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)

Great book

This was well written. Suspenseful. Well narrated. If books had ratings for content, I would give it an "R". Reader discretion advised. That is the only heads up I'd give.

Really, really good

I've never been able to listen to an entire novel by Gillian Flynn all the way through without taking a break in the middle for a week or two. In the case of this novel it was several breaks over the course of several months. The characters are so messed up that it's too painful to listen to the whole story without a reprieve. But I've never regretted downloading a Flynn novel and I have rarely found books so satisfying or surprising as hers are. Listen to the end. The process might be painful, but it is worth it!

This book is like a fictional version of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood." Multiple murders on a rural Kansas farm that seem to have no comprehensible motive. At first, you might hate the main character who sets out to solve the murders, but she is a complex and fraught human being and in the end, you will want to cheer for her. Her flaws only make her more believable.

Flynn's descriptions of rural middle America are spot on. The setting is just as thoroughly developed as the characters.

Just a word of warning: there are clues early on in the story that are relevant to solving the overall mystery. Because I had to take some breathers in the middle of listening to this novel (I just couldn't handle listening to it all the way through) I forgot some of the clues Flynn had embedded early on in the narrative that would have helped me solve the mystery. If you are interested in figuring out the ending before the end, I'd suggest listening through the book in its entirety without breaks. Or at least, I'd suggest a good/attentive memory...

I love Gillian Flynn

What did you love best about Dark Places?

I honestly can't decide. It was just an amazing story. I guess if I had to choose it was Libby. As depressing as she was I related to her quite a bit. Not sure what that says about me...

Which scene was your favorite?

This sounds like I'm kind of macabre but I really enjoyed the scene where Libby is trying to escape Diondra and Crystal. Her performance was impressive as I could feel fer panic and her sudden desire to live.

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

There were several parts that made me laugh and I guess wouldn't describe them as parts as much as parts and the way the narrators said them. I was impressed by the voices of Libby and Patty. I think they should have used a younger voice for Ben in the flashbacks.

Any additional comments?

Couldn't stop listening! I'm actually listening again.

another amazing book by Gillian Flynn.

I loved this book. the style and plot are thrilling. Gillian Flynn is a wonderful author. I have no complaints about this book and listen to it whenever I have the opportunity.

Aptly named story, not for the depressed

In this earlier work by Flynn, miserable character Libby Day's testimony sends her older brother Ben to prison for the brutal, bloody deaths of her mother and two sisters. Now, twenty- four years later, an equally dark group of men and infatuated women gradually convince Libby that someone else may have committed the crime.
Flynn uses foreshadowing masterfully is this truly aptly named work in adding kleptomania to Libby Day's miserable existence, a flaw central to the story's eventual resolution. The narration is excellent and Flynn manages to pull off a successful switch back-and-forth between first- and third-person story-telling.

great story and narrators

loved it! never bored or tired of the story. well written and performed! will look for more by this author.

Gone Girl is still her best

I loved the idea of this novel. I've seen and read the adaptations of Gone Girl, Sharp Objects and Dark Places. Gone Girl is the best of the lot in both forms, book and film. I found Sharp Objects found much improved in tv vs the book. Dark Places I had hoped would turn out better than the film. It was better than the film but I was let down. I found myself annoyed at a few to many descriptions using " like a x". These were in every point of view more than a few times to describe everything from personalities to the weather patterns. It bothered me enough to lower a star for the sense of repetition; even if the descriptions weren't copy and paste the spirit of them were far too alike for them to be creative. These descriptions felt lazy, like a students attempts at being profound or observant. I also feel after finishing all three of her novels that Gillian Flynn has a pattern of leaving things open ended. It works in Gone Girl, is a bit of a let down in Sharp Objects. I expected it in Dark Places and in this case more than the others it feels lazy to not deal with that one still in the wind fugitive in any meaningful way. I'll read any other books by Flynn , but in my opinion she is a little overhyped.

Loved it!

An exceptional attention to detail - the smallest details are meticulously placed. I started off the book not liking Libby but the character growth was impressive. This is the first book in a while that I was actually surprised by the ending.

Slow Pace but Worth it

Really good story and really good narration. The pace seems slow but it should be. I’m glad I stuck to it.

Gripping tale of poverty and murder

I bought this book because I read Gone Girl and then watched Utopia and thought, “Gillian Flynn is truly an evil genius! I wonder what else she’s written.” And Dark Places does not disappoint. It is every bit as intriguing and suspenseful as Flynn’s other books. I was late to work because I was having trouble turning it off.

The only flaw for me was there were moments where I didn’t understand the character’s motivations. Why was Patty’s reaction so extreme when Ben died his hair? Because the story needed Ben to be furious with his mother. It felt like a plot device rather than a natural reaction. But overall, these are forgivable flaws, minor in the face of genuinely thrilling story telling.