Sunday, March 03, 2019

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Mystery

Libby Day was the victim of a horrific crime when she was a child. Her brother killed her mom and two sisters but Libby managed to escape and run away, only to finger him to the police later. Now in her 30s, she has run out of the money the community pooled together for her and needs to find a new way to sustain herself. She is offered money to appear at a nearby club that is interested in true crime and despite no interest in doing this, the money wins out. Attending this event, she finds that everyone thinks her brother innocent and Libby's testimony spoon fed to her by the police. Libby starts to question that night.

Going back and forth between the events leading up to the crime and current day for Libby, we slowly learn how that night unfolded while Libby starts piecing things together by speaking to those close to her family during that time. Libby herself is a bit of a mess, but it surprisingly doesn't really impact how she conducts her investigation in to that night, which is surprising.

Having read a few Flynn books in the past, I found this one a bit slower than her others and the ending not as surprising as Gone Girl or Sharp Objects. Because the middle part of the book was a bit slow, I'd say this was an average mystery and the worst of the Flynn books I've read.

First Line: "I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

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