This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years. While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows.
Fans of Dexter will enjoy the serial killer mythology at play here, and those who enjoy the twisted relationships we can have in school and how they divert our growth like a bonsai tree gardener will love how Hillier plays out her line and pulls us in. Jar of Hearts is an unpredictable and unflinching thriller that keeps the pages turning with characters who are as riveting as the tangled web they weave.
Hillier skillfully maintains the suspense through well-timed extended flashbacks and plenty of shocking, if sometimes improbable, twists. She’s less successful in creating convincing characters... Despite these issues, there’s no denying her page-turner’s grab-you-by-the-throat power.
Jar of Hearts is a relentless one-two punch: emotional trauma and physical trauma. Jar of Hearts is not a story for the squeamish, but it is done in such a manner that you have to keep turning the page just to find out what happens next ... Hillier has raised her game to rarified heights. This is a thriller that burrows into your brain, where it permanently lives in your subconscious. Long after you’ve turned the last page, the secrets and revelations will bob back up to the surface of your everyday life. This is a story that refuses to be finished with the reader. Every page is another layer of the past, painfully pealed back like the worst kind of wound.
