Book review and similar titles: "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl is a thriller that runs classic themes (marriage, career, family) through a modern wringer that casts them in a terribly familiar light (I hope, for your sake, not too familiar).

Nick and Amy, married for five years and struggling with recent lay-offs, return to Nick’s Missouri hometown from New York City to care for his ailing mother. Amy – the inspiration for Amazing Amy, a popular children's book series written by her child-psychologist parents – goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, and pretty soon, Nick is the prime suspect.

Flynn’s book is smart and savage, a thriller that’s relatively low on action but high on games and twists. Gone Girl is written from both Nick and Amy’s perspective, in diary-style entries leading up to and past the day of Amy’s disappearance. It’s guaranteed to make you look at your husband, wife, spouse, partner, whoever a little askance for a while after you’ve read it.

Find Gone Girl in RockCat.

There’s a lot of holds on this title right now, but luckily the library has plenty of similar (read: nerve-wracking, page-turning, keep-you-awake-at-night) titles. Click on the title link to go directly to this title in RockCat, the library's online catalog.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. This title, also by Flynn, delves into the mind of a crime survivor and those suspected of committing it. Compelling characters and a tight, engaging plot make this a splendid precursor to Gone Girl. (F Flynn)

Broken Harbor by Tana French. A family tragedy brings Irish cop Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy to Broken Harbor, a place littered with clues and curiosities that slowly reveal secrets and lies from Scorcher’s childhood. (LT French)

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner. Charlie’s two childhood best friends were both murdered at 8 p.m. on January 21 the previous two years (a mere four days away), and Charlie is sure that she’s next on the list. She enlists the help of Sgt. D.D. Warren, though it slowly becomes clear that Charlie is harboring some dark secrets of her own. (F Gardner)

Mystic River by Dennis LeHane. The story of four childhood friends grown up and living in Boston. They are reunited by a crime that forces them to face the reality of long-past childhood horrors. (M Lehane)

In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien. After suffering a brutal electoral defeat after a devastating revelation about his past, John Wade and his wife, Kathy, retreat to a small cabin on an isolated Minnesota lake. Kathy goes missing along with the couple’s boat – and John finds himself the investigation’s prime suspect. (F O'Brien)

Other thrillers and mysteries to keep you awake in the wee hours:

The Breaker by Minette Walters. (F Walters)

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson (LT Watson)

Die for You by Lisa Unger (PBK U)

The Expats by Chris Pavone (F Pavone)

The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine (F Vine)

A Simple Plan by Scott Smith (F Smith)

The Firm by John Grisham (F Grisham)

Land of the Living by Nicci French (M French)

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (F Lippman)

These are great fiction titles, but how about some true crime stories? Author Ann Rule distills the facts behind some of history’s most terrifying criminals.

Titles by Ann Rule at Eager Free:

Bitter Harvest: a woman’s fury, a mother’s sacrifice

Everything she ever wanted: a true story of obsessive love, murder, and betrayal

Green River, Running Red: the real story of the Green River killer, America’s deadliest serial murderer

If You Really Loved Me: a true story of desire and murder

Small Sacrifice: a true story of passion and murder

You Belong to Me and other true crime cases

Remember, you can sign in to RockCat with your library card to put any of these books on hold, or give us a call and we'd be happy to do it for you: 608-882-2260.