Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl:

Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, *New York Times* bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The *Chicago Tribune* proclaimed that her work draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction. *Gone Girl* s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunnes fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nicks clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isnt doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wifes head, but passages from Amys diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge **.** Under mounting pressure from the police and the mediaas well as Amys fiercely doting parentsthe town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and hes definitely bitterbut is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didnt do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around. ### Amazon.com Review Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2012: On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nicks wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the house, and Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. It doesnt help that Nick hasnt been completely honest with the police, and, as Amys case drags out for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence appears against him--but Nick maintains his innocence. Alternating points of view between Nick and Amy, Gillian Flynn creates an untrustworthy world that changes from chapter to chapter. Calling *Gone Girl* a psychological thriller is an understatement. As revelation after revelation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth does not exist in the middle of Nick and Amys points of view; it is far darker, more twisted, and creepier than you can imagine. *Gone Girl* is masterfully plotted, and the suspense doesnt waver for a single page. Its one of those books you will feel the need to discuss as soon as you finish it, because the ending doesnt just come--it punches you in the gut. -- *Caley Anderson* #### From Author Gillian Flynn You might say I specialize in difficult characters. Damaged, disturbed, or downright nasty. Personally, I love each and every one of the misfits, losers, and outcasts in my three novels. My supporting characters are meth tweakers, truck-stop strippers, backwoods grifters ... But its my narrators who are the real challenge. In *Sharp Objects,* Camille Preaker is a mediocre journalist fresh from a stay at a psychiatric hospital. Shes an alcoholic. Shes got impulse issues. Shes also incredibly lonely. Her best friend is her boss. When she returns to her hometown to investigate a child murder, she parks down the street from her mothers house so as to seem less obtrusive. She has no sense of whom to trust, and this leads to disaster. Camille is cut off from the world but would rather not be. In *Dark Places,* narrator Libby Day is aggressively lonely. She cultivates her isolation. She lives off a trust fund established for her as a child when her family was massacred; she isnt particularly grateful for it. Shes a liar, a manipulator, a kleptomaniac. I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ, she warns. Draw a picture of my soul and itd be a scribble with fangs. If Camille is overly grateful when people want to befriend her, Libbys first instinct is to kick them in their shins. In those first two novels, I explored the geography of loneliness--and the devastation it can lead to. With *Gone Girl,* I wanted to go the opposite direction: what happens when two people intertwine their lives completely.I wanted to explore the geography of intimacy--and the devastation it can lead to. Marriage gone toxic. *Gone Girl* opens on the occasion of Amy and Nick Dunnes fifth wedding anniversary. (How romantic.) Amy disappears under very disturbing circumstances. (Less romantic.) Nick and Amy Dunne were the golden couple when they first began their courtship. Soul mates. They could complete each others sentences, guess each others reactions. They could push each others buttons. They are smart, charming, gorgeous, and also narcissistic, selfish, and cruel. They complete each other--in a very dangerous way. ### Review Ice-pick-sharp... Spectacularly sneaky... Impressively cagey... Gone Girl is Ms. Flynns dazzling breakthrough. It is wily, mercurial, subtly layered and populated by characters so well imagined that theyre hard to part with -- even if, as in Amys case, they are already departed. And if you have any doubts about whether Ms. Flynn measures up to Patricia Highsmiths level of discreet malice, go back and look at the small details. Whatever you raced past on a first reading will look completely different the second time around. --Janet Maslin, New York Times An ingenious and viperish thriller... Its going to make Gillian Flynn a star... The first half of Gone Girl is a nimble, caustic riff on our Nancy Grace culture and the way in which The butler did it has morphed into The husband did it. The second half is the real stunner, though. Now I really am going to shut up before I spoil what instantly shifts into a great, breathless read. Even as Gone Girl grows truly twisted and wild, it says smart things about how tenuous power relations are between men and women, and how often couples are at the mercy of forces beyond their control. As if that werent enough, Flynn has created a genuinely creepy villain you dont see coming. People love to talk about the banality of evil. Youre about to meet a maniac you could fall in love with. A --Jeff Giles, Entertainment Weekly An irresistible summer thriller with a twisting plot worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. Burrowing deep into the murkiest corners of the human psyche, this delectable summer read will give you the creeps and keep you on edge until the last page. --People (four stars) [A] thoroughbred thriller about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships. Gone Girl begins as a whodunit, but by the end it will have you wondering whether theres any such thing as a who at all. --Lev Grossman, Time