This is the third Gillian Flynn book I've read (all have been audible versions). The other reviews are available on this blog, use the search bar within the blog and type in Gillian Flynn and they should pop up.
This is by far my favorite of her works. The story follows Camille, a journalist living in Chicago that gets sent back to her hometown to investigate the death and disappearance of two young girls. Camille has a difficult relationship with this town, having not wanted to return, but needing this article to boost her credentials at her job. She is forced to stay at home with her mother, who she doesn't have a good relationship with, and interact with her younger sister who she doesn't know and is significantly younger than she is. As Camille digs deeper into the mystery, her own life begins to unravel and she discovers dark things about her past.
I really enjoyed this book. Gillian Flynn does a great job of writing very complex women. Camille is much more complicated than she seems at first and has some dark secrets that she's hiding. She's very smart, she knows how to get people to let them interview her and she knows where to look to get information. Her mother is also a very interesting character, the perfect picture of a southern woman, but who doesn't love her eldest daughter. There's a clash between those two things. Then there's her younger sister Amma who acts like the perfect daughter at home but terrorizes everyone in town. The relationship she and Camille develop is an interesting one.
I will say that compared to the other books I've read of hers, Dark Places and Gone Girl, some of the twists were a little too predictable for me. I didn't figure everything out, but I figured out more much earlier than I usually do when reading her books. The story is still fantastic. The characters are interesting. The setting of the small town is perfect for this story.
I definitely recommend this to mystery/thriller lovers. The ending had me stressed so it was definitely a good thriller. There are of course content warnings, the obvious: death of children, kidnapping, murder. There's also alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual content, graphic details of the murders, mentions of self-harm, and more. As always I recommend StoryGraph for a full list of content warnings as provided by other readers. (I highly recommend checking out StoryGraph even if you aren't looking for content warnings. It's a great place to keep track of your reading and you can follow/friend me a ayearinbookswithzoe.) If you are sensitive to certain material, I do recommend looking at those content warnings because this book has a lot going on.
If you're not interested in reading/listening to the book, but it sounds interesting, it is a series on HBO Max. And while you're at it, go check out The Last of Us which is what I am currently watching (it's super good).
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As always happy reading, and I will see you soon.
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