Dark Places: The New York Times bestselling phenomenon from the author of Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn

May 2009 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

THE BESTSELLING PHENOMENON

'Eerily macabre... Wonderful' Guardian
'A nerve-fraying thriller' New York Times
'Every bit as horribly fascinating as In Cold Blood' Daily Mail

Libby Day was seven when her family was murdered: she survived by hiding in a closet - and famously testified that her older brother Ben was the killer.

Twenty-five years later the Kill Club - a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes - gets in touch with Libby to try to discover proof that may free Ben. Almost broke, Libby agrees to go back to her hometown to investigate - for a fee.

But when Libby's search uncovers an unimaginable truth, she finds herself right back where she started: on the run from a killer.


THE ORIGINAL #1 BESTSELLER, BY THE AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL

'I would rather read her than just about any other crime writer' Kate Atkinson
'Gillian Flynn is the real deal: a sharp, acerbic and compelling storyteller' Stephen King
'An extraordinarily good writer' Observer

Ratings and reviews

I think I expected far too much from this book to be honest. Sharp Objects was an absolutely blinding read and I was expecting the same from this. Sadly, it paled by comparison to this reader. It has all the ingredients for an excellent thriller but somehow it just didn't enthrall me as much as her first novel did. It follows a similar pattern to Sharp Objects in that we have a socially inept heroine who is not entirely likeable. In fact, Libby is wholly unlikeable but she doesn't shy away from admitting that she is entirely selfish and motivated by greed. There is an attempt to garner sympathy for the character courtesy of the brutal murder of her family and her dirt poor upbringing but having heard from Libby itself you can't help but have the secret wish she'd met her end too. Her brother Ben is an enigmatic character and, for me, he came across as having severe mental issues which led him to his current predicament. The plot is very strong and the juxtaposition of then and now is fluid and works very well within the context of the book. There are twists and turns here and a no holds barred telling of life below the poverty line where every quarter makes a difference. There is also a good examination of small town life where everyone is quick to judge and outward appearance belies the reality. The introduction of the Kill Club was a good device for getting Libby interested in finding out what really did happen in January 1985. You also get the feeling that there is much more to tell about the people that populate this thriving underground club and that they may well be revisited in the future. I was expecting to be sucked down the rabbit hole of Ms Flynn's disturbed imagination and to be unable to put the book down (as has happened the twice I have read Sharp Objects) but I did find it easy to put the book down. It is not the unrelenting grimness and darkness within the pages that caused this but rather a lack of genuine interest in how things turn out for the Day family. This is a good solid Thriller and worth 3.5 Stars.

I must say I loved the book the mystery of who did it plus the view of a woman who's stuck as a scared little girl who survived the murders of her family had me not wanting to stop reading, I wanted to know who dun it was it really her brother Ben who had spent the last 24 years in prison. I loved gone girl and I definitely love dark places.

I binged read this book on several flights between various holidays. I loved the 3 dimensional characters, the grit and bitterness of the plot, the description of emotion and how it all fit together. It really makes you want to find out what really happened on the night of the murders. 8.5/10 one of the better novels I have read

About the author

GILLIAN FLYNN is the author of the #1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller GONE GIRL, for which she wrote the Golden Globe-nominated screenplay, and the SUNDAY TIMES bestsellers DARK PLACES and SHARP OBJECTS. A former critic for ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, she lives in Chicago with her husband and children.