From the author of GONE GIRL (I really need to write a book-to-movie review on that one. In short? See it! And read it!) is another thriller, DARK PLACES. One of my favorite things about my husband Chad (who usually hosts the comic posts around here) is that he always has great book recommendations. I guess it comes with the territory of knowing each other for 15+ years, but he has yet to steer me wrong.
He was the first one who said I had to get my hands on Gone Girl and he was right, so when he said her book Dark Places was also worth the read I got that one too. Here is the synopsis from its Goodreads page:
Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars.
Since then, she had been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben’s innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother’s? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back?
She begins to realize that everyone in her family had something to hide that day… especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find.
Who did massacre the Day family?
First and foremost, there’s the mystery. Similar to Gone Girl, Dark Places isn’t written from just one POV. What’s unique about this one is that it’s not only written from multiple POVs but is also written from multiple timelines, as in not all of the story takes place in present day.
I have to say my favorite part of the book was Libby Day’s character because she was so unlikeable. In an era where it seems the most important part of any main character is that he or she be likable, I found it really refreshing to have someone who had absolutely nothing in life together and didn’t care about it whatsoever. Although this book isn’t Gone Girl, that doesn’t mean it’s not great. It’s worth the read and the ending is definitely satisfying.
As a bonus, here’s some pictures from the film version, slated to come out in 2015.