Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Paris Peralta is in trouble. After being discovered in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor, with a straight razor in her hand, her celebrity-husband, Jimmy, dead in the bathtub behind her, she’s promptly arrested for his murder.
Not a great way to start a day, following a night she can hardly remember. It appears Paris suffered a head injury at some point during the night. This must be why she can’t remember what happened.
A flurry of media activity immediately flocks to the action. Jimmy Peralta was a well-loved comedic actor, who had recently made a giant comeback. His death is big news.
Paris is devastated and swears that she is innocent. In spite of everything happening around her, Paris actually has bigger worries.
When Paris and Jimmy met, she was a yoga instructor and he attended her classes. He was smitten fairly quickly and she was as well, but she was never truly honest with Jimmy.
She never told him about her past. A past she has been hiding from for years.
Twenty-five years ago, Ruby Reyes, dubbed the ‘Ice Queen’ by the media, was convicted for the murder of a man in Canada. It was a very high profile case, with people still discussing it to this day.
Ruby feels like she knows who Paris really is and she spends the final days of her prison stay writing Paris threatening letters. Apparently, blackmail is a hobby you can participate in from anywhere.
Drew Malcolm is an investigative journalist turned podcaster. His specialty happens to be my favorite: true crime. When he hears that Ruby Reyes is going to be released from prison, he can hardly believe it.
Drew grew up in the same area where Ruby lived and committed her infamous crime. He feels personally connected to the case and decides to make it the next hot topic for his podcast.
Using alternating perspectives, as well as both past and present timelines, the Reader gets taken on a real journey in Things We Do in the Dark.
I didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis before I started this, Jennifer Hillier’s name on the cover was enough to get me to read it, and I’m happy I went into this pretty much blind. I was so surprised each time the direction and perspective of this story shifted.
Unsurprisingly, Hillier’s writing drew me in from the very start. I loved Paris as a character and her relationship with Jimmy. I found it completely fascinating.
For me, Jimmy was that quintessential stand-up comedian turned actor, who suffers from depression and substance abuse issues. He found this beautiful young lady who truly seemed to make him happy and he started to turn his life around. I loved that aspect.
I felt like I knew him, even though he really didn’t play a role in this story.
As far as Paris was concerned, I just got her. I liked her. Learning about her past, I truly felt for all she had been through in her life, all she had overcome and achieved in spite of it.
Additionally, Drew was a fantastic character. I liked how much his investigative journalist background contributed to the story. This man was on a mission.
I had so much fun with the reveals in this, as the three threads begin to weave together. I felt this was expertly-plotted and a great way to escape the world for a while.
I did listen to the audiobook and felt that is was super well done. I was enchanted by the narration. Once I started, it was really hard to put it down for anything.
Dinner, that can wait. Sleep, who needs it? Work, it will be there tomorrow.
In short, I loved this. Fast-paced, compelling and with so many elements that I tend to enjoy, Hillier won big for me with this one!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. It’s clear I am a huge fan of Hillier’s work and this one is no exception.
I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!!
