Review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Publisher: Phoenix
Release Date: 14 May 2009
Rating: **** and a half

Back Cover blurb: Libby Day was Seven Years old when her family was massacred - She and her brother Ben were the only survivors. And it was her evidence that put Ben in jail for life. It's been more than Twenty years since the 'Farmhouse Satan Sacrifices' and Libby is adrift. The charity fund set up for her is dwindling when she's offered $500 to do a guest appearance for a group of true-crime obsessives. But the group want much more than a guest appearance from Libby. They believe that Ben is innocent - and she is the key to unlocking the mystery of the farmhouse massacre. Suddenly the certainties Libby's been clinging on to don't seem so solid. Sure, Ben was a bit of a misfit. But was he really capable of multiple murders? As memories are stirred up and disturbing revelations are made, Libby realises that the only fact she can rely on is that someone wanted her and her family dead...

After reading 'Gone Girl' I heard a lot of people saying that it wasn't the author's best, despite it's popularity. So, I sought out her other two novels, 'Dark Places' and 'Sharp Objects' to deliver my own verdict. The first I read was 'Dark Places' not for any particular reason, it just happened to be the first that downloaded and I have to be honest, this is kind of more what I was expecting from 'Gone Girl'. More of a crime/horror/thriller, than the 'mystery' that Gone Girl is... in all senses of the word!

I read recently that they are making this book into a movie, which I can't wait to see. It's coming out in 2015, so I guess it's been pushed by back by the 'Gone Girl' movie, which I guess has been moved forward based on the popularity of the book. Which is a shame.

So far, I much prefer Dark Places. It reminds me a little of a few Tess Gerritsen novel's I've read, not because Flynn is trying to copy the style, but because I couldn't put the damned thing down! It's a real page turner, which is not always pleasant. As the title suggests, the book really does have some 'Dark Places', but since when was writing about Murders a pleasant subject? Hmmm.

Libby Day is the main character in the book, we meet her at Thirty-One, where we find out that she is struggling with her adult life after her family was brutally murdered, she and her brother Ben the only survivors. Who wouldn't be struggling?

We learn quickly that the young Libby testified against her brother and she remains convinced that it was him who committed the murders. That is until she accepts an offer from a (creepy) 'Kill Club' to go and speak to them about her family and her experiences that night.

Libby by this stage is desperate for money and willing to do almost anything to make some more. The club begin to question her evidence against Ben and begin to plant seeds of doubt in her own mind as to whether or not her brother really did commit the ultimate crime.

The novel flashes between the present day and the day before the murders took place, from Ben, her mother Patty, and a few other peoples points of view. I didn't find this confusing, and in fact found it helpful to try and understand just what on earth had happened that day.

I think the fact the Flynn keeps us guessing until the end, is a great tribute to her writing. Those of us who read novels such as this, are always trying to figure out the plot way before the author is willing to reveal it. I had a few ideas, but I was still a little way off the mark, and the ending actually pleased me somewhat.

I can't wait to get stuck into 'Sharp Objects' now and see how it compares.

You can buy 'Dark Places' online from Amazon and from all good book shops.

Review: Secrets of the Tides by Hannah Richell

Secrets of the Tides by Hannah Richell

Publisher: Orion Publishing

Release date: 30 August 2012
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: Every family has its secrets. Some are small, like telling a white lie or snooping through a private drawer. Others are more serious like infidelity and betrayal. And some secrets are so terrible they must be hidden away in a deep, dark place, for if they ever came to light, they would surely tear a family apart.

The Tides are a family full of secrets. Returning to Clifftops, the rambling family house high up on the Dorset coastline, youngest daughter Dora hopes for a fresh start, for herself and the new life she carries. But can long-held secrets ever really be forgiven? And even if you can forgive, can you ever really learn to love again?

After reading Hannah Richell's 2nd Novel 'The Shadow Year' earlier this year, I've been dying to get my hands on a copy of her debut novel 'Secrets of the Tides'. I was thrilled to discover the kindle version on offer recently and immediately downloaded it to my iPad, even though I should have been working at the time!

The novel is a heady mixture of past and present. The prologue is full of the mystery and tragedy of the past, whilst Chapter One sees us firmly ensconced in the present day and meeting one of the major characters of the story, Pandora 'Dora' Tide, who is revealed to be pregnant and in turmoil. Dora should be delighted, she's doing well in her career, has recently bought and moved into a property with her long term partner Dan, and really the baby should be the icing on the cake. 

Dora however, is haunted by her family's tragic past, she feels a deep guilt for something that we learn was never truly her fault, but she feels that her Mother blames her for the tragedy and she knows that they must make amends if she is ever truly to move on and enjoy her own life.

Helen is Dora's Mother, and it is through her eyes that a lot of the past story is told. At first I quite liked her character, almost felt sorry for her, but as the story unfolded I began to see her in a different light. I disliked her immensely for a proportion of the book, especially at the time when the main tragedy itself is revealed, her actions are awful, but of course as we discover, it is her own guilt that drives her to being that way.

Dora's elder sister Cassandra 'Cassie' and her father 'Richard' are mainly ensconced the past, and we see little of them in the present day, but their characters are both pivotal to the story.

Although we mainly see Cassie as a stroppy teenager, I couldn't help but like her, she is of course a little selfish as most teenagers are, but the way that Helen treats both of her daughters in the aftermath after the tragedy is appalling. Cassie's desperation in the years that follow in my opinion are not only due to her own guilt, but also due to the way she is treated by Helen.

Both girls are deeply scarred by their Mother's actions, Cassie perhaps more so in the past, Dora more in the present, will they ever be able to truly move on?

Well, you'll have to give the book a read to find out. I'm certainly not going to tell you.

But I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. If you've read 'The Shadow Year' then it's perhaps not quite as dark, but it definitely as intriguing, and will keep you hooked. I can't wait for Hannah's next book!!

You can buy 'Secrets of the Tides' from Amazon and all good book stores.