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)

I love Gillian Flynn

So in love with Gillian Flynn and the narrator was phenomenal! The story was slow going in some parts but it kept me guessing all the way until the end. The twist and turns were so well done.

Gillian Flynn is the best writer if our age

Yeah I said it, she's the best. Less, much less, prolific than King or Gaiman, both of whom I love, but the best. No one can write characters as broken, as honest, as true. And plot?! I can't, I don't even understand how she does it. Masterful is the only way I can describe it, but that doesn't even cover it. King is masterful, Gaiman is masterful. Flynn is, well, she's the best. I made the mistake of listening to some half baked mystery after this, some woman in cabin 10, or woman on the train BS. Oops. Was like reading a first graders story next to this. Had to listen to Dark Places again to get that incompetence out of my head. The narrators are great too.

Kept me guessing

Absolutely love it! Kept me hooked from the beginning. big trigger warnings should be included: gore, animal cruelty/killing

Excellent

Loved the book and the ending was somewhat of a surprise. Definitely worth the purchase.

Not Gone Girl or Sharp Objects but still good

I am a big fan of Gillian Flynn's work. she can do no wrong in my eyes, but that's because she's an excellent writer. Out of everything she's done, Sharp Objects was hands down my favorite, Gone Girl a close second, and this one isn't all too far behind the other 2. I would love to see it on screen, Amy Adams would be a good choice again, I think.

It’s okay

For some reason I struggled really getting into the book. The concept was good and the story line was good. It just didn’t hook me in as quickly as I like.

The plot twist toward the end was unexpected. I’m glad there was some resolution.

Very slow and somber

I liked this book, but it definitely is VERY dark, and never lets up on that.
I enjoyed it though, although it was very slow overall.
I enjoyed the main woman narration, I felt like her voice was perfect for Libby Day.

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.

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.