Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

At 7, Libby’s sisters and mother are murdered.  She flees the scene in order to survive.  In court she testifies her 15 year old brother did it in some twisted Satanic ritual.  Fast forward 25 years, Libby is in need of some extra cash.  She can’t function.  Things as simple as paying bills tend to be too hard for her, she’s been living on a trust fund set up by well-wishers.  The Kill Club contacts her, they are willing to pay for her to revisit the past, they don’t believe her brother committed the crime, so they want him free.  As the present time story unfolds, you also get chapters of what happened in the past.

I loved how the back story unfolded as Libby interviewed and discovered more and more about the past and what really did happen.  That being said, I didn’t like Libby.  I felt sorry for her, but I didn’t like her.  That makes me sound cold, she had her entire life ripped from her at a young age, but I found her to be too whiny and didn’t like how she used everyone in her life.  That being said, I’ve already recommended this book to several people.  The character I most felt connected with was Patty, the mother.  She was struggling to make ends meet, she feared for her children’s future and as events unfolded I found myself feeling more and more sorry for her.  Some of the scenes were a bit gruesome, but you are dealing with what is to be believed to be a satanic ritualistic killing of two young girls and their mother.  It’s well written and definitely worth checking out.