Forget "Fifty Shades"..."Gone Girl" is deliciously twisted.
598393
The only thing that I didn't like about reading this book is that it ended and I can't seem to pick up another book without being dissapointed.  Ms. Flynn has woven an amazing story and created complex characters, who, at some point during the book, you grow to both love and hate.

Do yourself a favor.  Cross "Fifty Shades" off your list.  Save yourself the unbelievable characters, elementary writing style and wandering plot.  Pick up "Gone Girl" and clear your calendar, you won't put it down until the last page is turned.

The only problem then, is figuring out what to read next...
129316
This was an excellent read and I highly recommend it. Gillian Flynn is no stranger to mystery and suspense writing and Gone Girl is one of her best.  It was full of twists and plot  turns and sheer cliffs! The characters are well developed to the point where you almost know how they would react in any given situation.  The story revolves around an out of work young couple returning to his home town to look after aging parents and to open a bar with his sister.  Sounds mediocre until you note that Amy is the angry wife who mirrors herself to be what she thinks others want and a husband  who wields his good looks and charm as a weapon. The honeymoon is over and Nick and Amy see each other as they truly are.  Their 5th anniversary dawns and Nick discovers his wife is missing leaving some very disturbing clues and a husband who seems to be more relieved than pained.

 I found myself changing allegiance between the two major characters, Nick and Amy, so many times until I finally woke up to the idea that both these narcissistic people deserved each other!!

The character of the female police detective was interesting.  She never took anything at face value as her partner was want to do.  At times she seemed to support Nick and believe in him almost to the point of maybe falling for his boyish good looks and charm, all the while diligently laying down the basis of the case. Amy's parents are distraught that their daughter and subject of the popular "Amazing Amy" books has vanished but at the same time they see an opportunity for the books that have been waning in popularity to pick up sales and bolster their dwindling funds.

At the end of the book I found myself breathing a sigh of relief that these characters were just  fictional as I wouldn't turn my back to either of them.  I didn't catch the movie when it came out, but I'm more than ready to see how it translated to the the screen.
4927963
I just finished reading this brilliant novel. If you enjoyed the novel, "Gone Girl", then I think you will enjoy this one. There is a similar plot in which one of the main characters is accused of murder. In addition, like "Gone Girl" there is an unreliable narrator who you are never really sure is being honest with not only the reader but also himself. The characters in the book also all have very distinctive voices. Many poorly written books have characters that all sound like the same person. However, in this novel, the 14-year-old sounds like a teenager and not a middle-aged male. The book also makes you contemplate what you would do and think and feel if you were in the same situation as this family. It makes you think of how far you would go to defend and believe in your child. It makes you wonder how blind parents can be to their own children. It makes you never want to have teenage children. Another aspect that makes this a great novel is that it opens your eyes about what really goes on in our society. In this one, you learn a lot about the justice or lack of justice system that a lot of writers don't acknowledge or they don't acknowledge with such frankness and cynicism.  Much of what he writes about I suspected for a long time, but our media and the TPTB never allude to. You will have to read to find out. I don't want to give too much away. Just read it!
75670
Dark, twisted deliciousness. This book put me on the Webster train, and I'm never, ever getting off. No seriously, I'm just going to sit here and wait for her next offering.......
3816048
If you're reading this review and have not read the book I highly recommend you stop. Not because I'm going to talk spoilers (which I am NOT going to do) but because you shouldn't read any reviews about this book. There's so many plot twists that if you happen to catch one of them in a review you'll ruin reading the book for yourself.

That being said- Gone Girl IS fantastic. What starts off as a romantic marriage becomes a missing person case and then becomes something else entirely. A lot of reviews have spoken ill of the ending saying it didn't do the book justice. In my opinion the ending absolutely did the book justice. The last paragraph entirely summarizes the theme of the book.

I wish I could write more substantial of a review- but I won't want to go ruining this book for any one who comes across this. That being said, sit down and prepare yourself for an amazing page turner.
4052274
Disturbing and seriously twisted. I loved it.
880831
Riveting like Gone Girl!  I loved the main character...she's so relatable.
2491149
Pretty Stolen Dolls by Ker Dukey and K. Webster is a new, dark romance novel.

"Tell her you're sorry...cry for the broken dolly."

Pretty Stolen Dolls was psychologically twisted and tainted. A story of lives taken and robbed. The authors wove a story that made it impossible to walk away from. When I finished reading, I was in a total book coma. Words ceased to form in my brain, and a numbness took over. Coming around, some of my initial thoughts consisted of "what the hecks" and "no ways". Then, I wondered where in the ever-loving world these authors concocted such a disturbing, yet addictive, story. Finally, I was able to wrap my head around it and grasp the magnitude of what had happened between page one and the end. This story wasn't a ride, it was a seat in the electric chair in a room filled with on-lookers. I mean, on a scale from one to ten, Benjamin's crazy far exceeded a million. He was vile and disturbing. My heart was shattered for Jade. She had the luck of a porta potty. No pleasant things occurred around her, except maybe one that breathed life into her.

I had an intense and enthralling fascination with this book from cover to cover, as its claws captured me and held me hostage to every word. I highly recommend this dark romance novel.

"Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick. So she phoned for the doctor to be quick, quick, quick."
2193120
I was not expecting all the twists and turns of this book. I couldn't put it down.  It reminded me of what I felt like reading Gone Girl, you can't stop reading.
951562
Have you ever felt a sense of foreboding when you read a book? This book had it in spades. I just wanted to keep and see how crazy and twisted it could get. I felt bad for Demi but at the same time loved that she had Pope on her side.

The storyline had an Alfred Hitchcock vibe and I loved it more because of it. I couldn't put it down. Every sexual act that Demi had to perform was wrong but oh so right. I've heard of match making but Vivian Montgomery takes to a whole nother level. If you are going to start reading this, go in with an open mind and know mama is always watching.
4346750
Gone Girl is about the disappearance of Amy Dunne. She was apparently abducted on the morning of her fifth anniversary. Her husband, Nick, is of course a prime suspect (isn't it always the husband?). But even though half of the chapters are told from Nick's perspective, you just can't make up your mind if he's guilty or not.  There's definitely something "off" about him.  And he does say that he is good at half-truths.  And the marriage was on the rocks.  So.... guilty or not?

I can't say more without giving too much away.  But I will say that this is one of the best dark psychological thrillers I've ever read.  And easily the best "unreliable narrator".  Highly recommended.
2385512
I devoured this in one setting, I could not put it down. I can see the comparisons to Gone Girl due to the unreliable narrator aspect of this novel. Here there are three: Rachel the black out drunk, divorced hot mess; Anna, Rachel's ex's mistress and new wife; and Megan, the neighbor that Rachel has developed an idealized life, that has more than her own share of secrets. It took about 3/4 of the book for me to figure out who the real sociopath was in this novel, but it was an excellent journey. The writing is great, the story fast paced, and all three narrators are complex, multi-dimensional women. If you like thrillers or who-dunnits, you should definitely read this. I cannot wait for her next novel.
3348805
So, I just read this book without getting up out of my chair once.  I was drawn immediately into the suspenseful scenario ... and then I gurgled aloud and twitched at the sordid imagery ... and followed (against my will) along Sue Young's journey, chewing off my cuticles, until the very last page.  I anticipate more gnashing and thrashing in my bed tonight!  This book is not only a thriller.  The thoughtful and precise language - and the structure of the book as a whole - make it a book I'll remember.  I just hope I can forget it once the lights go out tonight.
412563
This is one "mystery," thriller that should be on any book clubs to-read list.  It is a combination of "Gone Girl" and and a true Ted Bundy story.

I don't want to give the story away - too many reviews do that - My experience in reading  this book is that of total surprise at many parts.  Just when I felt I had it figured out, bam, the author would throw another twist.  It was like driving through the mountains of W.Virginia.

The author is very talented, and I am not sure why she changed the name of the book, but I DEFINATELY am going to be looking for more of her works.  It is quality writing, not boring, twisty, and definately surprises. Even when have it figured out (which I did), the author throws additional stuff in.  Can't recommend enough.
3766047
My expectation was this was a title/description suited for a quick-pass-the-time-distraction.  I was wrong...it was mesmerizing, but in a very methodical way.  Little details, well-drawn characters, evocative settings all served to pull me into the tale and the twisting thick plot that was strongly compelling.  In a way, the cover art is a disservice -- this is no baby thriller, but a well thought out adult novel.  There is a weight to the writing (and I imagine in the hardcover edition -- very glad I was reading this on a Kindle and not trying to prop this up for night reading!) that is palpable and perhaps made more so by its very Danish worldview.  Rather than recount it, would urge you to read it -- it's that good, and was sorry to bid farewell to the characters.
2752480
I scarcely know where to begin in reviewing this book. I picked it up because I like Gone Girl. And I like mysteries. I got so much more than I bargained for. the story grabs you right from the first page. I was actually on vacation and took this book because I thought I would be able to put it down. NO such luck. I ignored the people I was supposed to be visiting for a full 24 hours while I devoured every page of this book. I am a little ashamed but I just could not stop reading. Every page was a revelation. Every chapter a twist. Not since the Peter Swanson novel The Kind Worth Killing had I been so delighted in twisted characters.

These characters are all believable, unknowable and just twisted enough for you to believe the lies they tell and question the truths they reveal. I do not want to ever spoil a book in my reviews so I am a little constrained in what I can tell you about the story. But as with most GREAT mysteries NOTHING is as it seems. The deeper these characters suck you in the more amazed you will be by each twist and plot turn. If you read no other book this year read this.
3110314
This is an extremely well crafted and told story.  It has twists you do not expect and as many other reviewers have stated, it is virtually impossible to put down, once you start it.
This novel is so very much better than "Gone Girl" they barely compare.  Many have compared it to that book, but "The Girl on the Train" is so very much better written and told, there really is no comparison.