What happens when a seemingly happy wife suddenly disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary? And, what if diary entries of the missing woman point to the possibility of a husband driven off the edge?
This is the premise that shot Gillian Flynn’s debut novel, Gone Girl, into the New York Times bestselling list, making it the biggest literary phenomenon in 2012. When it was adapted into the big screen, she also wrote the screenplay which eventually got nominated to the Golden Globe.
Since then, she has written a few other similarly dark and suspensful novels that keep readers turning the pages into the wee hours.
Although she worked as a journalist and a film critic for Entertainment Weekly in the early years, she made a bigger splash in the world of stories as a fiction writer. Many of her other novels have been adapted into film, such as Sharp Objects, which is the inspiration for an HBO limited series that stars Amy Adams and has been nominated for 8 Emmy awards. Dark Places also has a motion picture adaptation starring Charlize Theron.
What Genre Does Gillian Flynn Write?
Gillian Flynn writes fiction thriller mysteries, and effectively wields the power of the unreliable narrator, a tactic that stirs up suspicion and suspense all at the same time. Perhaps this is why readers are immediately swept into her tales: with the way everyone is acting, how do you know whom to believe?
Although her novels include violent crimes, she steers clear from gory and bloody scenes. Instead, she effectively builds up missing-person cases and manipulate the readers to search for the missing puzzle pieces, giving you the incomparable thrill of journeying along with all the other characters.
Gillian Flynn Books to Keep You at the Edge of Your Seat
If you love to read suspense and thrillers, check out this list of Gillian Flynn’s books that will likely keep you guessing and jumping in your seat:
Gone Girl
On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Dunne suddenly disappears. Nick is known as a model husband, but when the police delve into Amy’s diaries, they can clearly read the possibilities of this perfectionist wife pushing anyone on edge, including her golden boy husband Nice.
Amy’s devoted parents, the police, and even the media wonder if Nick is hiding anything. Everyone can see he’s obviously bitter, but could he have been bitter enough to commit a murder?
Sharp Objects
Having just come out from a brief stint at a psychiatric hospital, journalist Camille Preaker now has to report on the gruesome murders of two young girls in her tiny hometown. That means she needs to go back to her roots, where she has not spoken to her mother or her half sister.
Back in her old bedroom in her old home, Camille realizes she could relate, perhaps a bit too closely, to the two young victims. Now she’s forced to work on her psychological issues in order to get the scoop and survive
Dark Places
Seven-year-old Libby Day witnessed the murder of her mother and two sisters, and eventually testified against her fifteen-year-old brother Ben. After twenty-five years, a secret society called the Kill Club contacts Libby and, being obsessed with gory crimes, exacts details from her.
Libby decides to profit from her tragic past by reconnecting to the people from that fateful night. But what if her search for details results in the killer being on her trail after all these years?
The Grownup
The winner of the Edgar Award, this novel pays homage to classic ghost stories. The unknown narrator of this tale is a harmless fraudster reading people’s auras at Spiritual Palms.
Then, the rich and unhappy Susan Burke walks in, and the pretend psychic realizes the source of this woman’s grief and terror in her old Victorian home are not pretend ghosts. Her teenage stepson Miles makes things worse with his eerie imagination and strange manner. Before long, the three of them are caught in a battle to search for the evil in the whole thing.
What is Gillian Flynn doing now?
Yes, it’s been 10 years since her first novel Gone Girl made it to be the bestseller list. Although she’s written these other books, since then she’s been busy in the television and film arena. For example, she wrote the screenplay for Widows, a movie that was released in 2018. She’s also part of the writing team on Utopia, an Amazon Prime Video series.
That means you get to enjoy her work not just in her books, but even in these films!
Reading Gillian Flynn Novels
Reading Gillian Flynn’s suspense novels is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re after a psychological thriller that gets you thinking and pondering way past your bedtime, these can be great books to add to your TBR (to-be-read) pile.
If you know anyone who loves the surprise and mystery surrounding missing-person cases, one of these books can be a good gift idea, too!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
