Dark Places

Woah. What a dark and twisted tale of survival and grief, mystery, and murder. Prepare yourself for a gut-wrenching, all-consuming ride.

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This book is on a whole other level when it comes to unexpected surprises, and a unique story depicted through a very specific setting and time. 

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It’s been 25 years since the ghastly massacre in small-town Kansas, known as “The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee. Libby Day was the sole survivor among her mother and two sisters, and she testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the one to commit the awful crime. Labeled a Satan worshipper, and accused by his own sister, Ben goes down for the crime and Libby continues her life in a foggy haze, trying to forget. Compartmentalizing her tragic past has been the only way for Libby to survive, that is until the money runs out. 

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Now desperate to make some cash, Libby accepts an offer from a group of amateur investigators who are willing to pay for Libby’s story. There is just one thing, the group believes Ben is innocent and Libby wrongly accused him all those years ago. Libby delves deeper into her past than she’s ever allowed herself before, and soon enough questions, flashbacks, and secrets come bubbling to the surface. Is Ben really guilty of murder? Did Libby condemn her own sibling to a life in prison? If she did, then who is the real murderer?

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Gillian Flynn presents a book that is so well-researched that the careful cultivation of details all but drags the reader into the past and into the chaos. In this setting, at this time, the characters drudge through a web of religion and rumors that flourish in small towns and create a sense of tension and suspense like never before. This book expertly navigates the way the consequences of one decision can ripple out in waves of devastation. The twists and turns will practically knock you over and have you questioning everything.

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Libby Day is a well-developed protagonist with layers to her personality that are slowly stripped away to unearth the heart-breaking reality beneath. She is a complicated, funny, dark, intriguing character that is waking up after years of self-preservation to find some answers.

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Trigger warnings: graphic violence, murder, swearing, suicide mentions and sexual references.