Gillian Flynn, Dark Places

About: A novel unraveling what happened the night of an In Cold Blood-type killing in a Kansas farmhouse, told from multiple perspectives.

Verdict: The writing on the first page grabbed me. I knew from the second sentence that I would be reading the book. But that writing style wasn't maintained throughout, in part because of the multiple perspectives. The story itself is compelling but ultimately difficult to credit. But the characters—even the victims—were on the whole so unlikable that it was hard to root for anybody. 

Publication: 2009 · 370 pages
Rating: 4 stars