Book Review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Without realizing it, I’ve become a fan of crime thrillers. I think it all started with the mega-popular Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I’ve always appreciated a good mystery—Clue was my favorite game as a child after all. I love the twists and turns, the guessing and being completely wrong; it’s the unpredictability.

After reading Gone Girl, I picked up another of Flynn’s books, Dark Places. Even before chapter 1, we discover that little Libby Day’s mother and two older sisters were grotesquely murdered in the middle of the night. Libby was home too, but survived with her older brother Ben who was charged as the murderer. Decades have past since that night, and Libby has buried its memory. That all changes when she meets an interesting group of people who raise her curiosity about what actually happened. We then join Libby on her quest to find out the truth.

Pros

• Flynn can write women, and it’s pure chaos and crazy beauty. She is re-interpreting the boundaries of how female characters are portrayed on paper.
• She’s also smart, curious and mischievous. That’s clear through the plot line.
• I like how uncomfortable the characters make me. Each is written with an intense vulnerability. You read every thought and whim. It can be a challenge.

Cons

• This happened with Gone Girl too, but toward the middle the story started to plateau for me. Maybe it comes from the anticipation of wanting to know what is really happening!
• Sometimes, I’d read a chapter and not feel I needed to know all that was said. Some of it didn’t feel purposeful.

Do you have any favorite crime thrillers? I may start an Agatha Christie novel soon, but suggestions would be appreciated.

 

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