In The Dark about solved and unsolved crimes. He is doing a series on the Ice Queen Ruby Reyes.

Ruby Reyes is in prison for similarly killing her boyfriend to what Paris is accused of with her husband. Are these two cases connected, and what is Drew’s connection to them?

I don’t want to say any more about the characters or the cases because then you would miss out on all the fun of reading this story yourself!

To Read or Not to Read:

If you are looking for a compelling thriller that will touch your heart while satisfying your desire for a fast-paced nail bitter, look no further. You must read Things We Do In The Dark now!