Dark Places: A Novel

Overview

I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.


Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived-and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who've long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details-proof they hope may free Ben-Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she'll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she'll admit her testimony wasn't so solid after all.

As Libby's search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby's doomed family members-including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started-on the run from a killer.

Editorial Reviews

Edgar-finalist Flynn's second crime thriller tops her impressive debut, Sharp Objects. When Libby Day's mother and two older sisters were slaughtered in the family's Kansas farmhouse, it was seven-year-old Libby's testimony that sent her 15-year-old brother, Ben, to prison for life. Desperate for cash 24 years later, Libby reluctantly agrees to meet members of the Kill Club, true crime enthusiasts who bicker over famous cases. She's shocked to learn most of them believe Ben is innocent and the real killer is still on the loose. Though initially interested only in making a quick buck hocking family memorabilia, Libby is soon drawn into the club's pseudo-investigation, and begins to question what exactly she saw-or didn't see-the night of the tragedy. Flynn fluidly moves between cynical present-day Libby and the hours leading up to the murders through the eyes of her family members. When the truth emerges, it's so twisted that even the most astute readers won't have predicted it. (May)

Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Author Information

Bio of Gillian Flynn

GILLIAN FLYNN's debut novel, Sharp Objects, was an Edgar Award finalist and the winner of two of Britain's Dagger Awards. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Brett Nolan, and a rather giant cat named Roy.

Customer Reviews

• dont waste your time

  Posted August 19, 2009 by JB, Louisville

  I was completely enthralled in this book, trying to guess how it would all end, and who might be the perpetrator....apparently the author had just as much trouble guessing b/c she got to the end of the story and then remembered that "oh crap" i've got to end this thing... the conclusion is pulled out of thin air and completely diminishes the rich character development and enthralling mystery that would not let me put it down....then it just let me down....don't waste your time, or if you do, stop before the last three chapters and write your own ending....it will no doubt be less disappointing.

• Starts Out with a bang, ends with a whimper

  Posted September 08, 2009 by Beth, West Bend

  I chose this book because I really liked Sharp Objects. The story itself is dark, interesting, and strangely funny. The writing is absolutely top notch. I could NOT put this book down. But, the ending was so completely unbelievable that I was really disappointed. I thought I had it figured out, was only half right, but completely unimpressed. Even in the world of fiction, the ending was a farce. But, the writing was so good and the characters so rich, I do not regret having read the book.

Additional Info

Imprint

Shaye Areheart Books

Filesize

1.51 MB

Number of Pages

368

eBook ISBN

9780307459923