Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Broadway Paperbacks (Random House)
Pages
349
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl, and the basis for the major motion picture starring Charlize Theron Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in �The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.� She survived�and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club�a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes�locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She�ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club�for a fee. As Libby�s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started�on the run from a killer. Praise for Dark Places �[A] nerve-fraying thriller.��The New York Times �Flynn�s well-paced story deftly shows the fallibility of memory and the lies a child tells herself to get through a trauma.��The New Yorker �Gillian Flynn coolly demolished the notion that little girls are made of sugar and spice in Sharp Objects, her sensuous and chilling first thriller. In Dark Places, her equally sensuous and chilling follow-up, Flynn . . . has conjured up a whole new crew of feral and troubled young females. . . . [A] propulsive and twisty mystery.��Entertainment Weekly�Flynn follows her deliciously creepy Sharp Objects with another dark tale . . . The story, alternating between the 1985 murders and the present, has a tense momentum that works beautifully. And when the truth emerges, it�s so macabre not even twisted little Libby Day could see it coming.��People (4 stars) �Crackles with peevish energy and corrosive wit.� �Dallas Morning News �A riveting tale of true horror by a writer who has all the gifts to pull it off.��Chicago Tribune "It's Flynn's gift that she can make a caustic, self-loathing, unpleasant protagonist someone you come to root for.��New York Magazine�[A] gripping thriller.��Cosmopolitan"Gillian Flynn is the real deal, a sharp, acerbic, and compelling storyteller with a knack for the macabre.��Stephen King.… (more)
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-05-05
Physical description
349 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
0307341577 / 9780307341570
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Whisper1
This murder mystery is not for the squeamish. It is, in fact, written in a clear, concise, haunting and somewhat brutal manner.
The characters are flawed and few of them could be considered as redeemable. Yet, despite the terrible crime, the nasty actions and despicable personality traits, the
In 1985 Little Libby Day was only seven when her mother and two older sisters were violently killed in their poverty stricken shack in rural Kinnakee, Kansas. The two survivors were Libby, who frantically crawled out a window, and her brother Ben, who, accused of the murders, received a life sentence in jail. It was Libby who testified against her brother.
Shifted from many homes, Libby was a very angry, violent child who grew to a depressed, angry, shiftless adult. Libby capitalized on the deaths of her family, but now she is 32 and the well is dry.
Enter the "Kill Club" a group of freaky people who are obsessed with unsolved murders and offer money to Libby to help dredge the details of the horrific, brutal murders to support their belief that Ben was not the murderer.
Strapped for cash, Libby uses the group, and in the process begins to take a journey into the dark places of both her mind and that of others associated with the Day family.
The writing and character studies are wonderfully written in a complex, haunting fashion. This is not a book of gore for the sake of shock value, but rather it is a tale of a family struggling, of choices made with harsh consequences.
Highly recommended!
The characters are flawed and few of them could be considered as redeemable. Yet, despite the terrible crime, the nasty actions and despicable personality traits, the
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author shows us the dark places that form people and thus the reader cannot help but gawk and slow down at the roadside as we pass the terrible, tragic accident that was the Day family.In 1985 Little Libby Day was only seven when her mother and two older sisters were violently killed in their poverty stricken shack in rural Kinnakee, Kansas. The two survivors were Libby, who frantically crawled out a window, and her brother Ben, who, accused of the murders, received a life sentence in jail. It was Libby who testified against her brother.
Shifted from many homes, Libby was a very angry, violent child who grew to a depressed, angry, shiftless adult. Libby capitalized on the deaths of her family, but now she is 32 and the well is dry.
Enter the "Kill Club" a group of freaky people who are obsessed with unsolved murders and offer money to Libby to help dredge the details of the horrific, brutal murders to support their belief that Ben was not the murderer.
Strapped for cash, Libby uses the group, and in the process begins to take a journey into the dark places of both her mind and that of others associated with the Day family.
The writing and character studies are wonderfully written in a complex, haunting fashion. This is not a book of gore for the sake of shock value, but rather it is a tale of a family struggling, of choices made with harsh consequences.
Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member bohemiangirl35
I rated Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn's debut novel, a 4 mostly due to beginner/amateur kinks in her writing - a little drawn out, not really hiding the mystery, etc. But the overall story was good enough for me to look for her second book, and I'm so glad I did!
Dark Places is everything you want a
She's contacted by the Kill Club, a group of people obsessed with unsolved murders for various reasons. They want to solve them, want a relationship with the convicted, like to collect memorabilia, etc. The group obsessed with Libby's family's murders believe that her brother Ben is innocent, and they want her to talk to the people involved with the family in 1985 to help them prove Ben's innocence. Although Libby is hesitant because her confused and coached testimony as a 7-year-old is part of what helped convict Ben, she has no marketable skills and sees this as a way to make some quick money.
As Libby finds out facts she didn't know, she becomes desperate to know the truth and apologize to her brother for her testimony.
Dark Places is a tight novel. Flynn does a much better job this second time of drawing her characters and making them real with believable actions. The story is told from the points of view of Libby, her brother Ben, and their mother Patty, and Flynn does an excellent job of making sure the reader knows what time frame they are speaking from. Even with the flashbacks, I never got confused about which time period we were in.
The murders are described in detail and are not for the squeamish. However, it's not just gratuitous violence. There is a purpose.
As much as Libby is not a likable person, she is believable and I liked her for the character that she was. She was true to herself.
Of the 8 books I've read this year, this is definitely the best one, and I expect it will stay near the top of the list for the year.
Dark Places is everything you want a
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mystery/thriller to be. Gritty, told with a straight-forward, no frills edge, believable. Libby Day's family was murdered in 1985. At seven years old, she and her 15-year-old brother were the only survivors. And her brother was immediately arrested and convicted as the perpetrator. Libby spends her life angry and depressed, perfecting the art of playing the victim, avoiding any type of responsibility or work. She's now 32. The trust fund set up by well-wishers when she was a child is gone, and she has to earn a living.She's contacted by the Kill Club, a group of people obsessed with unsolved murders for various reasons. They want to solve them, want a relationship with the convicted, like to collect memorabilia, etc. The group obsessed with Libby's family's murders believe that her brother Ben is innocent, and they want her to talk to the people involved with the family in 1985 to help them prove Ben's innocence. Although Libby is hesitant because her confused and coached testimony as a 7-year-old is part of what helped convict Ben, she has no marketable skills and sees this as a way to make some quick money.
As Libby finds out facts she didn't know, she becomes desperate to know the truth and apologize to her brother for her testimony.
Dark Places is a tight novel. Flynn does a much better job this second time of drawing her characters and making them real with believable actions. The story is told from the points of view of Libby, her brother Ben, and their mother Patty, and Flynn does an excellent job of making sure the reader knows what time frame they are speaking from. Even with the flashbacks, I never got confused about which time period we were in.
The murders are described in detail and are not for the squeamish. However, it's not just gratuitous violence. There is a purpose.
As much as Libby is not a likable person, she is believable and I liked her for the character that she was. She was true to herself.
Of the 8 books I've read this year, this is definitely the best one, and I expect it will stay near the top of the list for the year.
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LibraryThing member tloeffler
The Kill Club is a secret society obsessed with famous crimes. They offer Libby Day money (which she desperately needs) to re-connect with the players involved in the murder 25 years earliers of her mother and 2 sisters. Her brother Ben was convicted on seven-year-old Libby's testimony that he was
I found this to be a wonderfully well-written book, moving back and forth in time and perspective, leading up to a surprising, improbable but not impossible solution that I found satisfying, and keeping me on my toes the entire time.
I do have to mention one little thing, though. On page 120, one character, in Emporia, KS, tells Libby to "drive west on I-70, just past Columbia." Columbia is east of Kansas on I-70. Driving west would take her (eventually) to Denver.
Aside from that, a compelling read. Highly recommended!
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the killer. The more she investigates, the less sure she is that she was right.I found this to be a wonderfully well-written book, moving back and forth in time and perspective, leading up to a surprising, improbable but not impossible solution that I found satisfying, and keeping me on my toes the entire time.
I do have to mention one little thing, though. On page 120, one character, in Emporia, KS, tells Libby to "drive west on I-70, just past Columbia." Columbia is east of Kansas on I-70. Driving west would take her (eventually) to Denver.
Aside from that, a compelling read. Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member citygirl
Why: I was blown away by Flynn's debut, Sharp Objects, a couple of years ago. I even bought this one in hardback, at full price, well, minus the Border's discount. But close to full price.
Dark? Yes, very. I've read a couple of interviews with Flynn where she says people are always surprised to find
Libby Day was only seven when she survived the very violent murder of her mother and two sisters. She testified that her older brother did it and he's been in jail for the last 24 years. Libby lives a solitary, misanthropic life in which she barely functions, emotionally crippled and physically scarred (by the frostbite she incurred when running away from the bloody scene) as she is. She's about to run out of money and so comes up with a scheme to get money out of a club of ghouls who've studied the crime and determined that her brother is innocent. She'll investigate if they'll pay her. Up to this point she's avoided thinking about That Night at all costs, but now she's desperate. Libby's first-person present-day narrative alternates with the third-person narratives of (mostly) her mother and her brother in the 24 hours leading up to the attack. The past narratives strew clues as to the who, how and why it happened but of course you don't get the whole story until the end. Really good. Several interesting themes. Libby's not so likeable at first, but she doesn't give a damn. She just doesn't want to get hurt again. She's very attuned to her faults. But she's got a sense of humor, dark of course. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. I do recommend, if you don't mind hanging out in a circle or two of hell for a little bit.
Dark? Yes, very. I've read a couple of interviews with Flynn where she says people are always surprised to find
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that she's quite normal. I can understand the confusion. Libby Day was only seven when she survived the very violent murder of her mother and two sisters. She testified that her older brother did it and he's been in jail for the last 24 years. Libby lives a solitary, misanthropic life in which she barely functions, emotionally crippled and physically scarred (by the frostbite she incurred when running away from the bloody scene) as she is. She's about to run out of money and so comes up with a scheme to get money out of a club of ghouls who've studied the crime and determined that her brother is innocent. She'll investigate if they'll pay her. Up to this point she's avoided thinking about That Night at all costs, but now she's desperate. Libby's first-person present-day narrative alternates with the third-person narratives of (mostly) her mother and her brother in the 24 hours leading up to the attack. The past narratives strew clues as to the who, how and why it happened but of course you don't get the whole story until the end. Really good. Several interesting themes. Libby's not so likeable at first, but she doesn't give a damn. She just doesn't want to get hurt again. She's very attuned to her faults. But she's got a sense of humor, dark of course. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. I do recommend, if you don't mind hanging out in a circle or two of hell for a little bit.
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LibraryThing member BeckyJG
Libby Day is a survivor, a professional victim, and not a very nice person. For her entire adult life Libby has lived off a victim's trust fund established by well-wishers across the country, after the brutal massacre of her entire family. The bloody slaying of Libby's mother and two sisters
The crime occurred in January of 1985, when the country was seeing Satanic ritual abuse in every basement and behind the locked doors of every pre-school. The Day family, mother Patty, Ben, and three daughters, Michelle, Debbie, and Libby, are a painfully poor farm family in rural Kansas. Their story unfolds in third person chapters told from the points of view of Patty and Ben, which alternate with present day first person chapters narrated by the not particularly reliable Libby.
Dark Places unfolds at a tantalizing pace, each short chapter fitting another little piece of the puzzle into place. There are so many pieces that when the last one is finally locked into place, not only is the reader relieved finally to see the big picture, but the revelation is truly original and surprising.
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happened when she was seven, at the hands of her fifteen year old brother Ben. Or so she testified in his trial, and so she has believed in the intervening 24 years. Recently, however, she's begun to doubt the veracity of her own testimony. Did she really see what she thought she saw? Was she fed lines by the shrinks and the prosecutors, lines that she eventually came to believe? By Libby's own admission, though, the impetus driving her to find the truth comes from the dwindling of her trust fund and an request by a member of a true crime club devoted to her case--more specifically, to the proof of her brother's innocence--that she use her connections, for a fee, to lead them to the real killer or killers.The crime occurred in January of 1985, when the country was seeing Satanic ritual abuse in every basement and behind the locked doors of every pre-school. The Day family, mother Patty, Ben, and three daughters, Michelle, Debbie, and Libby, are a painfully poor farm family in rural Kansas. Their story unfolds in third person chapters told from the points of view of Patty and Ben, which alternate with present day first person chapters narrated by the not particularly reliable Libby.
Dark Places unfolds at a tantalizing pace, each short chapter fitting another little piece of the puzzle into place. There are so many pieces that when the last one is finally locked into place, not only is the reader relieved finally to see the big picture, but the revelation is truly original and surprising.
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LibraryThing member ScottOglesby
Jillian Flynn has the unique talent of making you care about unlikable characters. She specializes in human fallibility and frailty and is a master at making the reader feel uncomfortable. Flynn's writing and pacing are top notch. If I have one criticism it's the the ending felt slightly forced and
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was just on the razor's edge of being unbelievable. As a whole though, Dark Places was an intelligent, powerful and thoroughly enjoyable book book about people who have run out of options. Show Less
LibraryThing member feevishpickle
Dark Places is a horror movie premise (grisly murders in a small town) spun out into a thoughtful and compelling tale of grinding poverty and madness. Twenty-five years after her mom and two sisters were murdered, Libby (seven at the time of the murders; now 32) begins to doubt everything she
Gillian Flynn excels at evoking the characters of Libby, who is intent on drowning in her own antipathy and bad faith, and her brother, Ben, the alleged killer. Though Flynn never strives too hard to make them sympathetic, I still came to care about them. Flynn overdoes it a little on detail, settling too easily into describing minutia, but the novel is nonetheless dotted with beautiful observations about adolescence and poverty.
The novel is solidly plotted, teasing hints revealed to the reader at just the right rate to make it a compulsive read. I must admit, I guessed the culprit fairly quickly, but there were enough surprises that my enjoyment of the novel wasn’t at all spoiled.
All in all, Dark Places is a smart and well-thought-out thriller, with a surprising amount of quirkiness and twisted charm.
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assumed was true about what happened. A first-person narrative of her scattershot investigation is countered by impassive third-person descriptions of the hours leading up to the murders.Gillian Flynn excels at evoking the characters of Libby, who is intent on drowning in her own antipathy and bad faith, and her brother, Ben, the alleged killer. Though Flynn never strives too hard to make them sympathetic, I still came to care about them. Flynn overdoes it a little on detail, settling too easily into describing minutia, but the novel is nonetheless dotted with beautiful observations about adolescence and poverty.
The novel is solidly plotted, teasing hints revealed to the reader at just the right rate to make it a compulsive read. I must admit, I guessed the culprit fairly quickly, but there were enough surprises that my enjoyment of the novel wasn’t at all spoiled.
All in all, Dark Places is a smart and well-thought-out thriller, with a surprising amount of quirkiness and twisted charm.
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LibraryThing member SugarCreekRanch
Dark and disturbing "psychological thriller" about a young survivor of a family massacre. Told in multiple viewpoints, using both present day and flashbacks to the crime 25 years ago, this book is wicked good.
LibraryThing member busyreadin
Another very dark read from Gillian Flynn.
The story was very complex, and I had no idea "who done it". My problem with the book is that there was not one character I liked. Even the small children were unlikeable.
The story was very complex, and I had no idea "who done it". My problem with the book is that there was not one character I liked. Even the small children were unlikeable.
LibraryThing member BookishDame
Very weird, very dirty/dark book. Dirty in the sense that every page made me feel as if I were standing in a dark basement!! I thought the author's story was less interesting than the way she told it, and how it made me feel while I was reading it. When I finished the last page I said aloud,
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"Ugh!!!" Ms. Flynn will actually take you to "dark places" as you read. Worth a read if your expectations lie somewhere else besides just the story. This book is an experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member markfinl
Oh, I don't know what to say about this book. It's well written, except for a few clunky sentences here and there. The story is sad and compelling, but there are also ridiculous plot points and whole stretches of the book that could be removed completely without hurting the story. It's a good book,
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but I am left with the feeling that it could have been so much better. Show Less
LibraryThing member miyurose
It’s been a long time since the first two lines of a novel have grabbed me like these did:
"I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it."
Libby is not an easy character to like. I don’t think
"I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it."
Libby is not an easy character to like. I don’t think
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she’s as mean as she portends to be, but at age 32 she’s completely incapable of taking care of herself, expecting to live forever on the kindness of strangers, either through their charity or her thievery. On the other hand, the majority of her family was killed horrifically when she was 7, and how should a person recover from that? I have to admit I warmed up to her a little as she tripped along, trying to piece together what happened that night. The back of the novel tries to sell you on the suspense of "Libby on the run from a killer", but that part happens so quickly that it’s not where the suspense lies. The suspense in this novel is in the shifting narrative between Libby’s brother, Ben, and her mother, Patty. As the story unfolds, I think it ends up being not only about the actual events, but about how little you can know about such a tragedy. I never could have guessed how things actually happened. Show Less
LibraryThing member CDianeK
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn is truly a horror story.
In January of 1985, at the height of the "satanic panic" of the times, the entire Day family, save seven year old Libby and 15 year old Ben, are massacred. Ben, socially awkward, with black dyed hair and all - black clothing, is the perfect
Flash forward to the present day. Libby, now in her early thirties, has lived on the benevolence of trust funds and other donations to her support via victim's support organizations. That benevolence is running out, and not the least reason being that there is another missing child to whom the attention and support are flowing. Libby, unable to hold down a job, unable even to get out of bed some days, is going to have to do something to get money to live on, quick, fast, and in a hurry. She has not seen her incarcerated brother since the trial. Shuttled from family member to family member in her childhood, she has lost contact with all of them as an adult. Enter the Kill Club. An online and real world organization of murder mystery buffs who meet and "solve" real - world crimes, they are interested in meeting her, and paying for any family memorabilia that she still has. Thinking of nothing other than making a quick buck, she agrees to meet with them.
To her surprise, when she meets with this group, they are not only interested in seeing/paying for her stuff, they want her assistance. It seems that they don't believe that Ben is guilty, that someone else is responsible for what happened to her family. Libby, by virtue of being the only survivor, will be allowed access that this group isn't. Via promise of payment, they enlist her aid to get to the truth of what happened that day.
And so begins Libby's painful journey. Why is Ben so complacent about serving his time, when all signs point to a violence that could not be perpetuated by one person acting alone, especially not a small for his age adolescent? Did Runner, their deadbeat, do-nothing father, play a part? What secrets did Mom Patty, on the verge of losing the family farm, hold on that awful night? What about older sister Michelle, always a nosy busybody? Did she uncover something in the last hours of her life? Ben's girlfriend? Did he have one? What does she know?
Narrated by Libby in the present day, and Patty and Ben the day of the murders, Flynn deftly takes us through this family's last day. I've read that the outcome of the Day tragedy is the result of a deus ex machina, and I guess it is, but it's still satisfying. As the pieces line up and fall into place, Libby learns to trust - something that she's never been able to do. And she learns that she must protect the sliver of family she has left.
Because I was listening to this book on my ipod, solely at the gym, and er, well, I had long periods of not listening to it, the horror of the story was slow to come to me. But it did, and I can only praise Ms. Flynn for devising a true masterpiece. Highly recommended.
In January of 1985, at the height of the "satanic panic" of the times, the entire Day family, save seven year old Libby and 15 year old Ben, are massacred. Ben, socially awkward, with black dyed hair and all - black clothing, is the perfect
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suspect, more so because that very day, it seems, murmurs of him being the sexual molester of young girls went ripping through the town, and some slaughtered cattle gave rise to the fear of ritual sacrifice. He is arrested and convicted, largely on the testimony of his young sister, who claims that she saw him perform the acts that take their mother's and other sisters' lives.Flash forward to the present day. Libby, now in her early thirties, has lived on the benevolence of trust funds and other donations to her support via victim's support organizations. That benevolence is running out, and not the least reason being that there is another missing child to whom the attention and support are flowing. Libby, unable to hold down a job, unable even to get out of bed some days, is going to have to do something to get money to live on, quick, fast, and in a hurry. She has not seen her incarcerated brother since the trial. Shuttled from family member to family member in her childhood, she has lost contact with all of them as an adult. Enter the Kill Club. An online and real world organization of murder mystery buffs who meet and "solve" real - world crimes, they are interested in meeting her, and paying for any family memorabilia that she still has. Thinking of nothing other than making a quick buck, she agrees to meet with them.
To her surprise, when she meets with this group, they are not only interested in seeing/paying for her stuff, they want her assistance. It seems that they don't believe that Ben is guilty, that someone else is responsible for what happened to her family. Libby, by virtue of being the only survivor, will be allowed access that this group isn't. Via promise of payment, they enlist her aid to get to the truth of what happened that day.
And so begins Libby's painful journey. Why is Ben so complacent about serving his time, when all signs point to a violence that could not be perpetuated by one person acting alone, especially not a small for his age adolescent? Did Runner, their deadbeat, do-nothing father, play a part? What secrets did Mom Patty, on the verge of losing the family farm, hold on that awful night? What about older sister Michelle, always a nosy busybody? Did she uncover something in the last hours of her life? Ben's girlfriend? Did he have one? What does she know?
Narrated by Libby in the present day, and Patty and Ben the day of the murders, Flynn deftly takes us through this family's last day. I've read that the outcome of the Day tragedy is the result of a deus ex machina, and I guess it is, but it's still satisfying. As the pieces line up and fall into place, Libby learns to trust - something that she's never been able to do. And she learns that she must protect the sliver of family she has left.
Because I was listening to this book on my ipod, solely at the gym, and er, well, I had long periods of not listening to it, the horror of the story was slow to come to me. But it did, and I can only praise Ms. Flynn for devising a true masterpiece. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member bookmagic
Meet Libby Day. Her mother and two older sisters were murdered over 20 years ago in a small-town in Kansas. Libby managed to escape into the woods. She then testifies that the killer was her fifteen year old brother, Ben, who was convicted and is still in prison.
Libby is no ordinary protagonist.
Enter the Kill Club. They are a group fascinated by violent crimes. Some of there members believe that Ben is innocent and are willing to pay Libby for information, for family memorabilia, and to meet with Ben in jail. They also want her to track down her loser father, the one they believe is the true killer. Libby agrees because she needs the money.
The story moves between the present and the days leading up to the crime. While following instructions from the Kill Club, Libby starts to question what really happened that night and whether Ben is innocent. She does know that Ben has lied to her and she is determined to find the truth. Ben's story is told from the past.
This thriller was excellent, with lots of plot twists, well-written and enthralling and very, very dark. I read the last half so quickly as I just could not put it down. I never could have predicted the ending, once the truth is revealed. I highly recommend this brilliant crime thriller.
Libby is no ordinary protagonist.
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She lost some fingers and toes while hiding in the woods after escaping the killing spree. Her growth was stunted some and she bleaches her red hair blond. She has spent her childhood, moving from family members to foster care families. She descibes herself as mean. She has been living on money that was donated by well-wishers after her family's massacre. Now the money is running out. Libby steals and sleeps with men that are good for a few dinners. When she was younger, Libby wrote a book, profiting from her family's tragedy. But now there is no longer public interest in her history.Enter the Kill Club. They are a group fascinated by violent crimes. Some of there members believe that Ben is innocent and are willing to pay Libby for information, for family memorabilia, and to meet with Ben in jail. They also want her to track down her loser father, the one they believe is the true killer. Libby agrees because she needs the money.
The story moves between the present and the days leading up to the crime. While following instructions from the Kill Club, Libby starts to question what really happened that night and whether Ben is innocent. She does know that Ben has lied to her and she is determined to find the truth. Ben's story is told from the past.
This thriller was excellent, with lots of plot twists, well-written and enthralling and very, very dark. I read the last half so quickly as I just could not put it down. I never could have predicted the ending, once the truth is revealed. I highly recommend this brilliant crime thriller.
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LibraryThing member idiotgirl
Audiobook. I read an ealier book by this author, Sharp Objects. Was interested, chilled, surprised. This author has a taste for the macabre. In this book there are issues from the mid-1980s (false memories, devil worship). But she weaves them into the story. Returns to a great sense of kids and
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small towns. I love the way that small decisions in this book, by basically norma folks lead to disaster. Fun narrative play with back and forth in the narrative, focalization on different characters. The reading played with different voices, which in this case didn't annoy me (it often does with audiobooks). I recommend the book and will read the next one from this weird, macabre, accomplished young writer. Show Less
LibraryThing member lahochstetler
Libby Day, the sole survivor of a murderous massacre that killed her family, has spent the rest of her life trying to avoid that night. Her brother is imprisoned for the crime. Libby has become a dysfunctional adult, and having exhausted her trust fund, finds herself in need of money. Her rather
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unorthodox solution is to investigate the night of the murders funded by the Kill Club, a group of crime junkies. In the process Libby is brought into contact with all the horrors of that fateful January night. In the process Libby finds herself reevaluating everything she thought she knew about the crime. She also digs deeper than she eer anticipated and finds herself coming too close to a murderer still on the loose. This was a gripping story. It kept me invested from start to finish. The mix of thriller and literary fiction was refreshing- I like a good thriller, but I also want good writing, and this book definitely has both. Flynn offers us plot development, fully rounded characters, and enough suspense to keep the reader on edge. Show Less
LibraryThing member mikedraper
Gillian Flynn has created a novel with the power that will leave the story in your mind.
Libby DAy is age 7 when her mother and two sisters are massacured. She's contacted by a crime solving group who will pay her to recreate the events around her family's murders to see if her brother, Brett is
From the time of her agreement, the novel uses flash backs to tell her family's story in the days prior to the killings. We learn that her mom, Patty Day, was going through a rough time, trying to raise four children by herself and was worried that her farm would go into forclosure, her brothe Ben was a fifteen year old lonely teenager. Ben and his sister Michelle were constantly at odds and Ben had become involved with Devil worship and drugs.
The story is unique and powerful. Libby is a dark character and still interesting for her spunk. The pace of the story is well done and the reader moves to the edge of their seat as the climax smacks them in the face.
The author has been nominated for an Edgar award and two British Daggers for her novel, "Sharp Objects."
The movie rights to the first novel have been sold and Flynn is working on the screen adaptation.
Libby DAy is age 7 when her mother and two sisters are massacured. She's contacted by a crime solving group who will pay her to recreate the events around her family's murders to see if her brother, Brett is
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really the killer.From the time of her agreement, the novel uses flash backs to tell her family's story in the days prior to the killings. We learn that her mom, Patty Day, was going through a rough time, trying to raise four children by herself and was worried that her farm would go into forclosure, her brothe Ben was a fifteen year old lonely teenager. Ben and his sister Michelle were constantly at odds and Ben had become involved with Devil worship and drugs.
The story is unique and powerful. Libby is a dark character and still interesting for her spunk. The pace of the story is well done and the reader moves to the edge of their seat as the climax smacks them in the face.
The author has been nominated for an Edgar award and two British Daggers for her novel, "Sharp Objects."
The movie rights to the first novel have been sold and Flynn is working on the screen adaptation.
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LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
This book is definitely on my list of the best books I've read all year. Often a second book is like the second night of a play - you've peaked & you need to move on to see any changes & progress. Other times, the second book builds on the promise of the first & exceeds it. This is one of those
I loved Sharp Objects for all of the ways it refused to knuckle under to the convenient stereotypes that all women are caring & never violent & that all children are angelic & innocent. It was a gritty, compelling read & almost impossible to put down.
Dark Places is just as gritty & compelling & perhaps more difficult to put down. Once again this novel defies stereotypes, creating an event (the slaughter of most of a family) that is even more complicated underneath the surface than it appears at first glance. Flynn relentlessly pursues the details of this event through the character of Libby, one of the only survivors. As Libby explores the events of that night & investigates the possibility that her brother, in prison for the crime upon her testimony, just might be innocent.
In a tale whose point of view is a moving target, all the circumstantial pieces of the puzzle are intricately wound together until the climax. All of the characters are completely believable & all are flawed in one way or another. These are people who are living in true poverty & it's not picturesque. These are people who are struggling to put food in their bellies, to keep the heat on, to make it through one more day. In the aftermath of the killing, Libby Day's subsequent struggles are understandable, poignant & heart wrenching, while Libby herself is all sharp corners & thrown elbows - walking out the door with your favorite lipstick in her pocket. Flynn demonstrates the courage of her convictions through Libby, who is not ennobled by tragedy, but is not defeated by it either.
The other voices in this novel are just as clear & just as complex & the story builds itself layer upon inexorable layer. The last third of the novel will keep you up all night, make you late to work, late for dinner, make you ride past your bus stop. &, best of all, the ending is completely credible & utterly satisfying.
This is a dark & violent story that is filled with imagery that will stay with you long after you finish this book. It's brilliant & terrifying & I can't wait for Ms. Flynn's next book.
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times.I loved Sharp Objects for all of the ways it refused to knuckle under to the convenient stereotypes that all women are caring & never violent & that all children are angelic & innocent. It was a gritty, compelling read & almost impossible to put down.
Dark Places is just as gritty & compelling & perhaps more difficult to put down. Once again this novel defies stereotypes, creating an event (the slaughter of most of a family) that is even more complicated underneath the surface than it appears at first glance. Flynn relentlessly pursues the details of this event through the character of Libby, one of the only survivors. As Libby explores the events of that night & investigates the possibility that her brother, in prison for the crime upon her testimony, just might be innocent.
In a tale whose point of view is a moving target, all the circumstantial pieces of the puzzle are intricately wound together until the climax. All of the characters are completely believable & all are flawed in one way or another. These are people who are living in true poverty & it's not picturesque. These are people who are struggling to put food in their bellies, to keep the heat on, to make it through one more day. In the aftermath of the killing, Libby Day's subsequent struggles are understandable, poignant & heart wrenching, while Libby herself is all sharp corners & thrown elbows - walking out the door with your favorite lipstick in her pocket. Flynn demonstrates the courage of her convictions through Libby, who is not ennobled by tragedy, but is not defeated by it either.
The other voices in this novel are just as clear & just as complex & the story builds itself layer upon inexorable layer. The last third of the novel will keep you up all night, make you late to work, late for dinner, make you ride past your bus stop. &, best of all, the ending is completely credible & utterly satisfying.
This is a dark & violent story that is filled with imagery that will stay with you long after you finish this book. It's brilliant & terrifying & I can't wait for Ms. Flynn's next book.
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LibraryThing member nickeemattos
"Dark Places" is a story that will stay with you long after the read, a troubled contemplation that when reflected upon later, you will end up asking yourself why your reality has just tilted slightly off kilter.
Gillian Flynn has taken the reader to desperate depths as she paints the tale of
But such growth does not come easily, and truth does not come without a cost, and somewhere out there a murderer(s) is still running around free.
The mediocre, even the mundane everyday tasks for Libby seem almost insurmountable obstacles. Uncovering the truth will certainly be treacherous for her. She is a protagonist filled with bile that has been steeping her innards since the moment she ran stumbling out in the snow from the bloody house. Flynn's unvarnished character portrayal of the Day Family in the time leading up to the massacre, and through Libby's recollections is excruciatingly humble, and painful.
It is a tale that exposes the vein of a poverty-stricken family hunkered down against the world. An air of malevolence surrounding them, like a storm ready to break. And then at times the rare glimpse into the soul: the mother Patty who is single-handedly trying to keep the family together and fed despite imminent foreclosure. A mother who will end up paying the ultimate price to save her family. Ben, the son who's spiraling down a sinister path from which there is no escape. Runner, the mean-spirited dead-beat dad who harasses the family. These are just a few of Flynn's crowning character achievements.
All of these personalities and situations are a recipe for malignancy at their Kinnakee farm. Flynn is ruthless, and ferocious in her descriptions, as she is honest. Libby Day is not anyone's idea of a heroine, but she's persevering. Flynn places the reader on the same level as Day. The awkward journey of self-discovery is taken hand-in-hand. Just as easily as Libby slips the remnants of other peoples lives in her roomy kleptomaniac pockets, so do we. Perhaps someday too, we too can dig in those boxes under the stairs, expose the skeletons and stare them down without fear. Purge those dark places as well as Libby has compellingly done.
Gillian Flynn has taken the reader to desperate depths as she paints the tale of
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slovenly Libby Day, whose survival of a brutal farm massacre at age seven has tainted every day of her adult life. With her brother behind bars for nearly 24 years now, convicted of the murders, and the money running out, Libby is offered the opportunity from an unlikely source to sift through the ruins of her life, and probe the memories, the dark places, to find out who was really behind the massacre. But such growth does not come easily, and truth does not come without a cost, and somewhere out there a murderer(s) is still running around free.
The mediocre, even the mundane everyday tasks for Libby seem almost insurmountable obstacles. Uncovering the truth will certainly be treacherous for her. She is a protagonist filled with bile that has been steeping her innards since the moment she ran stumbling out in the snow from the bloody house. Flynn's unvarnished character portrayal of the Day Family in the time leading up to the massacre, and through Libby's recollections is excruciatingly humble, and painful.
It is a tale that exposes the vein of a poverty-stricken family hunkered down against the world. An air of malevolence surrounding them, like a storm ready to break. And then at times the rare glimpse into the soul: the mother Patty who is single-handedly trying to keep the family together and fed despite imminent foreclosure. A mother who will end up paying the ultimate price to save her family. Ben, the son who's spiraling down a sinister path from which there is no escape. Runner, the mean-spirited dead-beat dad who harasses the family. These are just a few of Flynn's crowning character achievements.
All of these personalities and situations are a recipe for malignancy at their Kinnakee farm. Flynn is ruthless, and ferocious in her descriptions, as she is honest. Libby Day is not anyone's idea of a heroine, but she's persevering. Flynn places the reader on the same level as Day. The awkward journey of self-discovery is taken hand-in-hand. Just as easily as Libby slips the remnants of other peoples lives in her roomy kleptomaniac pockets, so do we. Perhaps someday too, we too can dig in those boxes under the stairs, expose the skeletons and stare them down without fear. Purge those dark places as well as Libby has compellingly done.
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LibraryThing member TigerLMS
This haunting novel is about Libby Day, a now 31 year old woman who was the lone survivor of a brutal Kansas massacre at her farmstead when she was only seven. Her fifteen year old brother was convicted of the murder and has spent 24 years in prison, and in that time Libby has rarely given thought
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to whether Bobby actually committed the crime of murdering his mother and two of his three sisters. Desperate for cash, Libby agrees to appear at a 'kill club' where members try to solve crimes that they believe were mangled by police investigators. The club agrees to pay her to track down people close to the case, believing she'll have a better chance at getting information than they would. Libby heads into these dark places somewhat unwillingly, and of course what she finds is nothing like she expects. Flynn's story moves between several narrators and between present day and January 1985, when the murders happened. At times there are graphic descriptions of violence and sex, including animal sacrifices by would-be devil worshippers. Flynn's point of view for Libby is especially forthright and at times shocking in its honesty-- For instance, she gets jealous that newer, younger female victims have a share of the spotlight and the free cash that flows in as a result. This is a novel written for adults, and one of the more explicit murder mysteries I've read in quite some time-- but keep in mind I read mostly YA, so I'm not as familiar with the larger market as I used to be. I have a hard time recommending this one to all but the most mature high school students. Show Less
LibraryThing member dannalora
I really likedthis book. Pretty dark but good none the less. I couldn't guess the ending until the author wanted me to know...I love that!
LibraryThing member kylenapoli
Another fascinating character, a solid mystery, but somehow not as compelling as Flynn's debut.
LibraryThing member beckylynn
This is a very deep and dirty ride of a book. Flynn knows how to capture the darkest part of the imagination and string it along until the very end of the book. If you're faint of heart- don't even attempt to pick this up.
As demented as this novel is it's a fast read because of Flynn's ability to
As demented as this novel is it's a fast read because of Flynn's ability to
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keep you begging for more with every little detail she gives you. Show Less
LibraryThing member SonicQuack
Dark Places is a standalone second novel from Flynn, evidencing she is an author with imagination and talent. The only similarity between the two is the narrative style, edgy and brooding, dark yet not depressing. Following the sole survivor of an horrendous killing spree, the central character can
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be described as nothing less than damaged - ideal territory for Flynn then. Flicking back and forwards between then and now, this is a tilted murder-mystery novel, not conforming to the usual stereotypes and trappings of the genre. Libby Day is definitely not your archetypal detective however she's a very engaging vehicle for Dark Places, allowing the plot to move in to unusual territories. The final reveal is somewhat disappointing however getting there is great fun. A gritty and dirty novel which cements Flynn's presence on the bookshelves. Show Less
LibraryThing member TFS93
Enjoyed Sharp Objects much more then this one. Although it did have the familiar twist at the end, I had already figured most of it out long before then. Hopefully her next one will be better.
Awards
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2009)
Black Quill Award (Nominee — 2009)
Great Lakes Great Reads Award (2009-02 — 2009)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2009)
Call number
FIC F Fly