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Dark Places  By  cover art

Dark Places

By: Gillian Flynn
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Cassandra Campbell, Mark Deakins, Robertson Dean
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Publisher's summary

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas". As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived, and famously testified that her 15-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer.

Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who've long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details, proof they hope may free Ben, Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she'll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club...and maybe she'll admit her testimony wasn't so solid after all.

As Libby's search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby's doomed family members, including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town.

Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started...on the run from a killer.

©2009 Gillian Flynn (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"Gillian Flynn is the real deal, a sharp, acerbic, and compelling storyteller with a knack for the macabre." (Stephen King)

"A gritty, riveting thriller with a one-of-a-kind, tart-tongued heroine." (Booklist)

“A riveting tale of true horror by a writer who has all the gifts to pull it off.” (Chicago Tribune)

What listeners say about Dark Places

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17,266
  • 4 Stars
    9,364
  • 3 Stars
    2,719
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    264
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    18,404
  • 4 Stars
    6,313
  • 3 Stars
    1,517
  • 2 Stars
    232
  • 1 Stars
    117
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    14,999
  • 4 Stars
    7,991
  • 3 Stars
    2,728
  • 2 Stars
    594
  • 1 Stars
    277

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Quirky Girl deals with Loss and Mystery

I really liked the tone and pace of this book. Initially I did not like the main character, a disturbed victim of a horrific crime. But as I kept listening, I liked her more and more, and was so drawn into her thoughts and actions. The mystery unfolds in surprising ways and entwines serendipitously, just like life all too often does. This book held my interest and I really liked it even though the story was about such a horrifying event.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ok story, but a bit gruesome

I did not particularly enjoy this book. The narration was excellent, but the book was pretty gruesome, and I didn't really latch on the caring who killed the family. The whole book I just wanted it to end. I give it three stars for the narration and the authors ability to tie the story together with segments from many different perspectives.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This one will keep you guessing till the very end.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Libby, of course. She was narrated just right, with just exactly the right amount of hopelessness, desperation, and then determination.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to but couldn't. I would sit in my car an extra several minutes after arriving at work, though, just listening and trying to figure out who done it.

Any additional comments?

I've never written a review before. Never felt compelled. But after finishing this book tonight, felt I had to. This book kept me hopping from one suspect to the next, and just when I thought I had it figured out...I didn't. I've never given a book 5 stars before, even in my head. This one deserved every last little bit of stars.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

unrealistic ending

Although "Gone Girl's" ending was more preposterous, the ending of this one is pretty far-fetched. It's an ok story til the end. Narrators are fair. Overall an ok book but nothing better.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A dark and gut wrenching mystery

Ms. Flynn is the best mystery writer I've encountered. The story is entirely unique and though one may guess who the real killer is, no one could remotely imagine how the mystery concludes.

It is a painful, dark mystery with characters entirely believable. The narration is exceptional. Highly recommended!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Darkness at it's best!

I loved this book. The title is perfect because the book is very dark - characters, setting, etc. I did not agree with the reviewer who complained about the "f" word. In this novel, it was completely appropriate and not overly used. Great mystery book that keeps you hooked!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

To many Coincidences!

What did you like best about Dark Places? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the characters and there dark pasts/secrets. I really did not like how coincidental everything was. This was more like 2 stories merging into one, which can be good or bad, and for me it was to predictable. What really made me go 'seriously..' was Patty Day learned that Ben may have kept the little girls underwear...right before Ben buys a bag of underwear, used...for his to be daughter. LIKE CMON! After that I was very disappointed, the ax was right where it needed to be...the stories made to much sense. The ending did not make my jaw drop.

What could Gillian Flynn have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Less coincidences, less predictable.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Libby

Was Dark Places worth the listening time?

Ya - I wouldn't waste a credit on it though

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not Gillian's best work

I loved "Gone Girl" and "Sharp Objects" but "Dark Places" is just awful. Her other two books were disturbing, but not needlessly, this felt forced and unnecessary. Even at the end of the book, I didn't care about a single character so the plot wasn't riveting. I highly recommend her other books, but not this one.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A family murdered in Kansas

A marriage has gone wrong, four children each with their own issues overwhelm their mother, a father, irresponsible and self centered, caring only about money and a wife who is barely capable of functioning. A farm going broke in central Kansas. The rumor of Satanic rituals on the plains. This is truly a dark bleak novel with what love there is gone bad.

Finally, one terrible night, the farm is invaded and murder is done. The scene is told from the view of several different characters. The family, except for 7 year old Libby, is torn apart. Libby runs into the frozen January night, hiding from the monsters who have invaded her home. She looses toes and fingers to frostbite and her heart to the bleak life she is left with. Her brother is accused of the murders, Libby's life spirals into one foster home after another and we meet her again 25 years later, broke, afraid of everything, alone and looking for another way to avoid responsibility for her life. Looking for another way to avoid life itself.

This is truly a dark, sad and dismal story, with involved plot lines-several of them. Gillian Flynn shows mastery of dialogue and character development with each of the very flawed people in her story and, along with the gripping writing is fantastic narration performed by half a dozen different people. This made listening to the story almost like watching a movie for me. I could picture the action in my head as the story is performed.

There is a lot of backstory from 1985 then returning to modern day, especially telling Libby's and Ben's part. This can make for occasional confusion as to which character is speaking but usually it can be determined from clues at the beginning to the chapter.

Did I enjoy the book? No, not really. Flynn does not write enjoyable novels. But she does write the sad side of reality, that side none of us wants to address but is part of almost daily news now. There is no love or romance here, no happy ending where everything comes out fine. But it was a gripping tale that fascinated me from the start to the end and made me feel very lucky that my own children never were subject to this kind of terror.

Not for everyone.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Love-hate relationship

I overall loved this book (if you can say you "love" about such tragic and horrific subject). I liked the way it flashed from three different perspective and from past to present. The author linked the story piece by piece and unfolded the truth before the reader's eyes. I liked this because the reader got the full, complete story even if the characters did not.

However, I hated the amount of cursing. It was horrific and bordered on wastefulness. I don't think the "f" word every-other-word was necessary and made me question the author's real ability to write. I visualized her setting there writing and thinking, "Hmm I don't know how to convey surprise, so I will just use the f-word. I don't know how to convey anger, so I will use the f-word 3 times in a row." That turned me off and kept me from giving it a higher rating.

If you are a sensitive person or can't handle a LOT of cursing, I would skip this book. If you like a good "true crime" style of story and language isn't an issue, I wouldn't pass up this book.

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8 people found this helpful