Author: Jennifer Hillier

Publisher: Minotaur Books

ISBN: 9781250763167

The wife of a rebounding star finds herself accused of his murder. As she navigates the justice system and deals with her husband’s death, she must also deal with secrets from her past that might undo her entire future. Author Jennifer Hillier gives the thriller genre a thoughtful read in the compelling, entertaining book Things We Do in the Dark.

Paris Peralta wakes up one morning in her Seattle home to the police bearing down on her, and it seems as though they have good reason. Even though she doesn’t remember a thing, Paris is holding a straight razor and her celebrity husband, Jimmy Peralta, is in the bathtub dead. Paris is covered in Jimmy’s blood, and his assistant, Zoe, is standing over her screaming that Paris murdered Jimmy. That definitely isn’t true, but the police take her in anyway and charge her.

For Paris, the entire thing seems like déjà vu. Years earlier, she escaped another bad situation that made her look equally guilty. Back then she managed to get away and reinvent herself. She took a new name and yoga classes and met Jimmy, the world-famous comic. Despite the decades-long age difference, they fell in love and she became the fifth Mrs. Peralta. It seemed like Paris had managed to outrun her past. But as she sits in a jail cell going over everything, she realizes she should have known that she can’t outrun what’s always been with her.

In Toronto, journalist-turned-true crime podcaster Drew Malcolm is livid. Ruby Reyes, the woman who killed her lover and is responsible for the death of Drew’s childhood friend, Joelle “Joey” Reyes, is set to make parole. Drew wishes he could do something to keep Ruby in prison. At the very least, he plans to focus his next episode on Ruby and make sure people know that she’s a criminal. It doesn’t matter that she’s done her time. Joey is never coming back, and Drew will never forgive Ruby for it.

As he digs into Ruby’s story, though, he starts to discover some inconsistencies with what has always been accepted truth. Drew considers the fact that maybe there’s more to Joey’s story than he realized. Maybe, even though she’s dead, he can actually get justice for her after all.

Time is running out for Paris, both with the authorities and in a more personal way. Ruby somehow learned the truth about who Paris really is, and she’s been blackmailing her. As Paris and Drew both deal with their individual crises, they’ll eventually find their paths crossing. Each will face the hard truths of their circumstances and what led them to the choices they made. 

Author Jennifer Hillier’s novel will keep readers swiping or flipping pages. Despite the mystery at the heart of the story about Paris’s identity and how she might be connected to Drew, Hillier takes the time to dig into the characters, their lives, and why they are the way they are. While some of the choices might feel predictable, they’re no less enjoyable for how the characters get to the major conflicts of the book.

By setting the novel in both Seattle and Toronto, Hillier challenges the status quo of making celebrities live and move around Los Angeles and the choice works. It’s also a reminder that in their hearts, celebrities are people just like anyone else. Hillier makes this clear by the conversations Paris and Jimmy have. Although Jimmy has his fair share of faults, Hillier allows him to redeem himself in flashbacks through his relationship with Paris.

It would have been helpful in framing the story to know of the characters’ ethnicities earlier; Paris is Filipino, and Drew is Black. Hillier’s choice not to offer the information sooner might jar some readers out of the story a bit, making them reframe the information they’ve already absorbed with what lies ahead. Hillier should be applauded for wanting to make her characters’ ethnicities one element of who they are and not the sole method for identifying them, but readers in those communities might have appreciated the opportunity to feel an affinity for the characters sooner.

Those who enjoy a thriller that takes a more measured approach to an inevitable ending will enjoy this book. I recommend readers Bookmark Things We Do in the Dark.