Things We Do in the Dark

Hillier’s (Little Secrets) latest opens as Paris Peralta is found in her Seattle bathroom, covered in blood and holding the straight razor that killed her much older celebrity husband. The ensuing media frenzy has a particularly unpleasant side effect: blackmail letters from convicted murderer Ruby “The Ice Queen” Reyes threatening to reveal Paris’s previous crimes to the world. Investigative journalist Drew Malcolm is preparing to do a podcast about the Ice Queen. He’s still mourning his lost love, Ruby’s daughter Joey, who died in a house fire years ago, and when a comment from Ruby inspires him to take a closer look at Paris’s case, he finds more than he bargained for. The point of view shifts among present-day Paris and Drew, and Joey before the fire. Listeners with a particular sensitivity to plots involving the sexual abuse of children should avoid; much of Joey’s backstory includes abuse by her mother’s boyfriends and family members. Carla Vega narrates, helping build suspense and enhance characterization.