Things We Do In The Dark - Jennifer Hillier

Thriller

Rating: 7.5/10

For a seasoned reader of mysteries of all sorts, its hard to be truly surprised by a book’s big finale.  My mind cannot resist puzzling out the stories twists and predicating its possible outcomes. Assigning odds and holding my winning ticket to this nerdish literary pursuit for absolutely no one to see.  If I could gamble on book endings, I would be a millionaire.

But I digress. This book held no moments of shock and awe for me, but the path the author guided me down to its unraveling was in itself unpredictable.

Paris stands accused of the murder of her much older husband after cops discover her covered in blood and brandishing a potential murder weapon at the scene of the crime.

Within the first few dozen pages, the reader is told that this is not the first time this has happened to Paris. And she is finally realizing that while you can reinvent yourself, you can’t outrun yourself.  After all, the common denominator in all the things that happen to you is you.

As we begin to learn Paris’s backstory we are introduced to Drew, who years after the death of his best friend, decides to turn the lens of his true crime podcast on her abusive mother. A truly hateful woman who is getting paroled after committing a murder so brutal you might expect to see it in a Tarantino film.

You might be asking yourself what these two stories have to do with each other, and I could tell you.  But where would be the fun it that?!

Just a quick warning, the author does not shy away from the abuse component of this novel.  So, if you are sensitive to certain triggers, please be aware.

Book Pairing(s): All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris, Little Threats by Emily Schultz, Seven Lies By Elizabeth Kay