The Complete Gillian Flynn: Gone Girl, Dark Places, Sharp Objects Paperback – October 21, 2014

This is a real page-turner. I read the books in chronological order, not as arranged on the Kindle, although they are all independent of each other and stand on their own. Gillian is a great story teller and uses everyday language with a little salt thrown in. I love her style. She's able to write from both female and male perspective, and not afraid to get in the heads of somewhat damaged people, making us understand that no one is all good nor all bad, but a combination. Some vary by greater degrees of out-there-ness, but there's still enough humanity in the characters to like some things about them, even though they seem to be monstrous from an outside point of view.I love her descriptive visualizations, like this from Sharp Objects, " Migrant clouds floated in packs across the sky like buffalo." Or this describing a diner booth we've all been in, "...a red leather booth sprouting yellow stuffing from its cracks. The broken slits scraped the backs of my legs as I slid in. A whoof of cigarette stink burped out of the cushions." Or this wine cellar metaphor, "In my belly-basement are hundreds of bottles of rage, despair, fear, but you'd never guess from looking at me." And from Gone Girl, "Sleep is like a cat: it only comes to you if you ignore it." And more wisdom, "People do what they're supposed to do and then wait for you to pile on the appreciation - they're like frozen-yogurt employees who put out cups for tips." Not only does the plot thicken, but Flynn takes us on an amusement park ride describing how we get there.I'd heard about these books for awhile, but never read them. My usual MO is to wait until several books are available, then gorge on them if they happen to be good. It helps to be patient. It also helps to read a few pages on Amazon before buying to get the flavor of the writer's style, because no matter how important the thoughts are, I love being entertained along the way. This set of 3 books is the perfect way to read very good writing.

I had to read Gone Girl because the movie was being released so I bought the trilogy. Very well written. Lots of twists and turns. Dark writings. All three of the books were dark. I mean they were true to life and caught my interest but the endings were a letdown. A letdown for me, because the crime books I like end with the bad guy getting his "just dues" and the good guy, truth and the law win. I like my books to end that way because you sure as hell don't see it in real life. I'm kind of an escapist. My escape from life is books. I don't want to read life too. I want something to work out like bad people being punished, people with horrid beginnings becoming happy and well adjusted . . . you know, its just not reality. So, if you're like me you will admire this author and her incredible skills in weaving tales and putting words to paper but will want different endings. If you're not like me (escapist) you will LOVE these books as they are incredibly well written and keep your interest piqued to the last sentence.

Gone Girl:I feel a little flabbergasted, let down, restless... I feel the ending of a book needs an ending, yet I don't think I got one. I need, must know what happens next... My conscience will not accept an imaginative extended ending.It's truly hard to share my opinions on this book, on the characters, and where my head is at without revealing what I feel is left unknown to those who have not read. But one thing I can say is I thoroughly enjoyed this read even though I needed it to give me more.Dark Places:You know when you finally peel away all the papery layers of the skin off an onion and then go to cut into it only to find you’ve missed the slimy translucent film that still needed to be pulled away? Well… That’s how you feel reading Gillian Flynn’s novel Dark Places… The twisting plot, horrific people, and ever changing suspects leave an icky sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach. Even so, Flynn has the ability to make the reader connect with these characters with little to no redeeming values. Why must I yearn for them to find a ‘good ending’?This is the second Gillian Flynn book I’ve read (the first one being Gone Girl) and am happy to report it is yet another page turner. Dark Places takes you through the days leading up to and of a grousome butchering of a mother and her daughters in 1985 while at the same time you’re spending time with the one surviving daughter, Libby Day, in present time as she looks back on that horrific day and to discover what really happened. If you love a good ‘whodunit’ mystery and you’re not at all squeamish, this IS your next read.The deeper I got into the book the more my mind was consumed by gritty and raw thoughts, especially when I was reading late at night. As I fell asleep with the characters, their actions, their thoughts, and what they were going to do next my psyche jumbled everything together and allowed these characters to leave their fictional existence and enter mine… I’ve always found this a sign of a good book, when you get so engrossed the lines between fictional and reality blur you’re forced to step back and remind yourself the characters do not exists. I immediately started reading Flynn’s novel Sharp Objects after finishing Dark Places and as I was drifting asleep reading the pages I kept inserting Diondra (a character from Dark Places) into the pages… At that point I knew (1) Flynn had a done an amazing job at hooking her reader and (2) I was yearning for more out of Dark Places. As with Gone Girl Flynn had taking her ending and set it right next to a beautiful gift box and ribbon… Not quite nice enough to put in the box and tie the bow… leaving me feeling cheated of that ‘good ending’ (with no lose ends) I desired.Sharp Objects:Gillian Flynn has the ability to deliver a raw and wicked mystery again and again, leaving the reader (and the characters) feeling unwell. This is the third book I’ve read by Flynn and I once again loved the journey she took me on and I will undoubtedly pick up the next she writes.In Sharp Objects we take a journey with journalist Camille Preaker back to her home town to unveil the mystery of recent murders of two preteen girls. Along with Camille we unravel secrets that the Wind Gap locals never thought would see light. In guessing who committed such heinous acts to these young girls I am particularly disappointed with myself. I feel I had my finger on the pulse of the mystery and ending up taking the worm Flynn dangled in front of me, leaving me to ignore the bread crumbs Flynn so carefully laid out for me. Nonetheless, I found my self transfixed with the novel, the characters, the grittiness, the imperfection… If you pick up this novel you will not be disappointed.

Loved the movie wanted to read the books. Item arrived quickly and in great condition.

These books are very dark I won't review each one individually, but I will say the writing itself is good. The characters are, in general, compelling. Each novel has it's own twists and turns. Each of the books is intersesting, but disturbing. I can honestly say I don't have a favorite. I'm a great fan of psychological thrillers, but I don't like stories with little or no redeeming factors. Since I don't want to give away the endings of these books, I can only say there is no satisfying ending. Of course, the arguement can be made that that's the way things are in life. I will say, "Gone Girl" was the least satisfying of the books. What started off as a really compelling read ended up ridiculous.

Muito bom

I like Sharp Objects the most, then Gone Girl and finally Dark Places.I bought the collection recently even though I had read all 3 books years ago.

This is a great collection of thrillers with stories that will keep you guessing to the very end. There are so many twists and turns that I couldn't keep track of them all. These characters are seriously damaged, unlikeable, and dangerous. Yet, I was compelled to keep reading to find out their fates. The endings sent shivers down my spine.

Ich habe mir die Bücher gekauft weil ein Mädel neben mir im Flugzeug Gone Girl auf englisch gelesen und es mir auch wärmstens empfohlen hat.Und da ich gerne Schnäppchen mache waren direkt alle drei Bücher auf meinem Kindle. Und ich muss sagen es hat sich gelohnt.Da ich leider nur mit Schulenglisch ausgestattet bin war es am Anfang etwas mühselig die Bücher zu lesen und es hat sich etwas gezogen, da man halt ne weile braucht um reinzukommen, wenn man sonst nicht (jedenfalls nicht oft) auf englisch ließt. Naja nach meiner Findungsphase habe ich die Bücher verschlungen. Sie sind sehr gut und spannend geschrieben und das Ende konnte ich bei Gott nie voraussehen. Das finde ich persönlich besonders spannend an ihren Büchern. Normalerweile bekommt man ja so seine Hinweishäppchen hingeworfen und kann dann erahnen wie das Ende sein wird. Aber nicht bei Gillian Flynn! Jeder dem das übliche "der Butler oder der Ehemann wars" Gedudel auf den Senkel geht oder dem die sexy Cop nummer aufn Geist geht sollte ihre Bücher lesen!Es geht um etwas andere Frauen die ihren Weg gehen und dabei, Gillian sei Dank, nicht rumheulen wie besch*ssen das alles gerade so ist, sondern einfach tun bzw. planen. Mehr will ich nicht vorweg nehmen. Holt sie euch und fangt an während des lesens zu grübeln wers wohl war oder ob um dann am Ende sowieso falsch zu liegen ;)