Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Everyone knows the Day family. They’re infamous for their bright red hair (a feature only three people in the family actually have) and that they’re the “free lunch” family without any money. (Much like another fictional red headed family). Patty Day runs the farm with the help of her kids, but maintaining that and her brood of four is becoming increasingly hopeless. Ben, the eldest, is a loner and increasingly unpopular around town and in his own house. His younger sisters, Debby and especially Michelle, see him as more of a scapegoat to get into trouble for their own amusement. The youngest, Libby is the only one Ben likes and that likes him back. One night in the midst of horrible rumors around town, Patty, Debby, and Michelle are brutally dispatched and only Libby manages to escape into the cold of the night. It’s Libby’s testimony more than anything else that gets Ben locked up for the murders. She swears she heard his voice in the house that night. But how reliable is the testimony of a little girl? Now an adult, Libby is contacted by a “Kill Club” offering her some much-needed money to examine what happened that night again. To reach out to different people who hold secrets about what happened that fateful day. The “Kill Club” is intent on proving Ben’s innocence but Dark Places leaves the author wondering, is anyone really as innocent as we’d like to think?

There are certain books that are impossible to put down once the first chapter is over. For some reason, every book Gillian Flynn writes falls into this category. This book was delightfully frustrating. It is told between three main points of view. Flynn is excellent at changing these perspectives as soon as you start getting answer, inevitably leaving you with more questions and an ache to keep going. Libby was a fantastically flawed character that you can’t help but root for, despite her constantly proving to you how many flaws she truly has. Flynn made a character that you truly saw grow during the course of the novel. I rarely get attached to main character but I loved Libby Sticky Fingers and I’m genuinely sad the novel ended because I won’t get to read about her stealing anymore. Ben was another wonderfully complicated character and the entire book you bounce between complete conviction of his guilt and feeling genuinely sorry for him. As all the reviews say and the title suggests, this is a very dark book. However, if you’re familiar with Gone Girl or Sharp Objects, you’ll be ready for the gore and sexual context as these aren't themes Gillian Flynn has shied away from previously. All in all, a great read. This was not my favorite of her books, but I am really glad I finally got the book from my library to read.