I’m sure a lot of you (assuming anyone is actually reading this!) have at least heard of the author Gillian Flynn. She most recently published the bestselling Gone Girl (which I’ll admit, I still have not read).
I did read her other two novels last year, though, and enjoyed both immensely. Today’s review is about the first one I read, which was actually her second published novel. I will definitely review her debut novel another time as well.
Image courtesy of http://www.goodreads.com.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
345 pages
This book was so good. I had high hopes for it anyway, as it just sounded like something I would really enjoy … And it definitely didn’t disappoint! I’ll admit that there were a few points in the book that dragged a bit, but for the most part I couldn’t put it down.
Dark Places alternates between the present, as told from the perspective of Libby Day, a woman in her early 30s who lost her mother and two sisters in the infamous “Satanic Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas” murders nearly 25 years prior and who, just as infamously, testified that the killer was her 15-year-old brother Ben, and the past, focusing mainly on Libby’s mother and brother Ben.
Looking to make a quick buck, Libby (in the present) agrees to meet up with the Kill Club, a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. Unfortunately for her, the members of the Kill Club are most interested in getting her to reconnect with people from her past … Those who might know something that could offer proof to free Ben.
I really liked Gillian Flynn’s writing style. It was descriptive enough without being overly flowery, and she threw in enough twists and turns to keep the book interesting. I was a little disappointed with some of the revelations, but overall I think Flynn did a great job of tying up loose ends and making sure everything made sense. I would definitely reread this novel in the future.
I would recommend Dark Places to others (I actually let a friend borrow it a while ago after mentioning how much I enjoyed it). It’s dark, but not overly so … I think anyone who enjoys mysteries would probably like it. Dark Places wasn’t a perfect book, but I’d definitely say it deserves FOUR STARS.
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