Book Review: All The Dark Places by Terri Parlato

 GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Snow falls softly outside Molly Bradley’s home on a frigid January night. Inside, half a dozen close friends are gathered to celebrate the fortieth birthday of Molly’s psychologist husband, Jay. Candlelight gleams against dark wood, wine flows, and the house rings with laughter. Everybody loves Jay and Molly most of all. Yet the next morning, Molly discovers Jay dead on the floor of his office, his throat brutally slashed.

After decades working with the Boston PD, Detective Rita Myers has grown accustomed to the banality of evil—the murders that make no sense beyond bad luck or a tragic brush with the worst of humanity. But Jay Bradley’s murder isn’t random, or a mere crime of opportunity. Rita is convinced that someone in the couple’s small circle killed him. Someone who was celebrating with them that night.

Devastated, Molly tries to make sense of her husband’s death. Jay was her rock, the only person who really understood the nightmare she lived through long ago. He knew the horrors she’s kept hidden even from her friends. But shocking revelations are making her question if Jay was all he seemed to be—and whether someone else knows her past too. And until Molly figures out who she can really trust, she won’t be able to stop herself from becoming the next target... 

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

Molly's husband Jay is murdered after his 40th birthday party and the killer could possibly be one of the guests...

There is a lot more going on in this story than just the murder of Jay, Molly herself has a past she doesn't want the people she knows to know about, but it does come to play in the future. There is also cheating, and several other things between characters that add to the mystery of the murder.

There are several twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages, you will also think you have gotten it figured out, just to carry on a few more pages forward and realize you were way off.

I found the story to be engaging and a fast-paced mystery/thriller. I listened to it on audio and with holidays and family sickness, it was a slower listen than I wanted it to be. All The Dark Places is Terri Parlato's debut novel and it was well written with a solid storyline. It was suspenseful and tension-filled, all the things that you want from a good thriller.

The one thing that did somewhat bother me was the number of characters the story had. When I say it bothered me, I mean it at times overwhelmed me and I had to question things because I was confused. I will note that this wasn't a straight-through listen, many times I had to set it down to come back to it days later. This could have very well been the cause of my confusion on a few things and not the author's writing.

Told in two POVs, Molly, who is Jay's wife and devastated by his death, and Rita, the detective working the case. Both characters are likable and well-written. One of my favorite things I enjoyed in the book, or audio I suppose was the short chapters ( there were over 60 of them ) There is nothing I hate more in a book than overly long chapters. I want the beginning of a new chapter to be my stopping place, and there are many times a long one that keeps me from that. Makes Tee an unhappy girl. 

As mentioned, I did listen to the book on audio and I really enjoyed it. Two narrators made it enjoyable. All in all, All The Dark Places was a great debut thriller/mystery that anyone will enjoy.