Dark Places

A Novel

By: Gillian Flynn

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Cassandra Campbell, Mark Deakins, Robertson Dean

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

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)

Dark murder mystery

I really enjoyed the writing style & the characters. They were were all damaged from the truma, not likeable but that was understandable. Definitely different & the best book I've read in a long time.

Always a winner

Flynn is responsible for my sleepless nights. I can’t put her books down until the very last page is done.

Riveting but brutal

Dark Places is a fascinating story but not a fun read. The book takes pity on no one, least of all it's readers. This truly is the stuff of nightmares, one sadistic chapter bleeding over into the next. Although a work of fiction, Ms. Flynn's unflinching wordsmanship embues it with the realism of a true-crime whodunit. The saving grace, for me at least, was that I could repeat the mantra, "It's only make-believe" when the scenes became a little too intense for my sensitive nature.

Although I covet Ms. Flynn's talent, I wouldn't take it at any price if it meant having to live in her head (ditto Stephen King). Dark Places is not just an aptly-named novel, but probably an apt description of the author's warped imaginings. If I knew then what I know now, I would have stopped at "Gone Girl" and skipped this one entirely. And yet, as incongruous as it seems, I wholeheartedly recommend "Dark Places", just as I recommended "Gone Girl". The reason is simple: Despite the fact that they were dark and foreboding, that certain scenes will likely haunt me for a very long time, and that I can honestly say that I don't miss the characters (no, not a single one!), I am forced to admit that I thought they were riveting from start to finish. So, while I didn't like this book, I did love it.

And now, I'm going to run, not walk, to my bookshelf and find my copy of "Little Women" or "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" and try to subdue some of the ghosts from "Dark Places".

Such crafting

First off let me address the narration, its as good as anything you'll find on the site. Next, this is a dark tale (as the name suggests--don't know why some were surprised to realize this). But dark does not mean it was a bad read. This is a poignant tale of flawed characters, with worries and concerns and heartache we can all relate to. The real gem here is Ms. Gillian. The writing is so good and the plot so cleverly crafted--I am very impressed. To write these characters faced with this situation and to get so pointedly into their heads of different ages and different genders, if you're not impressed, sit down and try it yourself sometime.

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.

A little too depressing for an avid horror lover

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

I was really attracted to this story initially but as it went on, it just more and more horrible and seemed to wrap up in a gruesome bow that I had trouble stomaching. I don't know why, but it really bothered me, so much so that I really don't want to listen to it again and I love to listen to my stories repeatedly. I've taken forensics classes and studied lots of horrific crime scenes in school but this book was just..well..too dark for me to enjoy. I love Gillian Flynn but this was a depressing ass read. Animal brutality, child murder, call me a hippie, but it was not pleasing.

What was most disappointing about Gillian Flynn’s story?

The overall non redemption and darkness..and I know..it's in the title but DAMN. I loved Sharp Objects and kids are killed in that one too but this one really didn't sit well with me. Maybe because it was an entire family or just I can't put my finger on it. It seemed like it tried to throw you a bone of something happy at the end but I wasn't buying it.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Hell no.

Kept Thinking I Would Figure It Out

What made the experience of listening to Dark Places the most enjoyable?

I just couldn't figure it out! So it was exciting to hear the next piece of the puzzle.

Any additional comments?

This is definitely a dark book, but if you expect anything else from the family axe murder description, well...... I love a good mystery and the jumping back and forth in time was a very interesting way to tell the story. I really liked it - give me a good mystery and some psychological drama - I'm in!

Be prepared to feel seedy

Would you try another book from Gillian Flynn and/or the narrators?

This was my first Gillian Flynn novel but I was aware of Gone Girl. The narrator was good; however, there were times her apathetic sound/cadence (which suits the protagonist) wasn't appropriate for the action.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Predictable after spending some time with the book, but I was still surprised at how scummy the whole novel made me feel. Be prepared to visit dark places, per the title. The audiobook was entertaining...maybe traumatically engaging is a better phrase...but it is hard to call it 'good'. It is a distracting piece of fiction.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I almost felt like she *was* the protagonist.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I'm not certain. I don't think I want to slog through these dark places twice.

Surprisingly Good Read

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting and was pleasantly surprised. Ms. Flynn's writing style is unusual and I really like it. Alternating between the past and the present offers the readers a "back story" which isn't merely narrating what happened. The way the past and the present flow together is remarkable.
The narration was excellent and having multiple narrators added to the story.
Once you decided "whodunit", the story twists and turns so many times, the ending is a huge surprise.
Highly recommend!

not as good as other 2 but still worth the listen

If you could sum up Dark Places in three words, what would they be?

evil, strange, interesting

What did you like best about this story?

The twists in the characters as they switched from Past to Current.

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

Patty Deay

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no laughing or crying... more like wow can people really be this screwed up?

Any additional comments?

Not as good as the other two books she's done.... but still very good. Would have liked a little more to the ending...