Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Release Date: 24th May 2012

Publisher: Orion Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 399
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY

Summary from Goodreads:

"Marriage can be a real killer. 

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?With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around."

Review:

This was a really great mystery. So many twists and turns, you never knew what was coming. But, I did have some issues with it.

So lets start with the pros. For a start, kudos to Flynn for making me feel so certain about one certain character. I wholeheartedly believed everything I read about this character, and felt very strongly about a certain other person. And then, everything gets flipped in the first big twist of the book. How you perceive these characters changed completely, and for being able to dupe me into feeling a certain way and then flipping it so I felt the complete opposite, I have to give Flynn credit. Moving forward with the story, there were quite a few twists and turns in there that you look for in a good mystery. So, for the plot and the fact that it's a good ol' mystery, this gets a thumbs up.

Moving onto the characters, Flynn did a great job at crafting her characters. We have a flawed leading protagonist, Nick Dunne, who of course you're a bit wary of from time to time. Besides talking about Nick, I don't want to get into the other character's too much, otherwise I'd be spoiling. But, overall, Flynn's characters were crafted really well, and they were all quite complex.

But here's the problem I had with this - there wasn't really any resolution. Even though our main character's went through a lot of stuff together, we ended up right back where we began. I didn't feel like there was any uplifting end. I was rooting for one of our characters, really hoping they got their way. But instead, we ended up with our characters in a shitty situation, and I really didn't like that.

Overall, this was a great mystery, one of the best I've read in a while. With so many twists and turns, I couldn't predict what was going to happen, so I'd definitely recommend this one 

Book Review: Fatal Voyage (Tempe Brennan #4) by Kathy Reichs

Fatal Voyage (Tempe Brennan #4) by Kathy Reichs
Release Date: 25th June 2002

Publisher: Random House
Format: eBook
Pages: 448
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"She has a passion for the truth . . . and this time, it's taking her down.

A commercial airliner disaster has brought Tempe Brennan to the North Carolina mountains as a member of the investigative agency DMORT. As bomb theories abound, Tempe soon discovers a jarring piece of evidence that raises dangerous questions -- and gets her thrown from the DMORT team. Relentless in her pursuit of its significance, Tempe uncovers a shocking, multilayered tale of deceit and depravity as she probes her way into frightening territory -- where someone wants her stopped in her tracks."

Review:

**This review has spoilers! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). Read at your own risk!**

These books never cease to be fascinating. Yet again Kathy Reichs has pieced together a complex murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page. I will admit, I was convinced that the centre of our mystery would be the place crash. We opened with it, it was established pretty early on that a bomb could have been involved, and they were following lots of leads. Then Tempe leads us to the cabin, and I was sure that whoever lived at the cabin had something to do with downing the flight. It wasn't until I was quite a fair bit in that it because pretty obvious that the cabin had nothing to do with the plane crash, but involved something else entirely. 

And boy, that storyline. I have to hand it to Reichs, she writes some of the most compelling, but also disturbing, mysteries that I've ever read. (That being said, I'm sure there's more disturbing stuff out there). This is the fourth Tempe Brennan book I've read, and I still can't figure out the ending until it happens - Reichs is good a throwing you red herrings, which send you down the wrong path. 

Whilst I immensely enjoyed this read, it was confusing at times. Lots of people involved, lots of details to remember - if too much is thrown at me at one point, I can get confused quickly. That being said, Reichs is pretty good at explaining things as she goes. Another thing that bothered me was the excessive description at times - Reichs wants to make sure that you understand everything completely, but a full description of a diner isn't really neccesary if nothing of importance if going to happen there. Also, I've read the description of the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale (where she works in Montreal) 4 times now. I guess with the books being able to be read as stand alone novels with little back story confusion, Reichs feels the need to include these descriptions everytime in case someone picks up a novel midway through the series. All the same, it bugs me. 

Overall, a strong 4th book for the series, and a really interesting read. I would highly suggest this series. 

News: Root - Interactive Thriller From Random House and Guardian Teen Books

Jo over at Once Upon a Bookcase has just released news of an interactive story by Random House and Guardian Teen Books called Root, where the readers help to create the story. Currently up to chapter 12, a new chapter will be released on the website every weekday for the next 4 weeks or so. Head on over to Once Upon a Bookcase to find out more


Extract:
The mistake that gets Danny Solomon killed is a simple one. Anyone could have made it. He's tired, it's past midnight, and he misses a keystroke - forgets to close a bracket, dot an i, cross a t. When it comes down to it, he is done in by punctuation.

Danny is fifteen, and IRL - In Real Life, a place he visits as little as possible - he's all lanky awkwardness. He blushes easily. His jeans don't quite meet the tops of his off-brand trainers. Girls at school, if they don't actually laugh in his face, feel sorry for him, and though Danny marginally prefers that to the laughter, he's smart enough to realise that girls don't go out with people they feel sorry for.

Actually, he isn't just smart. He's extraordinarily, ruinously smart.