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Quick answer: If you loved Jennifer Hillier, try Jar of Hearts, Little Secrets, Things We Do in the Dark, Sharp Objects, Dark Places and The Girl on the Train. Each one is a dark psychological thriller about secrets, survivors and killers close to home.
Jennifer Hillier is a Canadian thriller writer known for Jar of Hearts, which won the 2019 International Thriller Writers Award, and Little Secrets. Her books often follow women with painful pasts, toxic relationships and buried crimes, told with sharp twists. Readers love their pace and their dark emotional pull. These books share her dark secrets and her page-turning suspense.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Heat level | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jar of Hearts | Jennifer Hillier | Dark | readers new to Hillier |
| Little Secrets | Jennifer Hillier | Dark | readers who like missing children |
| Things We Do in the Dark | Jennifer Hillier | Dark | readers who want more Hillier |
| Sharp Objects | Gillian Flynn | Very dark | readers who like damaged heroines |
| Dark Places | Gillian Flynn | Dark | readers who like survivors |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins | Dark | readers who like unreliable narrators |
| Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris | Dark | readers who like domestic dread |
| Pretty Girls | Karin Slaughter | Very dark | readers ready for brutal |
| The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Twisty | readers who like big reveals |
| Then She Was Gone | Lisa Jewell | Dark | readers who like missing daughters |
| Final Girls | Riley Sager | Twisty | readers who like survivors |
| All the Missing Girls | Megan Miranda | Twisty | readers who like reverse timelines |
| The Perfect Wife | JP Delaney | Twisty | readers who like strange twists |
| Into the Water | Paula Hawkins | Dark | readers who like small-town secrets |
| Lock Every Door | Riley Sager | Twisty | readers who like creepy buildings |
1. Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
A woman testifies against her childhood friend's killer boyfriend.
Best for: readers new to Hillier.
2. Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
A mother hunts for her abducted son.
Best for: readers who like missing children.
3. Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
A woman suspected of her husband's death hides her past.
Best for: readers who want more Hillier.
4. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A reporter returns home to cover murders.
Best for: readers who like damaged heroines.
5. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
The survivor of a massacre reinvestigates.
Best for: readers who like survivors.
6. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A woman becomes involved in a disappearance.
Best for: readers who like unreliable narrators.
7. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
A perfect marriage hides cruelty.
Best for: readers who like domestic dread.
8. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Sisters uncover a horrifying secret.
Best for: readers ready for brutal.
9. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
A therapist treats a silent woman.
Best for: readers who like big reveals.
10. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
A mother learns what happened to her missing daughter.
Best for: readers who like missing daughters.
11. Final Girls by Riley Sager
Survivors of massacres are targeted.
Best for: readers who like survivors.
12. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
A woman returns home as another girl vanishes.
Best for: readers who like reverse timelines.
13. The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney
A woman wakes as a robot copy of a dead wife.
Best for: readers who like strange twists.
14. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Women die in a river town.
Best for: readers who like small-town secrets.
15. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
A woman house-sits in a strange building.
Best for: readers who like creepy buildings.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Jennifer Hillier: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Jennifer Hillier. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Start with Jar of Hearts, then Little Secrets. For similar dark heroines, Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects and Dark Places are essential. If you want twisty page-turners, Final Girls, All the Missing Girls and Then She Was Gone are popular choices. Pretty Girls is the darkest on this list.
Related: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: Summary and Key Takeaways · The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jennifer Hillier?
A Canadian author of psychological thrillers.
Which Jennifer Hillier book should I read first?
Jar of Hearts is her best-known novel.
Did Jar of Hearts win an award?
Yes. It won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel in 2019.
Are her books very dark?
Yes. They include violence and abuse.
Are her books standalones?
Most of her recent books are standalones.
Where are her books set?
Many are set in and around Seattle.
What is Little Secrets about?
A mother searches for her kidnapped son and uncovers her husband's affair.