“Things We Do in the Dark” by Jennifer Hillier
Review by Yvonne Selander, collection development librarian
Paris Peralta lived a quiet life as a yoga teacher in Seattle. She recreated herself and left her old life behind in Canada decades ago. She didn’t plan on Jimmy Peralta. The older man swept her off her feet, and she truly loved him. She didn’t care that he was once a famous sitcom comedian. She was content with their life out of the public eye. But then came his standup comeback. And then his death. His young wife, Paris, stands accused of his murder. Then the letters start coming in the mail. Paris’ past is coming back to haunt her. Could she be accused of two murders before long?
Told mostly by Paris and storylines following her past and her present, her best friend in her early 20s, Drew, now a true crime podcast host, fills in the gaps. I have written and deleted about 10 sentences so far because each would have given something away that I think you need to find out for yourself. I will warn you that there are instances of abuse – physical, verbal and sexual either described or alluded to in the plot. While this is an interesting story of a woman recreating herself and a twisty thriller too, it is also a story of a young woman’s resilience and what she felt she had to do to survive.