Releasing July 19, 2022 from Minotaur Books
Things We Do in the Dark is a dark, complex thriller/mystery that hooked me into staying up well past midnight.
I love a good thriller that follows multiple points of view and multiple timelines.
In this book, Paris Peralta is married to a much older man, a wealthy celebrity comedian. The book begins with Paris being arrested in her bathroom in Seattle, holding a straight razor, with her husband dead in the tub beside her. Meanwhile in Canada, crime podcaster Drew Malcolm is investigating the case of a female killer from the 1990s, who has a connection to Paris’ past.
I’m used to mysteries where the chapters alternate viewpoints, but I really liked the way Hillier wrote this, sucking me in completely to Paris’s story before bringing in Drew’s perspective. It completely immersed me in the different timelines and investigations.
The characters especially sold me on Things We Do in the Dark. When I read that Paris was a celebrity wife I assumed she’d be a love-to-hate character, but her compassion and backstory was fascinating. Finding out what was going to happen to her kept me turning pages well past my bedtime.
I did find the ending of this one a bit underwhelming, with a few plot points feeling rushed. However, I enjoyed the book as a whole so much that I’d still recommend it, and the end was emotionally satisfying enough.
Content warning: This one does have themes of child abuse, including sexual abuse.
Thank you to Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my review copy of this book.
Leanne Olson 
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