Book Review-Things-We-Do-In-The-Dark

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Things We Do In The Dark

by

Jennifer Hillier

While a good read, sadly, Things We Do In The Dark does not live up to The Butcher also by Jennifer Hillier.

Paris Peralta has been arrested and is headed for jail after the murder of her celebrity husband.  As bad as going to jail appears, it is not what worries Paris the most.  Her main concern is the unwanted publicity which will undoubtedly dredge up her past that she has worked so long and hard to hide. 

Twenty-five years earlier her mother Ruby was convicted of murder.  Ruby is not a nice person.  She knows Paris’ real identity and has threatened to reveal all if Paris does not supply Ruby with money.

As I said at the top, Things We Do In The Dark is a good read.   However, it seemed rather slow and took a while to link both storylines together.

As previously mentioned the first  Jennifer Hillier book I read was The Butcher, which lived up to its thriller description which, in my opinion, Things We Do In The Dark does not.

If I could rate Things We Do In The Dark as a three-and-a-half star read, I would.

However, as that is not possible,

I have decided to rate it as a

four-star read.

***

At the time of completing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Things We Do In The Dark

an average of 4.07 stars

from 16,447 ratings

and 2,935 reviews.

***

Things We Do In The Dark

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon‎.

 

Book Review-Little-Secrets

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Little Secrets

by

Jennifer Hillier

Little Secrets was my fifth reading of a book written by Jennifer Hillier.   The focus of Little Secrets is the mother of four year old Sebastian.  Mother (Marin) and typical four year are at a fair with Sebastian demanding a lollipop and trying to get free of Marin’s grip.  Sound familiar?  Her phone rings and she briefly releases her grip of Sebastian’s hand and he is abducted.  A parent’s worst nightmare, isn’t it?

Fast forward eighteen months or so and distraught Marin hires a private investigator to try and solve the mystery of her missing son.  In the course of investigating everyone involved, the private investigator discovers that Derek, Marin’s husband, is having an affair with a much younger woman.  Marin is, however, not alone.  She has a school friend who comforts her.

 

Little Secrets is a fast moving easy read with a much unexpected ending.  Are friends really friends?  Is the affair just an affair?  Will Marin ever see Sebastian again?  Will he be alive or dead if and when she does see him?  The answer to all these questions will be revealed in Little Secrets.

I enjoyed reading Little Secrets; however, I felt it was not quite up to the standard of The Butcher, my first Hillier read.  And again like many other books carrying the ‘thriller’ label Little Secrets is only a mystery, albeit one worth reading if your children are not toddlers.

I have rated Little Secrets a solid 4 star read.

 

 

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

Little Secrets

Little Secrets

an average of

4.28 stars

from 4,093 ratings

and 1,665 reviews. 

I rated

Little Secrets

as a solidread.

Little Secrets

can be purchased on-line at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

Book Review-Jar-of-Hearts

Jar of Hearts

by

Jennifer Hillier

 

Someone once told me that raising boys was much easier than raising girls.  After my last two reads, where mid-teenage girls feature I am inclined to agree that it may be so, although I don’t have a daughter for a fair comparison.

Jar of Hearts, a thriller by Jennifer Hillier, is a story about two sixteen year old girls.  Angela (the teenage beauty) and Georgina (Geo) are best friends.  However, one night Angela fails to return home.  Extensive enquiries provide no leads and she is eventually placed on the ‘missing persons’ list.

Fourteen years down the track Geo is arrested for Angela’s murder.  While this may appear to be a spoiler, it’s not, because this where is where the story begins.

After lengthy prison sentence I had a feeling that we have not heard the complete story of Angela and Geo’s relationship or the night Angela was murdered.  And that is what makes Jar of Hearts intriguing.

The story of the sixteen year olds relationship and Angela’s death is slowly revealed in flashback mode.  With each revelation that nagging feeling of ‘there’s more to this than meets the eye’ continues.

During the last third of this story readers may or may not be able to pick the ending.  However, I didn’t.

I really felt like reading an Enid Blyton book after my last two reads…again, I didn’t.

I recommend Jar of Hearts to readers of the crime/thriller genre.

 

  Goodreads Readers have rated

Jar of Hearts

an average of

4.11 stars from 6,876 ratings

and 1,981 reviews 

I rated

Jar of Hearts

aread.

Jar of Hearts

can be purchased on-line at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

Book Review-Freak

Freak

by

Jennifer Hillier

Freak is my third Jennifer Hillier book and one which appears to be a sequel to Creep.  Many of the good guys, along with a bad gal, make a reprise in Freak.  Creep characters, Sheila, Maurice, Marianne and Jerry are all central characters in Freak, a fast-moving and interesting story particularly as some it is set in a prison which was my last place of employment.

 

I thought the villain of Freak was fairly obvious.  However, each and every time I thought I had identified to the villain I was either incorrect or they turned up dead a few pages on.  I guess that makes me still incorrect. 

 

I enjoyed Freak, although I still think The Butcher is the pick of the three of Hillier’s books which I have read.  That said, Freak kept me guessing while The Butcher villain was obvious early on it was his methods and catching him which kept readers on edge.  And that, according to Doctor Google, is the difference between a mystery and a thriller.

 

However, the end of Freak was totally unexpected and one which has left the door wide open for a sequel. 

On August 1st, 2018

Goodreads Readers have rated

Freak

an average of

3.89 stars from 3,253 ratings and 338 reviews 

 A solidread.

Freak

can be purchased on-line at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Freak not available at Booktopia

Book Review-Creep

Creep

by

Jennifer Hillier

 Creep was my second book by Jennifer Hiller, however it appears to be her first published book…in 2011.

Creep is a psychological thriller and is not as gory or macabre as The Butcher, Hillier’s third book.  However, it did have me asking why or how a teacher and student become so ‘close’.  The Butcher was almost more believable than Creep.

There was only three, maybe four, main characters for about two-thirds of the book.  During the last third some of those peripheral characters, mentioned earlier were developed, or introduced entirely, to help solve the mystery and hence provide a conclusion to Creep.

It was interesting to read how an academic could have similar problems or weaknesses as her students.  I may have led a sheltered life as I have never heard of her addiction before although she treated it like I image all addicts treat their addiction.  It’s not the addict who has a problem, it is everyone else.

If it is blood, gore, and terror you are looking for, read The Butcher.  If it is a psychological thrillers you devour the Creep is the novel for you.  I must admit that after The Butcher, Creep was a bit tame, but still a good read.  And as it appears to be a first novel, and The Butcher being so good, I am looking forward to reading Freak, which may be a sequel or similar story-line to Creep .

I was thinking three and a half stars.  However the lack of the half star in Goodreads left me debating whether to round-up or round-down.  It  is a better read than many other novels and it has a ripper twist at the end, which pushed it into the four star category.

  Goodreads Readers have rated

Creep

an average of

3.73 stars from 6,342 ratings

and 781 reviews 

 Aread.

Creep

can be purchased on-line at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

Book Review-The-Butcher

The Butcher

by

Jennifer Hillier

The Butcher is my first Jennifer Hillier novel and one in which the central character is a serial killer who manages to get away with murdering many people, although he mainly targets young, innocent, teenage girls.

Gruesome and sickening were two words which came to mind when thinking how to describe this book.  This description is not to be taken as a reflection of the author’s writing ability.  On the contrary Jennifer Hillier has turned a gruesome story line into a page turning novel.

Gruesome and sickening is the only way to describe what The Butcher did to his victims; and his state of mind at the time of committing crimes.

Whether family, romantic or platonic, all relationships in this novel are severely strained, some to breaking point.  Even The Butcher’s friends and family are not exempt from his gruesome practices.

As usual I have included very little character detail as I believe it would reduce the impact of the book.  Also too much information would spoil the end.

Whilst I have stated The Butcher is gruesome, it is still a fascinating read and look into the mind of a serial killer.   I’m not sure how or where Hillier obtained her research for this novel or whether she has a fertile imagination.  However, I really do hope that this is the product of an active imagination and not based on real life scenarios.

The Butcher is certainly worth adding to my FIVE Star read collection.

Again I must thank another Goodreads reader, Fiona, for recommending this book.

 Goodreads Readers have rated

The Butcher

an average of

3.79 stars from 1,874 ratings

and 322 reviews 

Aread.

The Butcher

can be purchased on-line at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon