Now and then I'll read a book and get a sense that this book is the one,
the book that will put an author on the map, so to speak. Jennifer
Hillier just published a book that really feels, at least to me, like
the big book that will launch her onto the best seller lists. Here's my
review of it that ran recently in the Cox Ohio newspapers:
In 1984 I landed my first writing gig. My brother was an architect-he
was commissioned to write a magazine piece about the architecture of a
famous resort. My brother was super busy. He asked me to do it.They were
paying two thousand dollars. I reluctantly agreed.
I knew nothing about architecture. So I interviewed the architects. I
still had no clue. But I knew one thing I had learned while studying
journalism; that my first sentence had to be magnificent, so perfect
that people would read the entire feature.
I sweated over that first sentence. Finally, I crafted an ideal opening
line. It was seven words long. I wrote the rest of the piece and
submitted it. Some months later they paid me and I received a copy of
the magazine. There was my opening sentence in all its glory.
The rest of the article was written by somebody else. They liked my
opening but that was all they liked. I got paid two grand for writing
seven words. I reached the summit on the first try. That was the most I
have ever been paid for anything I have written.
I still don't know much about architecture but I know an awful lot about
books. Here's one thing I know: that first sentence of a book is so
important. That's when you catch readers or lose them. With that in mind
I will declare that the opening sentence of the new mystery, 'Things We
Do In the Dark' by Jennifer Hillier is the finest, most compelling
opening sentence I have read in years.
Are you doubting me? OK, head to the library or a bookstore and peruse
her opening line. Then buy or borrow the book. You won't be able to
resist. As the story begins the police have been called to a mansion in
Seattle. A famous comedian is bobbing in a bathtub-filled with his own
blood. He's rather dead.
His young wife Paris Peralta stands nearby looking confused. She's
drenched with blood and brandishing one of her late husband's favorite
straight edge razors. Hillier writes a fabulous opening sentence then
follows it up with this scene that leaves us shocked, perplexed, and
eager to know what has really transpired.
The author employs wickedly clever flashbacks to flesh out her twisted
tale. Paris is the prime suspect-she's really concerned about the press
coverage. The tabloids publish photos of her. An inmate serving time in
prison on a murder charge sees reports about the incident and realizes
hey, I know her.
That's all I'm going to say about this extraordinary novel. I have been
reviewing books and talking to authors for nearly three decades.
Sometimes you can just feel it when a book is going to cause a
sensation. I have to believe Jennifer Hillier's 'Things We Do In the
Dark' is going to be her breakout book.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
