Dark Places
Ratings481
Average rating3.8
One of my absolute favorites. This novel reminded me a lot of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. So much so that when recreating the town and setting in my head for this, it shard the same locational setting is developed for Capote's book. I've read a lot of this genre, and this was the one of the first to have truly grabbed me and not let go. I loved the unreliable narrator, whom was very incapable, but in a way I hated her for it. She was actually incapable and capable at the same time (no spoilers). Flynn is known for Gone Girl, but don't sleep on this (and Sharp Objects) for that matter. I really enjoyed the craft here, of composing binding literature that seizes the reader in unsteady suspense as they try to piece together the pieces of a life that deserves justice.
I seriously couldn't finish it. It was so boring and drab and I'm sure it gets better later on but the whole premise was just?? meh??
Anyways this has been on my “currently-reading” for way too long. Good bye Dark Places. I hope Gone Girl is much much better than this.
2.5 I guess?
I wanted to like this but it just felt overly lengthy and just wouldn't end.
Mid. No story telling, no connection to the characters. Just a this happened that happened. Not even a good twist. But hey still finished it cause I wanted to know the answer. May have skimmed the last 10%. :p
I liked the main character, but this was mostly just a bunch of sick stuff strung together.
I was sure I figured out who did it… I was so wrong! What a twisted mystery! Just a little too long! 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!
You know what Gillian Flynn, at the end of the day, is great at mystery and never once loses the reader in that sense. I think she definitely should've incorporated more of the Kill Club, or that aspect of these strangers treating Libby as an exhibit and not a human, but that's just my opinion!!!!!
Edit: after much thought, 2.5
Sucked me in from the very first page and from there on, I couldn't put it down at all. The writing is smooth as butter.
The cast of characters was small and cozy, there is a small town setting, multiple pov and dual timeline, and it all WORKED.
Also any time there is an angsty hormonal teenage boy in my thrillers I eat it up, so this was right up my alley.
Gillian Flynn spun such a good tale with this one.
I absolutely loved everything about it.
Pretty good writing style and sorry telling. However, it was just not to my liking. I was not invested in any of the characters and the ending felt more like a revelation more than a resolution. The pay off just wasn't there for me.
Gillian Flynn is such a fantastic writer and she never fails to show me time and time again exactly why she is one of my favourite authors.
This was nothing like Gone Girl or Sharp Objects and I think that's what makes it so great. It's never the same story. Flynn always tells these amazing stories whilst maintaining the eeriness and darkness that her other works do.
Unreliable narrators are my most favourite parts of books because I love that feeling of not knowing who to trust or believe. I loved that throughout this book I was second guessing every character I came across.
This book was dark with some interesting plot twists thrown in and I loved it.
3.25 stars bcz of one of the plot twists; i was gettin extremely bored towards the end but the overall ending i was satisfied with, pretty good
Perfectly paced. Never a dull moment.
Good character development and reveal at the end.
Would recommend.
Of Flynn's three, I read this one last. It was quite different than her others, but I liked it quite a bit. Kinda turns true crime obsession on its head.
This is the book I would want to be buried with.
Gillian Flynn really knows people. These characters, they are real. The most terrifying thing about her books is that all of the stuff which unfolds is very very distrubingly real. It is more of a non-fiction and a study than it is a fiction. Weirdly enough there is relief in that. They help me find solutions more than a self help book ever can even though they are in the end, murder mysteries.
“The truly frightening flaw in humanity is our capacity for cruelty - we all have it.” The buildup was perfect, and I remember thinking to myself This may be my fav book by [a:Gillian Flynn 2383 Gillian Flynn https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232123231p2/2383.jpg] (and I have read all her books) but the ending was such a letdown. I loved that the book had past and present timelines, and I loved the past timeline more than the present one coz it showed us how each character had become what they were in the present. It was also told from multiple povs and we got to see each person's thoughts, feelings, etc...But I feel like when I was abt 3/4 into the book, it was not any close to revealing the killer but I loved how the story was progressing so I didn't mind it. But like I said before the ending was such a letdown.However, I must say from all of [a:Gillian Flynn 2383 Gillian Flynn https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232123231p2/2383.jpg] books and characters Libby may be my fav from all of them.Also, this is a rare occurrence but I like the movie much better than the book.
That sure was a book I read!
There are a lot of things I could comment on– the weird inaccuracy with what I know of the true crime community, given that literally all my friends are true crime freaks– but whatever. I read this book after Sharp Objects because I wanted to figure out something that's been bugging me since chapter two of SO.
Does Gillian Flynn hate women, or is her protagonist just a female misogynist? It makes sense for Camille, less so for Libby, but Libby seems to hate fucking everyone. And, you know, that's a style. If you wanna write everyone like you're JK Rowling describing Rita Skeeter, it's a choice.
But, that question solved, I'm left waving my hand at these deus ex machina murderer characters. Why do they murder? Because they're murderers! Anyone can just be completely unhinged, for no fucking reason, as the plot demands it. I'm sure it ties up lose ends, but like... it always pulls me out of it because the utter murderyness is the same. They're just full of brutality, because.
Needless to say, I'm reading Gone Girl next.
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dark Places
Libby Day is living in a constant state of depression, fighting to keep the memories of her family's murder locked away. But the money from generous donations is beginning to run out and she might have to rejoin society. Mentally she isn't' ready. She doesn't have the drive to leave the house most days let alone handle a job. When the Kill Club reaches out to her, asking that she dig into her past and prove her brother Ben didn't kill her family, Libby outright refuses. Until they begin to pay her to interview people from her past. But sometimes it's better to leave the dark things hidden.
Once again I am stunned by Gillian Flynn's ability to expose the sinister side of humanity. Told through the eyes of Libby and her family, Dark Places switches between past and present, slowly edging readers into the final fatal night. Desperation can make a person do awful things, and Ben is no exception. Growing up poor and outcast from his fellow peers, Ben takes things to an extreme. But Gillian Flynn plants doubt into all the suspects and keeps readers guessing until the last few chapters.
It took me a little while to adjust to the main character. Libby is not built into a likable character. She has hit the ultimate low in life and refuses to move forward. She doesn't go through the standard growth and development of a character as the story progresses. Libby will gain more knowledge and understanding about her family, but don't expect her to be a different person by the end of this novel.
Dark Places is aptly named as the story exposes cruelties that strike close to home, as well as heinous acts that one doesn't expect to encounter. Be prepared for a twisted read that never lets up.
i think i listened to this book exclusively in the shower and it really felt like a good fit for this book ya know? like scary suspense in the shower?! count me in
Deeply fucked up, and not in a good way. I'm not sure why Flynn felt the need to toss in pedophilia and then make excuses for the character within the plot, but it made me feel gross and ruined the book for me. The villains were cartoonishly evil, and the plot twist was contrived. Despite the fact that I finished it, I'm only giving it one star because I would recommend avoiding this one.
This book was so good! I will definitely read more Gillian Flynn. I loved how each chapter changed from present to the day of the murder. And towards the end the chapters were really leaving me on my toes. Her descriptions of people and scenes were amazing and made me feel like I was living the story, which is what a good book should do!
Since I first read it a few years ago, I've consistently said Gone Girl was my favourite book. Dark Places has been sitting on my shelf, and I've been itching to read it, putting it off so it'd be all-the-more satisfying when I got to it.
Ironically, I guess, I didn't really enjoy the book - although that might be a little harsh. For the first third or so, the pacing was sloooooow and I constantly had to force myself to keep reading. Most flashback scenes were boring, and I found myself annoyed by Libby's character.
Eventually, however, the pace started to increase and I became hooked. I read the second half of the book in one night, when I was in a foul enough mood to palate the horrible themes. I know dark content isn't a bad thing - hell, it's implied by the title - but I found myself uncomfortable for a lot of the book. If the mystery hadn't started to come together by the halfway point, I expect I would have abandoned the book, to the chagrin of my past self.
I'm unsure how exactly to score the book. The plot was interesting enough to keep me invested, and I enjoyed the changes in perspective. On the other hand, I found almost all the characters (in present-day, at least) pretty boring, and spent parts of the book actively disliking the time I spent with it. Whether or not that was Flynn's intent, I can't say. I'm hoping when I eventually get to Sharp Objects it'll have the same magic Gone Girl had for me years ago.
As you would expect, everyone in this book is broken... really broken. I thought I had it sussed but I was wrong. Probably my favourite Gillian Flynn book.