Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Things We Do in the Dark

Though I wouldn't personally call this much of a thriller, Things We Do in the Dark did not disappoint.

When her well-known husband is found dead, Paris Peralta is the obvious suspect. Though she knows she's innocent, she's less worried about the murder charge itself than she is about having her face in the media. This isn't the first time she's been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With an alternating timeline and POV, we also meet Drew, a true crime podcaster who inevitably comes across Paris' story. We don’t hear as much from his side, but it brings the story together as it alternates from past to present. However, I don't think the book necessarily needed his storyline, either. We don't learn too much about him.

What I enjoyed most were the backstories even though the topics were heavy. Paris and Ruby in particular were well-fleshed out. Where the active thrill is lacking, the characters make up for it. That's not to say there's no element of suspense, only that where a lot of what's being told is in the past tense, we know on some level how things end. The characters made it for me. I enjoyed it a lot.

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mekowaletti's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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humanpuke's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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hannahga's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I quite enjoyed the process of reading this book. Chapters were a nice length, it was suspenseful, I cared about the outcome, I thought the characters were interesting, it was a nice length, and it was fairly unique despite having many familiar to the genre elements. It was not groundbreaking and I felt that pretty much all of the twists / secrets coming to light weren't especially shocking. But that's completely fine by me because I still cared about the secrets and fully bought in to the ride I was on. Because it was done well!

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