Title: CREEP
Author: Jennifer Hillier
ISBN: 9781982160463
Publisher: Pocket Books
Pages: 416
Source: Private Copy
A popular psychology professor in Seattle, Sheila works hard to keep her secrets hidden. On the surface, she’s an expert in human behavior and a well-liked educator, but nobody knows she’s a recovering sex addict in therapy—not even the love of her life, Morris. And she needs it to stay that way, or she could lose everything.
But Ethan Wolfe is impossible to resist. The graduate student is brilliant, charming, and seductive as hell. He’s also Sheila’s teaching assistant, and thirteen years her junior. Ignoring the risks to her career and relationship, they begin an illicit affair that lasts three months, until Morris asks her to marry him. Determined to get her life back on track, Sheila commits to a future with her fiancé, a man she’s not sure she deserves.
But Ethan can’t move on so easily. He didn’t pursue his professor for as long as he did to get dumped for some boring, middle-aged suit. Ethan’s made plans too, and he doesn’t take rejection well. When the body of one of Sheila’s students is discovered floating in Puget Sound—a young woman Ethan was rumored to have dated—it’s clear that the graduate student has secrets of his own.
And he’s not about to let Sheila get away.
Official Summary
10 April 2025
If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that will grab you by the throat and refuse to let go, Creep by Jennifer Hillier is the book for you. This twisted, dark, and utterly addictive read had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
Jennifer Hillier doesn’t hold back when it comes to creating flawed, complex characters. Sheila Tao, a respected psychology professor in Seattle, is living a double life—one where she’s a brilliant academic and another where she battles her demons as a recovering sex addict. Just as she’s piecing her life together and planning a future with her devoted fiancé, Morris, the past comes back to haunt her in the form of Ethan Wolfe—a dangerously obsessive graduate student who is far more than just a fling gone wrong.
Hillier expertly crafts Ethan as one of the most chilling villains I’ve come across in a long time. He’s charming, manipulative, and downright terrifying, with a sinister undercurrent that makes your skin crawl. As Sheila tries to extricate herself from their toxic affair, Ethan’s obsession escalates to dangerous and deadly levels, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. The tension is palpable, and every chapter leaves you questioning just how far Ethan will go to maintain control.
What I love most about Creep is how Hillier blends psychological depth with unrelenting suspense. The plot twists are masterfully placed, and just when you think you’ve got it all figured out another bombshell drops. The pacing is flawless, and the writing style is both sharp and captivating, making it impossible to put the book down.
This novel doesn’t just rely on shock value; it delves deep into the human psyche, examining themes of guilt, obsession, and the dark sides of desire. Sheila’s struggle to confront her own weaknesses while battling a predator like Ethan makes her an incredibly compelling protagonist. The stakes are sky-high, and the climax left me breathless, reeling from the sheer intensity of it all.
Creep is a relentless, pulse-pounding thriller that will keep you hooked until the final page. Jennifer Hillier has truly mastered the art of building suspense and delivering gut-wrenching twists that leave you questioning everything. If you’re a fan of dark, psychological thrillers that dig deep into the complexities of obsession and danger, this book is an absolute must-read.
Highly recommended—5 stars without a doubt!
Also by Jennifer Hillier
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK
When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom – covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her – she knows she’ll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it’s not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it’s only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she’s worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.
Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she’s unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris’s secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst about people and then writes about it.
She’s the USA Today, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark, described as “an intoxicating thrill ride” by the New York Times and “propulsive and chilling” by People magazine. It was a Book of the Month Club selection, an Indigo Top Ten Best Book of the Year, an Amazon Editor’s Spotlight Pick, a Goodreads Choice Award nominee, a Loan Stars pick, and her third consecutive novel to be honoured as a Library Reads pick, which places her in their Hall of Fame.
Jennifer is also the author of six other psychological thrillers. Her USA Today bestselling novel Little Secrets is currently being adapted for Peacock by Tish Cyrus’s Hopetown Entertainment, writer Melissa Scrivner Love and Universal Television, and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Anthony Award. Jar of Hearts won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and was also shortlisted for the Anthony and Macavity Awards. Her earlier novels are Creep, Freak, The Butcher, and Wonderland, the last of which will be published in mass-market paperback and audiobook for the very first time in April 2023. Her books have been published in twenty-three languages so far.
Jennifer is Filipino-Canadian, born and raised in Toronto. She spent eight amazing years in Seattle which is where she first became a published writer. She’s a Seahawks fan who married to a Packers guy. They have a young son who looks most like her when he’s crying. She’s afraid of the dark and can’t sleep unless she’s checked the locks on the doors several times. She loves writing when it’s raining, sleeping when it’s sunny, and reading after everyone else has gone to bed. She cherishes her family (those who read, and those who don’t), and her friends (those who write, and those who don’t). She’s a cat person without a cat, which makes her sad. But she’s now back in the Toronto area permanently with her family, which makes her happy.
I have been working my way through Jennifer Hillier’s books and every one I read is better than the last. Creep left me looking forward to reading Freak. I do not yet have a copy of that, but I will soon fix that. Thank you for visiting and reading my review, I know you will love this one as much as I did. Until next time… Happy Reading!
