dark places [book review]

I know what you're thinking... you're wondering why I read another Gillian Flynn book after not exactly enjoying Gone Girl.  Well hear me out.  While I felt like Gone Girl was missing something, I loved Gillian Flynn's writing.  I loved the way she described things, && her characters.  You really get a feel for "who" they are.  I also suffer from having a "to-read" list a mile long and it's really hard to decide on which one to start next.  So when I like an author, I tend to binge read all their stuff.

This book was [pardon my language] fuckered up.  I thought Gone Girl had a dark twist?  I thought it was disturbing?  Ahaha. NO.  Gone Girl has NOTHING on Dark Places.  Let me explain this to you...

August was an incredibly busy month for me.  Between getting my son ready for school, his band camp, his birthday, my eye health issues && appointments, and getting Jess ready for college, it was a whirlwind.  So the only time I really had for pleasure [ha] reading was at night before bed.  I'd read a little each night before slumber.  Bad idea.  

I suffered a month of nightmares, waking up in the night yelling in horror, && truly unrestful nights.  Serious.  No exaggeration here.  I think everyone I know was happy when I read the final page.  So why did I finish it?  Cause I hate myself... aha!  JK.  If you read my Gone Girl review, you know that it takes A LOT for me to not finish a book, and I enjoyed the writing.

Dark Places 

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer. [amazon]

 I cannot begin to express to you the pure "ickiness" I felt in these pages.  Keep in mind that I rarely read this type of book, so I'm not exactly experienced in horrific stories in my books.  Clearly.  I think the countless nightmares attest to that.

HOWEVER... I really enjoyed this book once I was finished ahah.  I was able to reflect and enjoy the fact that I was so engrossed in this book it haunted me.  The ending was incredibly grim [moreso than Gone Girl] yet I was more pleased with it?  I'm not sure that "pleased" is a word that should be used to describe any aspect of this book, but you get what I mean.  Gillian Flynn's books make you want to get in the tub and scrub yourself clean, but they're addicting at the same time.  It's a pure vicious cycle.

Speeeaking of vicious cycle... I've already started "Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn.  I'm halfway through it.  Last night I was telling Jess that so far it hasn't been as bad.  No nightmares!  Spoke too soon.  Woke up this morning && had to snuggle my kitty because I had a horrific gory dream about her.  [I'll spare you the details]  So we'll see how this one goes... aha!  

Have you read any Gillian Flynn books?  What did you think?