Dark PlacesDark Places
Score Modern
What it's about
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in their Kansas farmhouse. She escaped, and testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, broke and troubled, she agrees to help a club of true-crime obsessives investigate, and begins to doubt what she saw.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 134 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's a dark, gripping thriller from the author of Gone Girl.
You'll love it if you liked
Gone Girl
Sharp Objects
I'll Be Gone in the DarkGood to know
It alternates between the present and the day of the murders. It's violent.
By the numbers
- Readers22 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller72 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #312 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #1009 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1863 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Gillian Flynn
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Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
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Quick answers
Is Dark Places worth reading?
Yes. It spent 134 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #1,863 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Dark Places about?
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in their Kansas farmhouse. She escaped, and testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, broke and troubled, she agrees to help a club of true-crime obsessives investigate, and begins to doubt what she saw.
How long does it take to read Dark Places?
About 9 hours (368 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Dark Places?
If you liked it, try Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn or I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara.