Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Year:  2012

Publisher:  Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Pages: 419

Goodreads Summary:

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 Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but 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 didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

I went into this book a little bit leery. I'd read all the rave reviews and from the reviews, I feared this book was going to be a bit like Mr. Peanut. Yes, I did think Mr. Peanut was good. It had a brilliant premise but the middle of the book was just plain boring. Not so with Gone Girl. This was a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing and what happened in the middle of the book? A complete twist that changed the entire story. I loved this book. It was so . . . twisted . . . and it had one of those endings that I can't say anything more about. The only other thing I want to say is that it was so good to read a different mystery that left me surprised. And I'll probably be thinking about it for a while.