Thriller
Things We Do in the Dark
Early Release
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Quick take
Caught in the paparazzi’s glow after her husband’s murder, Paris Peralta quickly learns all that glitters isn’t gold.
Good to know
Multiple viewpoints
Buzzy
Murder
Unsettling
Synopsis
When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she’ll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it’s not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it’s only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she’s worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.
Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she’s unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris’s secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.
Because the only thing worse than a murder charge is two murder charges.
Free sample
Get an early look from the first pages of Things We Do in the Dark.
Things We Do in the Dark
CHAPTER ONE
There’s a time and a place for erect nipples, but the back of a Seattle police car definitely isn’t it.
Paris Peralta didn’t think to grab a sweater before they arrested her, so she’s only wearing a bloodstained tank top. It is July, after all. But the air conditioning is on high, and she feels cold and exposed. With her wrists cuffed, all she can do is clasp her hands together and hold her forearms up to cover her breasts. It looks like she’s praying.
She’s not praying. It’s much too late for that.
Her head throbs underneath the butterfly bandage one of the EMTs stuck on before they put her in the cop car. She must have slammed it into the rim of the bathtub sometime last night, but she doesn’t remember tripping or falling. All she remembers is her husband, lying in a bathtub filled with blood, and the screaming that woke her up this morning.
The blond-ponytailed detective behind the wheel glances at Paris again in the rearview mirror. Ever since Jimmy signed a streaming deal with new Netflix competitor Quan six months ago, people have been staring at her a lot. Paris hates it. When she and Jimmy got married, she expected to live a quiet life with the retired actor-comedian. That’s the deal they made; that’s the marriage she signed up for. But then Jimmy changed his mind and un-retired, and it was about the worst thing he could have done to her.
And now he’s dead.
Why I love it
Shari Lapena
Author, Not a Happy Family
It was such a delight to discover Jennifer Hillier. When I read Things We Do in the Dark, I became an instant fan. This is a superb novel—a complicated story, expertly told. It deals sensitively with dark themes, and the characters and storytelling are utterly authentic.
The story opens with Paris Peralta soaked in blood, holding a straight razor. Her older husband—multi-millionaire comedian Jimmy Peralta—lies dead in their bathtub. Paris is charged with his murder, but there’s much more to the story. Paris is not who she says she is, and this case is going to open her up to scrutiny that she will not be able to withstand. At the same time, podcaster Drew Malcolm is reviving interest in a notorious Canadian murder case twenty-five years in the past, involving infamous murderess Ruby Reyes, aka the Ice Queen, as Reyes comes up for parole. Hillier thrills and teases us until the different storylines collide in the most satisfying way.
I love it when I’m in the hands of a talented storyteller who grabs you and won’t let you go. That’s what happened when I opened Things We Do in the Dark. I couldn’t put it down. I suspect you won’t be able to either . . .
Member ratings (25,268)
Megan K.
Unionville, CT
Read this book in 3 days. The different time lines were well done and didn’t make the story hard to follow. I didn’t see the end coming at all. If you’re looking for a story to get lost in, this is it
Maggie E.
Mount Pleasant, SC
This is 1 amazing thriller….1 of the best I’ve read in a loooong, long time! The writing is spot on with an ending you don’t see coming until it hits you in the face! Finished @ 3am! Highly recommend!
Minjee K.
Palisades Park, NJ
Such a good one - I couldn’t put it down! A sad back story, but as the plot thickens, I couldn’t wait to see what was revealed next. I kept thinking Mae was the one that was alive, but boy was I wrong
Kellen H.
Mingo Junction , OH
I loved this book! It was sad and it really touched me! I’m so glad that it ended the way it ended! It was so many twist that made this book so good! It wasn’t predictable at all! So glad I picked it!
Shari G.
Hamburg, NY
Fabulous read that will keep you turning pages late into the night & just when you think there are no more surprises, the author will leave you stunned! Couldn’t put it down but didn’t want it to end!