Thrilling, captivating, shocking; Gillian Flynn’s break out novel Gone Girl is everything wanted in a book as evidenced by 91 weeks on the New York Times best seller list. This is Flynn’s third novel after Sharp Objects and Dark Places, but don’t let the simplistic two word titles fool you. Flynn’s writing is anything but. Gone Girl employs everything a great page turner needs: compelling characters, a good love story, and an unexplained disappearance, and then Flynn adds her own flavor with a rare specialty- a real twist.

The story revolves around the crumbling marriage of Amy and Nick Dunne. The couple remains together despite money problems and a large discrepancy in personality. However, when Amy mysteriously disappears on the morning of their 5 year anniversary, things get really interesting.

Call it cliché, but Nick is the undeniable first suspect, the old “blame the husband” catch. Nick faces scrutiny from every angle as everyone in his small town, from the police to his family, slowly begin to turn against him.

Readers almost require a map to navigate the complex back and forth plot-lines charted by Flynn. Amy and Nick co-narrate the detail-filled pages (Nick speaking directly in the present and Amy communicating through past diary entries) and each share their sides of the unraveling story.

As the story progresses, Flynn puppeteers her characters through situations that are guaranteed to make your jaw drop. Without spoiling even the slightest detail, be assured that you won’t rest until Amy Dunne is found.