Things we do in the dark

 

Paris Peralta finds her husband, a famous comedian, dead in his bath, a gash on his thigh. As the police comes in the bathroom, they see Paris holding a straight razor. Despite the fact that she claims to be innocent, she is quickly facing murder charges. Many suspect the young woman of having killed her husband, who is a few decades older than her, for his money. Friends of Jimmy believe in her innocence and help her defend herself. 

 

Joey had a horrible, horrible abusive mother. Following the murder of her married boyfriend who also was her boss, she has been in prison for 20 years. She will shortly be available for parole and is preparing to face the board to plead her case. Drew, an ex-journalist, now podcaster, who is a former friend of Joey’s, is determined not to see this happen. 

 

Throughout the book, we alternate between two time lines : present day and 20 years ago, and three points of view : Paris, Joey and Drew. I should warn you : if you want a tension filled, sit on the edge of your seat thriller, you might want to skip this one. This book is more of a slowburn mystery than a thriller, as you can figure out some of the elements of the plot. Nevertheless, there were a lot of them that were not. And since there are a lot of things that go on, it was good. It’s a character-driven story that takes us through key elements of Joey’s childhood. The thriller / mystery part is the inquiry surrounding Paris’s husband’s death. Still, it’s entertaining that I enjoyed reading. I read it after a few intense or unsatifying reads. I soooo needed a palate cleanser and its exactly what it was for me.