GILLIAN FLYNN is the author of the runaway hit "Gone Girl," an international sensation that has spent more than seventy-five weeks on the "New York Times" bestseller list. Her work has been published in forty languages." Gone Girl" is soon to be a major motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox. Flynn s previous novels, "Dark Places" and Dagger Award winner "Sharp Objects," were also "New York Times" bestsellers. A former writer and critic for "Entertainment Weekly," she lives in Chicago with her husband and son."
A" People Magazine "Best Book of the Year
"New York Times "Janet Maslin's 10 Favorite Books of 2012
Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel
Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel
Ice-pick-sharp Spectacularly sneaky Impressively cagey "Gone Girl"
is Ms. Flynn s dazzling breakthrough. It is wily, mercurial, subtly
layered and populated by characters so well imagined that they re
hard to part with even if, as in Amy s case, they are already
departed. And if you have any doubts about whether Ms. Flynn
measures up to Patricia Highsmith s level of discreet malice, go
back and look at the small details. Whatever you raced past on a
first reading will look completely different the second time
around.
Janet Maslin, "New York Times
" An ingenious and viperish thriller It s going to make Gillian
Flynn a star A great, breathless read...Flynn has created a
genuinely creepy villain you don't see coming. People love to talk
about the banality of evil. You re about to meet a maniac you could
fall in love with.
" "Jeff Giles, "Entertainment Weekly
"
An irresistible summer thriller with a twisting plot worthy of
Alfred Hitchcock. Burrowing deep into the murkiest corners of the
human psyche, this delectable summer read will give you the creeps
and keep you on edge until the last page.
" People" (four stars)
[A] thoroughbred thriller about the nature of identity and the
terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most
intimate relationships. "Gone Girl" begins as a whodunit, but by
the end it will have you wondering whether there s any such thing
as a who at all.
" "Lev Grossman, "Time"
How did things get so bad? That s the reason to read this book.
Gillian Flynn whose award-winning "Dark Places" and "Sharp Objects"
also shone a dark light on weird and creepy, not to mention uber
dysfunctional characters delves this time into what happens when
two people marry and one spouse has no idea who their beloved
really is.
"USA Today, "Carol Memmott
It s simply fantastic: terrifying, darkly funny and at times
moving. The minute I finished it I wanted to start it all over
again. Admirers of Gillian Flynn s previous books, "Sharp Objects"
and "Dark Places," will be ecstatic over "Gone Girl," her most
intricately twisted and deliciously sinister story, dangerous for
any reader who prefers to savor a novel as opposed to consuming it
whole in one sitting .
"Associated Press, "Michelle Weiner
Gillian Flynn s third novel is both breakneck-paced thriller and
masterful dissection of marital breakdown Wickedly plotted and
surprisingly thoughtful, this is a terrifically good read.
"Boston Globe
"
That adage of no one knows what goes on behind closed doors moves
the plot of "Gone Girl," Gillian Flynn's suspenseful psychological
thriller Flynn's unpredictable plot of "Gone Girl" careens down an
emotional highway where this couple dissects their marriage with
sharp acumen Flynn has shown her skills at gripping tales and
enhanced character studies since her debut "Sharp Objects," which
garnered an Edgar nod, among other nominations. Her second novel
"Dark Places" made numerous best of lists. "Gone Girl" reaffirms
her talent.
"South Florida Sun-Sentinel," Oline Cogdill
A great crime novel, however, is an unstable thing, entertainment
and literature suspended in some undetermined solution. Take
Gillian Flynn s "Gone Girl," the third novel by one of a trio of
contemporary women writers (the others are Kate Atkinson and Tana
French) who are kicking the genre into a higher gear You couldn t
say that this is a crime novel that s ultimately about a marriage,
which would make it a literary novel in disguise. The crime and the
marriage are inseparable. As "Gone Girl" works itself up into an
aria of ingenious, pitch-black comedy (or comedic horror it s a bit
of both), its very outlandishness teases out a truth about all
magnificent partnerships: Sometimes it s your enemy who brings out
the best in you, and in such cases, you want to keep him close.
"Salon"
Ms. Flynn writes dark suspense novels that anatomize violence
without splashing barrels of blood around the pages But as in her
other books, Ms. Flynn has much more up her sleeve than a simple
missing-person case. As Nick and Amy's alternately tell their
stories, marriage has never looked so menacing, narrators so
unreliable.
"Wall Street Journal"
A portrait of a marriage so hilariously terrifying, it will make
you have a good hard think about who the person on the other side
of the bed really is. This novel is so bogglingly twisty, we can
only give you the initial premise: on their fifth anniversary, Nick
Dunne s beloved wife Amy disappears, and all signs point to very
foul play indeed. Nick has to clear his name before the police
finger him for Amy s murder. "
" "Time
" Readers who prefer more virulent strains of unreality will
appreciate the sneaky mind games of Gillian Flynn s "Gone Girl," a
thriller rooted in the portrait of a tricky and troubled
marriage.
"New York Times
"
[Flynn has] quite outdone herself with a tale of marital strife so
deliciously devious that it moves the finish line on "The War of
the Roses" A novel studded with disclosures and guided by
purposeful misdirection Flynn delivers a wickedly clever cultural
commentary as well as a complex and driven mystery What fun this
novel is.
"New York Daily News"
Flynn s brilliantly constructed and consistently absorbing third
novel begins on the Dunnes fifth wedding anniversary The novel,
which twists itself into new shapes, works as a page-turning
thriller, but it s also a study of marriage at its most
destructive.
"Columbus Dispatch"
Gillian Flynn's barbed and brilliant "Gone Girl" has two deceitful,
disturbing, irresistible narrators and a plot that twists so many
times you'll be dizzy. This "catastrophically romantic" story about
Nick and Amy is a "fairy tale reverse transformation" that reminded
me of Patricia Highsmith in its psychological suspense and Kate
Atkinson in its insanely clever plotting.
"Minneapolis Star-Tribune"
For a creepy, suspenseful mystery, Ms. Pearl suggested "Gone Girl"
by Gillian Flynn, a novel due out this week. "You will not be able
to figure out the end at all. I could not sleep the night after I
read it. It's really good," Ms. [Nancy] Pearl said. "It's about the
way we deceive ourselves and deceive others."
"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"
Gillian Flynn's new novel, "Gone Girl," is that rare thing: a book
that thrills and delights while holding up a mirror to how we live
Through her two ultimately unreliable narrators, Flynn masterfully
weaves the slow trickle of critical details with 90-degree plot
turns Timely, poignant and emotionally rich, "Gone Girl" will peel
away your comfort levels even as you root for its protagonists
despite your best intuition.
"San Francisco Chronicle"
Flynn s third noir thriller recently launched to even more acclaim
than the first two novels, polishing her reputation for pushing
crime fiction to a new literary level and as a craftsman of
deliciously twisting and twisted plots.
"Kansas City Star"
I picked up "Gone Girl" because the novel is set along the
Mississippi River in Missouri and the plot sounded intriguing. I
put it down two days later, bleary-eyed and oh-so-satisfied after
reading a story that left me surprised, disgusted, and riveted by
its twists and turns A good story presents a reader with a problem
that has to be resolved and a few surprises along the way. A great
story gives a reader a problem and leads you along a path, then
dumps you off a cliff and into a jungle of plot twists, character
revelations and back stories that you could not have imagined.
"Gone Girl" does just that.
"St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"
To call Gillian Flynn's new novel almost review-proof isn't a
put-down, it's a fact. That's because to give away the
turn-of-the-screw in this chilling portrait of a marriage gone
wrong would be a crime. I can say that "Gone Girl" is an ingenious
whodunit for both the Facebook generation and old-school mystery
buffs. Whoever you are, it will linger, like fingerprints on a gun
Flynn's characters bloom and grow, like beautiful, poisonous
plants. She is a Gothic storyteller for the Internet age.
"Cleveland Plain Dealer"
The setup of "Gone Girl" lulls readers with what appears to be a
done-too-often plot, but, oh, how misleading that is. This thriller
is told in alternating voices, a risky form of narrative that works
masterfully here because the characters are so distinct and
convincing . The first half of the story leads readers on a merry
chase and gives the term "red herring" new meaning. The second half
takes readers on a calculated descent into madness. The ending is
one of the most chilling we've seen in recent years.
"The Sacramento Bee, "Allen Pierleoni
If you do have room in your summer reading for new mysteries, pack
Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl." It's my pick for one of the summer's
best.
"Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel"
In this fast-paced thriller, Flynn tracks the disintegration of a
marriage and asks: How does a couple go from uttering passionate
vows to living separate lives?
"All You
"
Gillian Flynn s terrific psychological thriller, "Gone Girl,"
wanders into an alternate criminality, to the darkest corners of
mind and matrimony, using Occam s razor to slit its own throat
Aside from the plot s high entertainment value, Flynn has
buttressed her book with humor and great writing.
"The Daily Beast
"
"Gone Girl" is a dark, satisfying, psychological thriller "Gone
Girl" is at times brilliant, compelling, surprising, diabolical,
and it s definitely dark and twisted It ranks as one of the best
books I ve read in the past year I d highly recommend it if you re
a fan of psychological thrillers or just plain great fiction.
Examiner.com
Pick up the sharp, mercilessly entertaining psychological thriller
"Gone Girl," written by Gillian Flynn as though with a razor,
giggling all the while.
" Vanity Fair
"
"Gone Girl" [is] a thriller with an insane twist and an insidiously
realistic take on marriage.
" New York" magazine
A twisting, turning, zooming-up-the-charts thriller.
" Real Simple," announcing their book club pick
An unnerving, gorgeously written marital thriller that features one
of the most compelling narrators in recent memory Anyway, go read
"Gone Girl." It's quite good.
" The Atlantic Wire"
Buy "Gone Girl" and don't settle down for a long winter's nap or
any kind of nap. I read it in two days, nonstop, useless for
anything but my own incredible pleasure.
Liz Smith, "New York Social Diary"
Gillian Flynn s killer thriller is unputdownable, and just when you
think you know where she s going, she s gone.
DailyCandy.com
A satisfyingly scathing take on a marriage so broken even the truth
is built on lies.
" Family Circle"
""
If, instead, you're a fan of gripping, well-crafted tales about
complex relationships, try"Gone Girl"by Gillian Flynn.
AARP.org
After a chilling, bombshell twist, you won t know which clues to
trust nor whom to believe.
" Woman s Day"
Flynn s ability to reach further and further into the deep, dark
recesses of the human psyche brings a much greater edge and feeling
of suspense to this novel. "Gone Girl" is a fast-paced, always
surprising page-turner of a book "Gone Girl" is a superbly crafted
novel by a talented and daring young writer and it will keep you
guessing until the very last sentence.
" Cincinnati City Beat," John Kelly
A highly original thriller that s also a razor-sharp depiction of a
relationship gone off the rails.
" Parade"
Masterfully plotted.
Vogue.com
Dark yet funny with a devious twist, this is everything that made
Flynn s "Sharp Objects "a bestseller but better.
" Redbook"
The story unfolds in precise and riveting prose even while you know
you're being manipulated, searching for the missing pieces is half
the thrill of this wickedly absorbing tale.
Oprah.com
Full of midnight-black wit and gorgeous writing About halfway
through the book, something happens That s the moment you should
check the clock and firmly put the book down if you have to rise
early the next day. Because trust me, if you keep reading, you won
t stop till you finish it.
" Dallas Morning News," Joy Tipping
Gillian Flynn's third mystery is burned-coffee black and flavored
with cyanide. (As far as I'm concerned, those are compliments of
the highest order.) Flynn is a master manipulator, deftly fielding
multiple unreliable narrators, sardonic humor, and social satire in
a story of a marriage gone wrong that makes black comedies like The
War of the Roses and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf look like
scenes from a honeymoon. Veteran mystery readers may see as far as
the opening of the second act, but Flynn has more surprises in
store on her way to the sucker-punch of an ending. It is, in a
word, amazing.
" Christian Science Monitor," Yvonne Zipp
A perfect wife s disappearance plunges her husband into a nightmare
as it rips open ugly secrets about his marriage and, just maybe,
his culpability in her death One of those rare thrillers whose
revelations actually intensify its suspense instead of dissipating
it. The final pages are chilling.
"Kirkus "(starred review)
[W]hat looks like a straightforward case of a husband killing his
wife to free himself from a bad marriage morphs into something
entirely different in Flynn s hands. As evidenced by her previous
work ("Sharp Objects," 2006, and "Dark Places," 2009), she
possesses a disturbing worldview, one considerably amped up by her
twisted sense of humor. Both a compelling thriller and a searing
portrait of marriage, this could well be Flynn s breakout novel. It
contains so many twists and turns that the outcome is impossible to
predict.
"Booklist "(starred review)
"Flynn cements her place among that elite group of mystery/thriller
writers who unfailingly deliver the goods...Once again Flynn has
written an intelligent, gripping tour de force, mixing a riveting
plot and psychological intrigue with a compelling prose style that
unobtrusively yet forcefully carries the reader from page to
page."
"Library Journal "(starred review)
"Flynn masterfully lets this tale of a marriage gone toxically
wrong gradually emerge through alternating accounts by Nick and
Amy, both unreliable narrators in their own ways. The reader comes
to discover their layers of deceit through a process similar to
that at work in the imploding relationship. Compulsively readable,
creepily unforgettable, this is a must read for any fan of bad
girls and good writing."
"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Gone Girl" is one of the best and most frightening portraits of
psychopathy I've ever read. Nick and Amy manipulate each other with
savage, merciless and often darkly witty dexterity.This is a
wonderful and terrifying book about how the happy surface normality
and the underlying darkness can become too closely interwoven to
separate.
Tana French, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Faithful Place
"and "Into the Woods"
The plot has it all. I have no doubt that in a year s time I m
going to be saying that this is my favorite novel of 2012.
Brilliant.
Kate Atkinson, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Started
Early, Took My Dog" and "Case Histories"
"Gone Girl" builds on the extraordinary achievements of Gillian
Flynn's first two books and delivers the reader into the
claustrophobic world of a failing marriage. We all know the story,
right? Beautiful wife disappears; husband doesn't seem as
distraught as he should be under the circumstances. But Flynn takes
this sturdy trope of the 24-hour news cycle and turns it inside
out, providing a devastating portrait of a marriage and a timely,
cautionary tale about an age in which everyone's dreams seem to be
imploding.
Laura Lippman, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Most
Dangerous Thing" and "I d Know You Anywhere"
Gillian Flynn s "Gone Girl" is like "Scenes from a Marriage" remade
by Alfred Hitchcock, an elaborate trap that s always surprising and
full of characters who are entirely recognizable. It s a love story
wrapped in a mystery that asks the eternal question of all good
relationships gone bad: How did we get from there to here?
Adam Ross, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Mr. Peanut"
Just this minute I finished a week of feeling betrayed, misled,
manipulated, provoked, and misjudged, not to mention having all my
expectations confounded. Considering how compulsively I kept coming
back for more, I am seriously thinking of going back to page one
and doing it all again.
Arthur Phillips, author of "The Tragedy of Arthur"
I cannot say this urgently enough: you have to read "Gone Girl."It
s as if Gillian Flynn has mixed us a martini using battery acid
instead of vermouth and somehow managed to make it taste really,
really good."Gone Girl" is delicious and intoxicating and
delightfully poisonous.It s smart (brilliant, actually).It s funny
(in the darkest possible way). The writing is jarringly good, and
the story is, well...amazing. Read the book and you'll discover
among many other treasures just how much freight (and fright) that
last adjective can bear.
Scott Smith, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Ruins "and
"A Simple Plan"
Gillian Flynn s "Gone Girl" reminds me of Patricia Highsmith at the
top of her game. With "Gone Girl," she s placed herself at the top
of the short list of authors who have mastered the art of crafting
a tense story with terrifyingly believable characters.
Karin Slaughter, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Fallen
"
""Gone Girl" manages to be so many stellar things all at once
suspenseful, inventive, chilling, funny, unsettling as well as
beautifully plotted and fiercely well-written. Gillian Flynn is a
thrilling writer.
Kate Christensen, author of "The Great Man"
Reminds suspense readers of the old Alfred Hitchcock stories...This
is one puzzle you do not want to miss.
Amy Lignor, "Suspense" Magazine
Absorbing thriller In masterly fashion, Flynn depicts the
unraveling of a marriage and of a recession-hit Midwest by
interweaving the wife s diary entries with the husband s first
person account.
"New Yorker"
A psychological thriller reminiscent of Hitchcock.
"Aspen Daily News"
""
Devilishly clever he said/she said thriller.
"AJC.com, Atlanta Journal Constitution"
Flynn s sly and rippingly suspenseful novel, "Gone Girl," is one of
those novels it s hard not to try and shanghai other people into
reading, as in immediately. Flynn ("Sharp Objects," "Dark Places")
lays down a vivid and plainspoken narrative that can read like the
most jet-fueled of airport thrillers but is still bejeweled with
sparkling asides and dead-on commentary. Her writing is, as needed,
funny, perceptive, headslappingly honest, or sometimes an amalgam
of the three. That this all happens in a book whose plot seems at
first ripped from a "Dateline NBC" true crime is all the more
impressive.
PopMatters.com
A riveting novel, a Midwestern noir with completely unreliable
narrators.
"Knoxville Metro Plus
"
Part thriller, part macabre love story The book is told deliciously
The twists and turns are never obvious.
"New York Post
"
Dark yet funny with a devious twist, this is everything that made
Flynn s "Sharp Objects "a bestseller but better.
"Redbook
"
The summer thriller is filled with enough suspense and twists to
keep any beach reader happy, but it is also a book about writing.
The main characters are avid readers, and they write letters,
articles, journals, kid s books and memoirs. The novel references
other books, little Easter eggs nestled in the plot.
"MediaBistro
"
A fiendishly clever tale of a marriage gone toxic, and revenge
exacted to a disturbingly lethal degree.
"BookPage
"
Flynn keeps us guessing with equal parts charm and menace. An
addictive read.
"More" magazine, Alice LaPlante
After a chilling, bombshell twist, you won t know which clues to
trust nor whom to believe. Told from two perspectives, "Gone Girl
"forces you to ask yourself, what would you do and who dunnit?
"Woman s Day
"
Flynn s ability to reach further and further into the deep, dark
recesses of the human psyche brings a much greater edge and feeling
of suspense to this novel. "Gone Girl" is a fast-paced, always
surprising page-turner of a book. It s not only a murder mystery,
but a commentary on the disappearance in the last decade of nearly
everything we hold near and dear, from jobs to our parents health
and welfare to the landscape of our cities and towns Beginning with
Amy s sudden disappearance, to the local police department s
slipshod investigation and the media s obsessive coverage, "Gone
Girl" is a thrilling roller coaster of a ride with enough twists
and turns to give the reader whiplash Flynn deserves credit for
creating not just an exciting murder mystery, but also forcing us
to look at the lies we tell ourselves. "Gone Girl" is a superbly
crafted novel by a talented and daring young writer and it will
keep you guessing until the very last sentence.
"Cincinnati City Beat"
"Gone Girl" is a superbly constructed, ingeniously paced and
absolutely terrifying. You begin by thinking that all marriages are
a bit like this: they start with high hopes and get bogged down in
nagging and money worries. But then the psycho-drama creeps up on
you with chilling power. A five-star suspense mystery.
A.N. Wilson, "Reader s Digest" (UK)
"Gone Girl" is as skillfully creepy as her previous work A
chilling, stylish read about another unknowable woman.
" Elle" (UK)
The married duo in Gillian Flynn s superb third novel takes the
idea of unreliable narrators to a whole new level. When Nick Dunne
s lovely wife Amy is violently abducted on their fifth wedding
anniversary, the police and the press immediately put Nick in the
frame for her murder. Amy s friends testify that she was afraid of
her husband, and the missing woman s diary backs up their
impressions. Nick s computer is full of inexplicable searches, his
mobile phone is plagued by mysterious calls and his own inner
monologue offers a darker perspective on amazing Amy and the state
of their turbulent marriage. Flynn keeps the accelerator firmly to
the floor, ratcheting up the tension with wildly unexpected plot
twists, contradictory stories and the tantalizing feeling that
nothing is as it seems. Deviously good.
" Marie Claire" (UK)
"
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