Rida S

Nayla M reviewed a book.

“This was Gillian Flynn's debut book, but I happened to read it after Gone Girl and Dark Places and as much as I enjoyed and liked them both, I loved this even more. I'm glad I left it for last, as I might have been a tad disappointed later on had I started off with...”

“This was Gillian Flynn's debut book, but I happened to read it after Gone Girl and Dark Places and as much as I enjoyed and liked them both, I loved this even more. I'm glad I left it for last, as I might have been a tad disappointed later on had I started off with this!

Again, you have a dysfunctional family, damaged, flawed characters and a crime to tie up everything 'nicely', if you will. The main themes, although recurrent in her other books are far from being repetitive and do not take away from the book.

Camille Preaker, is a journalist working for a lesser known Chicago based newspaper is back in her home town to cover a serial killer. She stays at her mother's place, with her mother, step father and 13 year old half sister whom she barely knows. As she interviews people and tries to get comments from the police, she deals with her very dysfunctional family, and overbearing mother.

13 year old Amma plays the role of the perfect daughter at home, but in reality, she is the leader of the mean girls pack in school and in town. Camille gets to know both sides of Amma, and is sucked into the drama that is her family.

Sibling jealousy gone wrong, a mother dealing with her own demons and setting off new demons for her kids, self abuse, pure unadulterated evilness all froth out from the covers of the book. Like Flynn's other books, it was extremely hard to put this down. Matter of fact, I read this and Dark Places back to back.

**SPOILERS**

I had a feeling it was Amma, but wasn't 100% sure. Also, I really wanted to know who Camille's dad was. I just didn't buy her mom's story for some reason.

**END of SPOILERS**”

Nayla M reviewed a book.

“Libby Day, at age seven lost her mother and two sisters in a brutal murder. Her 15 year old brother, Ben, was found guilty, and thrown in jail and Libby testified that she saw him kill her family. 25 years later, Libby is living off the last of the money raised for her from well meaning...”

“Libby Day, at age seven lost her mother and two sisters in a brutal murder. Her 15 year old brother, Ben, was found guilty, and thrown in jail and Libby testified that she saw him kill her family. 25 years later, Libby is living off the last of the money raised for her from well meaning individuals. She is told that she has to look for some kind of work, or will otherwise be, very shortly, completely broke.

A member of the 'Kill Club" approaches her and she sees herself making money off them and is slowly dragged into their investigations of past events. The Kill Club is a club with numerous members who work in groups on murders and crimes that interest them, one of those groups is convinced Ben is innocent and pay Libby to interview people for them.

During those 25 years Libby has refused to confront the horrifying past and refers to it as the Dark Place. She has never gone to visit her brother, lost contact with her aimless, drunk father, and the many relatives that she was rotated around as a kid. She has been depressed for all this time, but the Kill Club somehow forces her to deal with things in a way she has never done before.

The book is told in present day first person Libby perspective and third person flashbacks from several character's perspectives. I thought I had things figured out, but things kept changing and I could never guess how the murder day's events played out.

It's extremely hard to put down. I read it everywhere. It was that good. I enjoyed it more than Gone Girl, and found the flawed characters here likable compared to Gone Girl's main characters. Next thing I knew, I was already reading Sharp Objects.

** SPOILERS **

In Gone Girl, I was not happy with the ending. Dark Places had a more satisfying ending. In the beginning I thought I was reading something along the lines of Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, but the way the murders occurred eliminated that assumption. As for Ben, how could he possibly think his kid would be all right with the person who killed his sister?
I also found myself thinking of Capote's In Cold Blood probably because of the same kind of flashbacks on different character's whereabouts, and the kind of murder.


** End of Spoilers **”

James K is now following Sreeparna.

Maryam plans to read a book. (see 6 more books added to shelf)

James K is now reading a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Jessica plans to read a book. (see 3 more books added to shelf)

Phoebe Jordan rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Phoebe Jordan would like to own a book. (see 12 more books added to shelf)

StevenD finished reading a book. (see 3 more books added to shelf)

StevenD rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Lexy H now owns a book.

Monica B rated a book.

• Rated 5 stars

Phoebe Jordan rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

James K is now following R.W.Harris. (see 3 more new follows)

maydiwayatangnawawala would like to own a book.

bookchica is now reading a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

bookchica rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

James K is now reading a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Phoebe Jordan is now reading a book. (see 3 more books added to shelf)

Phoebe Jordan rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars