A horrific crime has been committed in Kinnakee, a rural town in Kansas, America. The protagonist, Libby Day, witnesses the gruesome murders of her mother and sisters, and somehow manages to escape the scene alive. As the sole survivor and witness to this terrible tragedy, her first-hand account of what happened on the day of the murders is of prime importance to this case. At the end of the trial, her own brother, a teenager at the time, is found guilty as a direct result of her testimony, and is sentenced away to prison for the crime.

More than two decades later, the case catches the attention of a few people, who are convinced that the boy is innocent. They step forward to help exonerate him and start investigating this case on their own. Libby decides to join in and help them, and thus begins the hunt for the real killer, by narrowing down possible suspects and tracking down witnesses to a crime that was committed years ago. The burning question on the readers’ mind is the identity of the real criminal.

Dark Places has an intriguing plot that often goes into flashback, as old incidents (seen through the eyes of Libby’s mother and brother) are recreated and brought to the fore, exposing the grim realities of spousal abuse, extreme poverty and class struggles.

Shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, Dark Places has been rated as a Bestseller by the New York Times. It was also the Dark Scribe Magazine’s Editor’s Pick and subsequently their winner in the genre of dark novels in the year 2009.
Plans are underway to make a feature film based on the book. Many established actresses were considered to play Libby Day’s role in the movie adaptation of the book Dark Places. Finally, Charlize Theron was chosen for the lead role (as on February, 2013).

Gillian Flynn is a well-known author from the United States of America. Apart from this book, Flynn has also written two other books titled Sharp Objects and Dark Places.

Flynn grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. Following that, she finished her Master’s degree from Northwestern University. The initial two novels published by Flynn had received praise from renowned writers such as Stephen King. Prior to becoming an author, she served as a television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She also won two Dagger Awards for her novel Sharp Objects. Her novels are sold in 28 countries. Her other book, Dark Places, was in the New York Times Bestseller list in 2009, and in other lists such as Chicago Tribune Favorite Fiction and New Yorker Reviewers’ Favorite. Flynn currently resides in Chicago, along with her spouse and son.